Two battles at 2025 Grand Prix of Long Beach

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Starting on the 11th this month both IMSA and GT American will be doing races at Long Beach, Ca

The 2025 GT America powered by AWS season continues with rounds 3 and 4 on the streets of Long Beach, where a thrilling mix of seasoned contenders and fresh challengers will battle for wins at one of the most prestigious events in North America.
As the championship shifts to its first street circuit of the year, top teams across the SRO3, GT2, and GT4 classes are ready to navigate the tight corners and high-speed straights of this iconic venue.

The series boasts a rich legacy of competition at Long Beach, tracing back to the era of the Pirelli World Challenge. Since originally joining the Grand Prix lineup in 2006, it has always been an event everyone wants to win, with GT racing legends continuing to make their return for another shot at conquering the street circuit.

Aston Martin

Aston Martin is coming equipped with a mix of some familiar names and new talents on the grid. Jason Bell and Gray Newell are no strangers to the GT America field, as both ran full-season entries the year prior. Meanwhile, Max Hewitt had a stellar weekend last time out in Sonoma, taking a win and podium finish in his debut event.

• No. 2 RacersEdge Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO – Jason Bell
• No. 24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO – Gray Newell
• No. 39 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO – Max Hewitt

Audi

Audi is set to compete in both the SRO3 and GT2 classes, represented by GMG Racing, with highly knowledgeable drivers James Sofronas and CJ Moses bringing years of experience and a proven track record to the grid.

• No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII – James Sofronas
• No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 – CJ Moses

BMW


BMW heads to Long Beach with entries from Turner Motorsport, Flying Lizard Motorsports, and Fast Track Racing, and with the addition of Random Vandals Racing. Justin Rothberg and Elias Sabo are already off to a strong start after securing respective podium finishes at Sonoma, with Paul Sparta doing the same in Pirelli GT4 America competition.

• No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO – Justin Rothberg
• No. 80 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 EVO – Elias Sabo
• No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVO – Paul Sparta
• No. 188 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82) – Judson Holt

Corvette

Mirco Schultis had a successful outing in Sonoma, taking the final step of the podium in both races navigating through a difficult rainy weekend. Ross Chouest is taking full advantage of the opportunity to get better acquainted with his new Chevy machinery, with Blake McDonald doing the same.

• No. 11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R – Blake McDonald
• No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R – Ross Chouest
• No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R – Mirco Schultis

Lamborghini

Lamborghini is set to join in on the action, bringing its renowned combination of cutting-edge engineering and racing pedigree to the streets of Long Beach as the Italian marque looks to battle for top honors in the GT2 class.

• No. 142 MLT Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 – Adrian Kunzle

Mercedes-AMG


Mercedes-AMG have returned to their winning ways already, as George Kurtz kicked off the season with a commanding victory in Race 1 at Sonoma, while Jeff Burton also showcased the brand’s strength with a Race 2 win in GT World Challenge America, adding momentum heading into Long Beach.

• No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 – George Kurtz
• No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 – Jason Daskalos
• No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 – Jeff Burton

Porsche


Kyle Washington had a formidable time in Sonoma, claiming his first victory in the championship after a triumphant drive in extreme wet weather conditions. GMG Racing is also adding a GT3 class entry with Patrick Mulcahy, while ACI Motorsports will see Ricco Shlaimoun take command of their machine.

• No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport – Ricco Shlaimoun
• No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R – Kyle Washington
• No. 54 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii) – Patrick Mulcahy
• No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport – Robb Holland

Toyota

Anthony McIntosh took home the victory in his first outing in the series at Sonoma Raceway, and immediately followed it up with a second place finish the next day. Now, as he shifts from rolling hills to narrow concrete walls, he’ll be looking to carry that same strong momentum into the next rounds.

• No. 69 JTR Motorsports Engineering Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2 – Anthony McIntosh

Take in Half a Century of History

Don’t miss the 50th anniversary of the historic Grand Prix of Long Beach from April 11th-13th as the grid battles it out around the challenging street circuit.
The action will be available on MAVTV, the GTWorld YouTube channel, and SRO Motorsports Twitch, so be sure to tune in!

 

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IMSA has published a 27-car entry list for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 12, the first sprint race of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The 100-minute sprint on Saturday afternoon forms part of the Long Beach GP’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The entry list features 11 cars in GTP and 16 in GTD.

The No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie makes its first sprint appearance in IMSA, joining a grid which features the three factory Cadillac V-Series.Rs, the two Porsche Penske Motorsport 963s, two BMW M Team RLL Hybrid V8s, two Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06es, and JDC-Miller MotorSports’ privateer 963.

It will be the first race without either the Lamborghini Squadra Corse SC63 or the Proton Competition privateer 963, which will only appear in the five Michelin Endurance Cup events.

In the IMSA WeatherTech GTP Championship, the No. 7 Penske Porsche and drivers Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy lead the standings by 91 points over their teammates Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell in the No. 6 Porsche. Behind them, the No. 60 MSR Acura of Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun is third in the standings, trailing by 173 points. Porsche also leads the GTP manufacturers’ standings by 56 points over Acura.

Cadillac was last year’s winning manufacturer, though this year Renger van der Zande will drive the No. 93 MSR Acura and his 2024 co-driver Sebastien Bourdais will not race at Long Beach in any capacity for the first time since 2010.

The much-anticipated IMSA GTD debut of Robert Wickens in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R headlines the category’s 16-car field. Wickens will share the cockpit with Corvette Racing factory driver Tommy Milner, in a specially prepared chassis with next-generation hand controls developed by Bosch and Pratt Miller.

GTD’s 14 full-season entries are joined by previously confirmed one-off entries from AO Racing and Vasser Sullivan Racing, who’ve brought their GTD PRO cars to Long Beach with revised driver line-ups. Jonny Edgar and Laurens Vanthoor will drive for AO Racing, while Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo will drive Vasser Sullivan’s second Lexus.

Long Beach also sees Gradient Racing debut its new pairing of Jenson Altzman and Robert Megennis in the No. 66 Ford Mustang GT3.

After winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Winward Racing’s Russell Ward and Philip Ellis lead the GTD standings by 41 points over Heart of Racing Team’s new pairing of Tom Gamble and Casper Stevenson. New Wright Motorsports owner/driver Adam Adelson and co-driver Elliott Skeer are only 57 points out of first place.

And in the GTD manufacturers’ championship, Mercedes-AMG leads Aston Martin by 40 points.

IMSA teams will get two practice sessions on Friday leading into qualifying that evening, starting at 5:10pm local time, with the 100-minute race set for a 2:05pm green flag.

FULL ENTRY LIST