The 2024 Grand Prix of Long Beach (formally known as the 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach) was a sports car race held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 20, 2024. It was the third round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2023. [1] It will be the tenth year the event will be held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the fifteenth annual running of the race, counting the period between 2006 and 2013 when it was a round of the Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series respectively. The 2024 Grand Prix of Long Beach will be the third of eleven scheduled sports car races of 2024 by IMSA. [1] The race will be held at the 1.968 mi (3.167 km) Long Beach street circuit on April 20, 2024. [1]
On April 8, 2024, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the GTP and GTD classes. In GTP, Acura will receive a 5-kilogram (kg) weight increase and a power increase of 3 kilowatts (kW). Cadillac keeps their 520 kW of power, but receives a 2 kg weight break compared to Sebring. BMW will also receive a 3 kW boost whilst keeping the same weight. Finally, Porsche receives a 3 kg weight increase, and 5 kW of additional power. [2] There are no changes in BoP for the GTD class. [2]
Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, and Felipe Nasr were leading the GTP Drivers' Championship with 706 points, with Louis Delétraz, Colton Herta, and Jordan Taylor level on points. [3] In GTD, Indy Dontje, Philip Ellis, and Russell Ward led the championship with 725 points, 136 points ahead of Antonio Fuoco, Roberto Lacorte, and Giorgio Sernagiotto. [3] Cadillac, Porsche, and Acura were all level on 710 points in the GTP Manufacturers' Championship, whilst Mercedes-AMG lead from Porsche and Lamborghini in GTD. [3] Porsche Penske Motorsport and Winward Racing each led their respective Teams' Championships. [3]
There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, one on Friday morning and one on Friday afternoon. The first session lasted 1 hour on Friday morning while the second session on Friday afternoon lasted 90 minutes. [7]
Friday's afternoon qualifying session was broken into two sessions, with one session for the GTP and GTD classes, which lasted 15 minutes each. [7] The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put GTPs ahead of the GTD cars. [8]
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and with ‡.
| Pos. | Class | No. | Entry | Driver | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GTP | 31 |  Whelen Cadillac Racing |  Pipo Derani | 1:11.388 | — | 1‡ |
| 2 | GTP | 25 | BMW M Team RLL |  Nick Yelloly | 1:11.397 | +0.009 | 2 |
| 3 | GTP | 01 | Cadillac Racing |  Sébastien Bourdais | 1:11.411 | +0.023 | 3 |
| 4 | GTP | 6 |  Porsche Penske Motorsport | Nick Tandy | 1:11.629 | +0.241 | 4 |
| 5 | GTP | 7 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Dane Cameron | 1:11.741 | +0.353 | 5 |
| 6 | GTP | 40 | Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti | Jordan Taylor | 1:11.745 | +0.357 | 6 |
| 7 | GTP | 85 | JDC–Miller MotorSports |  Tijmen van der Helm | 1:11.930 | +0.542 | 7 |
| 8 | GTP | 10 | Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti |  Filipe Albuquerque | 1:11.940 | +0.552 | 8 |
| 9 | GTP | 24 | BMW M Team RLL |  Philipp Eng | 1:11.999 | +0.611 | 9 |
| 10 | GTP | 5 | Proton Competition Mustang Sampling | Mike Rockenfeller | 1:13.143 | +1.755 | 10 |
| 11 | GTD | 89 | Vasser Sullivan |  Parker Thompson | 1:17.357 | +5.969 | 11‡ |
| 12 | GTD | 12 | Vasser Sullivan | Frankie Montecalvo | 1:17.619 | +6.231 | 12 |
| 13 | GTD | 34 | Conquest Racing |  Albert Costa | 1:17.679 | +6.291 | 13 |
| 14 | GTD | 27 | Heart of Racing Team | Roman De Angelis | 1:17.725 | +6.337 | 14 |
| 15 | GTD | 45 | Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti |  Danny Formal | 1:17.814 | +6.426 | 15 |
| 16 | GTD | 32 | Korthoff/Preston Motorsports | Mikaël Grenier | 1:17.827 | +6.439 | 16 |
| 17 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Patrick Gallagher | 1:18.011 | +6.623 | 17 |
| 18 | GTD | 55 | Proton Competition |  Giammarco Levorato | 1:18.177 | +6.789 | 18 |
| 19 | GTD | 57 | Winward Racing | Russell Ward | 1:18.300 | +6.912 | 19 |
| 20 | GTD | 70 | Inception Racing | Brendan Iribe | 1:18.448 | +7.060 | 20 |
| 21 | GTD | 120 | Wright Motorsports | Adam Adelson | 1:18.457 | +7.069 | 21 |
| 22 | GTD | 78 | Forte Racing | Misha Goikhberg | 1:18.655 | +7.267 | 22 |
| 23 | GTD | 43 | Andretti Motorsports | Jarett Andretti | 1:19.335 | +7.947 | 23 |
| 24 | GTD | 86 | MDK Motorsports |  Kerong Li | 1:19.901 | +8.513 | 24 |
| 25 | GTD | 13 | AWA | Orey Fidani | 1:20.072 | +8.684 | 25 |
| 26 | GTD | 28 | Flying Lizard Motorsports | Elias Sabo | 1:20.397 | +9.009 | 26 |
| 27 | GTD | 66 | Gradient Racing | No Time Established | 27 | ||
| Sources: [9] [10] | |||||||
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
The final results kept Cameron and Nasr atop the GTP Drivers' Championship with 1032 points, 58 ahead of race winners Bourdais and van der Zande. [11] The final results of GTD kept Ellis and Ward atop the Drivers' Championship with 987 points. Foley and Gallagher jumped from tenth to second with 802 points, 10 ahead of Thompson. [11] Cadillac and Mercedes-AMG continued to top their respective Manufactures' Championships while Porsche Penske Motorsport and Winward Racing kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships with eight rounds remaining. [11]
Class winners are denoted in bold and with ‡.
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2019 BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). It was held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on 13 April 2019. The race was the third round of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The 2019 Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on May 5, 2019. It was the fourth round of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2019 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2019 Chevrolet Sports Car Classic was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at The Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan, on June 1, 2019. This race was the fifth round of the 2019 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the second round of the 2019 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2021 SportsCar Challenge at Mid-Ohio, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 Acura SportsCar Challenge, was a sports car race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Lexington, Ohio on May 16, 2021. The race is the third round of the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the first round of the 2021 WeatherTech GT Daytona Sprint Cup.
The 2022 Grand Prix of Long Beach was a sports car race held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 9, 2022. It was the third round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2022 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen was a sports car race held at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on June 26, 2022. It was the seventh round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the third round of the 2022 Michelin Endurance Cup. The No. 10 WTR - Konica Minolta Acura piloted by Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque took the victory in DPi. In LMP2, the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports No. 52 piloted by Ben Keating, Scott Huffaker, and Mikkel Jensen took the victory, while the No. 74 Riley Motorsports entry driven by Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga, and Kay van Berlo took the victory in LMP3. In GTD Pro, the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 piloted by Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas claimed victory after the No. 25 BMW M Team RLL BMW M4 GT3 were penalized post-race. In GTD, the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 took the victory with Maxime Martin and Ian James.
The 2022 Chevrolet Grand Prix was a sports car race held at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on July 3, 2022. It was the eighth round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the fifth round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup. The 01 Cadillac Racing entry piloted by Sébastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande took the overall victory. The No. 54 CORE Autosport Ligier JS P320 driven by Jon Bennett and Colin Braun won in the LMP3 class. In the GTD Pro class, the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell claimed victory, while in GTD the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 driven by Roman De Angelis and Maxime Martin claimed victory.
The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship. It was also the tenth season of the IMSA SportsCar Championship since the merger between the American Le Mans Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2014, and the eighth under the sponsorship of WeatherTech. The 2023 season marked an overhaul season for the championship, with a change in class structure and a new race on the season calendar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship began with the 24 Hours of Daytona on January 28 and concluded with the Petit Le Mans on October 14 after 11 races.
The 2023 24 Hours of Daytona was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The event was held at Daytona International Speedway combined road course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on January 28–29, 2023. This event was the 61st running of the 24 Hours of Daytona since its inception in 1962, and the first of 11 races across multiple classes in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the first of four rounds in the 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup. The No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura, driven by Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Hélio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud, took the overall win, but the team was later penalized for tire pressure data manipulation, resulting in penalties, fines and probation for those responsible. This was Meyer Shank's second Rolex 24 win in a row, and their third major endurance race win in four events. The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura finished second overall and scored the most points towards the GTP championship.
The 2023 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida from 15 to 18 March 2023. It was the second round of both the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Cadillac Racing entered as the defending overall winners of the 12-hour event, albeit in the new-for-2023 GTP class rather than DPi.
The 2023 Grand Prix of Long Beach was a sports car race held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 15, 2023. It was the third round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2021 Grand Prix of Long Beach was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on September 25, 2021. It was the tenth round of the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and seventh the round of 2021 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2023 Motul Course de Monterey was a sports car race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California on May 14, 2023. It was the fourth round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the second round of the 2023 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
The 2023 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen was an endurance sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York on June 25, 2023. The race was the fifth round of the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the third round of the 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup.
The 2024 12 Hours of Sebring was an endurance sports car race being held at Sebring International Raceway near Sebring, Florida, scheduled from March 13 to 16, 2024. It was the second round of both the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup.
The 2024 Motul Course de Monterey was a sports car race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California, on May 12, 2024. It was the fourth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2024 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen was a sports car race held at Watkins Glen International in Dix, New York, on June 23, 2024. It was the sixth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the third round of the Michelin Endurance Cup.
The 2024 IMSA SportsCar Weekend was a sports car race held at Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, on August 4, 2024. It was the eighth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a sports car race held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on August 25, 2024. It was the ninth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The 2024 IMSA Battle on the Bricks will be a sports car race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on September 22, 2024. It will be the tenth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship, as well as the fourth round of the Michelin Endurance Cup.
