Golden on the Coast: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Celebrates 50 Years of Speed, Spirit, and Stories...
Written By Amber Reid - PLN JS
The sun-soaked streets of Long Beach, California, roared louder than usual this weekend as the Acura Grand Prix marked its 50th anniversary—five decades of horsepower, heartbreak, and history since its humble beginnings in 1975 as a Formula 5000 event.
What started as an ambitious idea quickly shifted gears into a major global motorsport staple. Formula 1 took the reins for a few years before IndyCar made the seaside city its spiritual home in 1984. Since 1990, IMSA’s inclusion turned the Grand Prix weekend into a racing festival—and in true Southern California style, it delivered once again.
GTP Showdown: Porsche's Precision Makes It Three-for-Three
In the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's GTP class, Dries Vanthoor's blistering 1:11.539 lap put the #24 BMW M Hybrid V8 on pole, narrowly ahead of teammate Sheldon van der Linde in the #25—locking out the front row in style. It was Vanthoor’s third pole of the 2025 season, but the race itself didn’t unfold as BMW had hoped.
The Penske Porsche 963s, already riding high in form, capitalized brilliantly during the race’s only caution period. With a strategy masterstroke and typical Penske pit precision, the #7 Porsche emerged in front—and stayed there. Felipe Nasr crossed the finish line 3 seconds clear of the sister #6 Porsche of Campbell/Jaminet, completing a hat trick for the team with three wins from three races. Porsche swept the podium again, with the #24 BMW salvaging crucial championship points in third.
Nasr also bagged the fastest lap of the race in GTP (1:12.708), showing once more that Porsche’s balance of pace and execution is a force to beat in 2025.
GTD Class: Comebacks, Debuts, and Determination
The GTD field had its share of headlines too—starting with an emotional return. Robert Wickens, who continues to inspire the motorsport world after his 2018 IndyCar accident, made his IMSA WeatherTech debut with DXDT Racing in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Using a modified hand-control system developed by Bosch, Wickens and teammate Tommy Milner showed grit and promise. Despite contact late in the race and a penalty dropping them to 15th, their charge from P10 to P6 at one stage turned heads. The duo now looks ahead to Laguna Seca with momentum and determination.
Also debuting was #66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3, driven by Robert McGinnis and Ford Performance junior driver Jensen Altzman. Qualifying 24th, Altzman briefly led during pit cycles—a symbolic win for the young pairing in their first of many sprint rounds this year. They eventually brought the Mustang home in 21st.
‘REXY’ and the Fan Favorites...
Parker Thompson put the Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 on GTD pole, with AO Racing’s fan-favorite “REXY” Porsche 911 GT3 R chasing close behind. Laurens Vanthoor, brother of Dries, laid down the fastest GTD lap at 1:18.680—proof that speed runs deep in the family DNA.
And making its second IMSA outing, the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 LMH captured the crowd's imagination—and their ears. The symphonic scream of the V12 carved through Long Beach’s concrete canyons, eventually finishing 8th. It wasn’t just about placement; it was about progress. The Valkyrie’s growing confidence on track will no doubt play dividends later in both the IMSA and WEC calendars.
From golden anniversaries to personal milestones, from pole positions to personal perseverance, Long Beach once again delivered more than just a race. It gave us stories. Some fast. Some loud. Some quiet and courageous.
And as the engines cooled and the haulers rolled out, one thing is certain: Long Beach is still writing chapters that matter in Motorsport History....