Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Begins Today

The three-day Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach begins today with qualifying for the pro/celebrity and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races and the KMC Wheels Super Drift Challenge.

Today’s activities also include practice for the featured IndyCar Series race (12:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.), the Indy Lights race (1:30 p.m.) and an all- driver autograph session by the IndyCar Series drivers (2 p.m.) The pro/celebrity qualifying is set to begin at 3 p.m. The field includes actors Alfonso Ribeiro, the 1994 and 1995 champion; Tricia Helfer, Nathan Kress, James Maslow, Raul Mendez, Joshua Morrow, Robert Patrick and Mekhi Phifer; Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath; Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Dara Torres, who in 2002 became the first woman celebrity to win the race; and KSPN-AM (710) host Steve Mason.

They will drive race-prepared Scion FR-S cars on the 1.97-mile, 11-turn street circuit surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center. Qualifying for the Super Drift Challenge is set to begin at 7:45 p.m. In drifting, drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, with a judging panel determining the winner based on execution and style. The drifting competition rounds will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The pro/celebrity and TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races races will be held Saturday, along with qualifying for the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights races, and a concert by Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil. The IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, SPEED Energy Off-Road and Pirelli World Challenge races will be held Sunday. Organizers expect more than 180,000 spectators over the three days, including more than 80,000 on Sunday.

--City News Service; Image via Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach