These Rumors Always Pop Up, Sorry F1 Fans There Will Be No Racing In Long Beach
The bosses of the iconic US street race in Long Beach have once again officially denied reports formula one is interested in adding Long Beach to its annual calendar. Surprising? It really shouldn’t be.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is the longest running major “street” race held on the North American continent. It started in 1975 as a Formula 5000 race on the streets of downtown, and became a Formula One event the following year. From 1984 to 2008 it was a CART Indycar/Champ Car event. Other popular events during the Grand Prix week include a Firestone Indy Lights race, an American Le Mans Series race, and the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.
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Reports this month said that with Indycar’s contract expiring, Bernie Ecclestone and F1 sponsor agency chief Zak Brown have expressed interest in snapping up the California event. These days, former McLaren driver Michael Andretti promotes some Indycar races and he observed: “Why would they sell it?” He was referring to Long Beach race owners Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe. The president and CEO of the race, Jim Michaelian, said: “This is a story that keeps bouncing around every year or so, despite the fact that the race isn’t for sale and there’s been no contact between anyone and Kevin about a sale. “Nothing is happening,” he told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. “To keep speculating, playing this ‘what if’ game, just encourages more rumors that don’t amount to anything,” he added. Earlier, Kalkhoven had said he would only consider selling Long Beach if “stupid money” was being proposed. “Gerry and I are not interested in selling Long Beach,” he added.
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