Track construction is underway along Shoreline Drive for the 50th annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Race weekend will take place from April 11 to 13, but Thursday was the official start of the 50-day process to turn a portion of Downtown Long Beach into a 1.97-mile street course.
The track consists of 11 turns with 14 grandstands lining the racecourse, according to Grand Prix spokesperson Chris Esslinger. It takes roughly 33,000 hours to set up and about two weeks to take down.
To minimize disruptions to nearby businesses, the portion of the track near the Pike and Aquarium of the Pacific will be set up last and be the first portion removed following the race, Esslinger said.
In addition to the headliner race, organizers have created an exhibition event for the 50th anniversary this year that will feature cars from the three eras of open-wheel racing in Long Beach: Formula 5000, Formula 1 and Indy cars, said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO Jim Michaelian.
That exhibition will take place on Saturday and Sunday.
“This will be a special part of the weekend,” Michaelian said. “It represents the history of the event over the past 50 years.”
Mayor Rex Richardson said he’s looking forward to the Saturday concert with Foreigner headlining and playing hits like “Cold As Ice” and “Hot Blooded.”
“The Grand Prix isn’t going anywhere, if anything it’s just going to continue to get better and better and I think that will be showcased in the programming that you’ll see in the Grand Prix this year,” Richardson said.
Mario Andretti, who participated in the first-ever Long Beach race in 1975, will serve as this year’s co-Grand Marshal along with Al Unser Jr.
Last year’s race weekend broke a record for attendance with 194,000 people.
Tickets for the event are on sale, with general admission for Friday starting at $44. A three-day ticket with reserved grandstand seating on Saturday and Sunday costs $205.