Two battles at 2025 Grand Prix of Long Beach

[teamzr1]

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!

 

[teamzr1]

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

 

[teamzr1]

DETROIT (April 8, 2025) – Corvette Racing has a full weekend coming up with two high-profile entries for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the third round of this year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

As part of the showcase with IMSA’s GTP and GTD classes, two Chevy Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are set for Saturday’s 100-minute street race on the famous 11-turn, 1.968-mile street circuit in southern California. Both have their own unique storylines:

No. 13 AWA Corvette: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani
Reigning Rolex 24 At Daytona GTD class winner AWA and its drivers made their first appearance at Long Beach a year ago and finished an impressive sixth in class.
The result served as a springboard for the rest of the season, which culminated in the Bob Akin Award for Fidani as the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD. The award landed AWA an invitation to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the momentum carried over to the Rolex 24 victory in January

No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette: Robert Wickens/Tommy Milner
One of the most followed and unique entries in this year’s race, DXDT Racing’s Corvette is equipped with a Bosch hand-control electronic braking system for Wickens who lost the use of his lower body in a racing crash in 2018 and Corvette factory driver Tommy Milner, who did the initial shakedown and testing of the hand-control system.
The No. 36 Corvette is a collaboration between Bosch, Chevrolet, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing.

Long Beach will mark Wickens’ first race in a Corvette Z06 GT3.R. His impressive resume pairs well with the Corvette Racing program, whose history of success includes 140 race victories around the world, 117 of them in IMSA competition along with 14 Manufacturers championships for Chevrolet.

General Motors and Chevrolet have long been committed to accessibility for customers and employees. Upon hearing of Wickens’ interest in GTD, Chevrolet helped to bring Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT together to bring him into the Corvette family.

“Everyone within Chevrolet and Corvette Racing is excited to be part of this project,” said Mark Stielow, director, Chevrolet Motorsports Competition Programs. “Chevrolet’s commitment to accessibility and innovation in motorsports drove investment in this project.
We all support Robert’s drive to compete at the highest levels of motorsport and are proud to partner with groups like Bosch, Pratt Miller and DXDT Racing to realize part of that dream.”

In addition to the 100-minute IMSA race, two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will contest a pair of 40-minute sprint races in SRO Motorsports’ GT America series, Blake McDonald in the No. 11 Corvette for DXDT Racing and Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Corvette for Chouest Povoledo Racing.

Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 17 visits, Corvette GT cars have captured eight victories, with two additional in the Corvette Daytona Prototype era. Combined with results from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet boasts a total of 22 victories in the Grand Prix’s two premier events.

The Grand Prix of Long Beach for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 12.

The race will air live on the USA Network starting at 5 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock, which also will stream Friday’s 8 p.m. ET qualifying session. IMSA Radio also will air Friday’s qualifying and the race at IMSA.com along with XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m looking forward to getting back to Long Beach. It was my first time there last season, and it was the surprise of the year for me. I loved the circuit and the event as a whole; it was a great experience.
We had great pace too, as we have so far this year, so I’m hopeful and confident that we’ll be able to put together another competitive showing.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Long Beach is a very challenging but also really exciting track. It’s so narrow and unforgiving, and with so little room for error, you know you have to be precise and make the right decisions. It’s a change of pace from Daytona and Sebring, but we’ve shown our consistency, and I’m looking forward to proving our competitiveness in the sprint races as well.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“I’m excited to go back to Long Beach for a number of reasons. First off, it’s a really unique event with all kinds of history behind it great drivers, great cars and fantastic races. I’ve been fortunate to win there four times, a couple under some pretty crazy circumstances!
Second, it’s obviously a real privilege to be asked to team with Rob in this race. It’s such a big moment for him, for DXDT Racing, for Corvette, all the partners and racing in general. We all have high hopes going into the weekend.
The Corvette and the hand-control system have been solid in testing. Both Rob and I know the track very well. So we’re all optimistic of being able to race and challenge for a podium and hopefully the win.”

ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“After finally getting my first taste of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in Sebring a few weeks ago, I have been counting down the days until Long Beach. My first race with DXDT and finally my first race of 2025.
It is going to be a very steep learning curve, but I am thankful I have a strong team behind me and a great teammate in Tommy Milner to help get me up to speed. Hopefully when we look back on this event on Saturday night, we can be proud of what we accomplished together.”

 

[teamzr1]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Robert Wickens is tough to satisfy. Many people would have been satisfied merely surviving that terrible IndyCar crash at Pocono International Raceway in 2018. Not Robert Wickens. Thankful? Yes. Satisfied?
No. Although partially paralyzed below his chest, Wickens vowed to stand and even dance at his wedding to Karli Woods.
And after more than a year of treatment and rehabilitation, in September 2019 he did just that.

But Wickens also vowed to return to motorsports competition and, with the aid of a hand-controlled, mechanical braking and throttle system, he did just that at the wheel of a Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR in 2022.

But just driving a race car was not enough for Wickens. He wanted to be competitive and to take the next step after that, namely winning races … and the next step after that, namely returning to championship-winning form.
All of which he did, scoring four wins in the Touring Car (TCR) class over a three-year run and capturing the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR title.

But Robert Wickens had still loftier goals. Namely, competing at the very pinnacle of the sport. He recently took the next step toward achieving that goal at Sebring International Raceway, testing the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R equipped with Bosch Motorsports’ new electronic braking and throttle control system (EBS) in preparation for his debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 11-12.
Provided he takes the green flag, it will mark his first WeatherTech Championship start since the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona in an open-top Prototype Challenge (PC) class entry.

“My goal from the outset of this was to get back to the highest levels of motorsport again,” Wickens says. “I’ve always seen that the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the highest level of sports car racing here in North America. Aligning myself with someone like General Motors and DXDT Racing, it was just the perfect fit. It would be a dream if I could call it a 10-year career here in the IMSA WeatherTech series racing against the best drivers in the world in one of the best series in the world.”

Long Beach is the first in a five-race schedule on tap for Wickens this season, one that sees him focusing on WeatherTech Championship sprint races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America and VIRginia International Raceway in addition to Long Beach.

While enormously excited about the prospects, as you might imagine, Wickens won’t be satisfied “just” to race at Long Beach.
He wants to use success in sprint races to springboard to a full-time entry.

“I think this is a big step,” he says. “For me to officially get that fulfillment, I want to be a full-time contender in the WeatherTech series.
Honestly taking the green flag in Long Beach is going to be a tremendous step forward in my career and my journey back to the highest levels. Basically, you could say, ‘We did it. We’re racing against the best cars and the best drivers in the whole sports car industry.’

“My goal is always to get to the highest levels, and I feel like I’m here. So the next step becomes a week-in, week-out staple of the series and make sure I can get myself to a full-time position for 2026 and then start fighting for championships. Hopefully we can challenge for race wins and podiums here this year.”

As Wickens’ competitors and Long Beach co-driver Tommy Milner can attest, podium finishes, let alone race wins, are hard to come by in GTD competition. Given that the two-day run at Sebring is Wickens’ only scheduled testing in the DXDT Corvette this year, there are no guarantees he will have the satisfaction of a top-three finish in 2025, let alone a victory.

“I’ll bet you a win is going to be (Robert’s) goal (at Long Beach),” says Milner, the Corvette Racing factory ace and four-time Long Beach class winner who’s available because the GTD PRO class isn’t racing this event.
“And I certainly think that’s possible. The Corvette has been fast at Long Beach (but) I also think the weekend goals-wise will be to help set himself up and the team up for a successful rest of the season as well. It’s not a checkers or wreckers kind of thing.
It’s definitely going to be about getting the best result that we can, but I’m certainly not counting on a win.”

From the sounds of it, neither is Wickens.

“Getting acclimated into the car was kind of Job One,” Wickens says of the Sebring test. “Honestly, Bosch did so much preparation ahead of this that there wasn’t a lot. The first run with the system if that was all I had and there was no ‘tunability’ I wouldn’t have been upset about it. We started off in such a great window where I just kind of got to figure out the car.

“I got my first taste of a long run on double-stinted tires to see what the car behaves like. This is my only test for the whole year, and we want to make sure that I have as many tools in my belt as possible, so there are no surprises when we get to Long Beach or further down the road. The best thing about Sebring is a lot of these apex and exit curbs are not super friendly. So you can treat them like walls.
So in terms of getting used to Long Beach, that’s been good.”

Although Wickens won’t have the luxury of any additional on-track testing prior to Long Beach, he will doubtless log plenty of laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit on his home race simulation set-up.

“Racing on my home simulator is not only fun, but it made my dexterity and kind of my resolution of my hand for throttle application in particular just stronger and stronger,” he says.
“After driving the Corvette Z06, I feel like the next step for me is actually to start doing more throttle application with my right hand just to build muscle memory
My brake that I use on my home simulator is very different to what we have in the race car, but for the throttle purposes, I think it’s very helpful.”

And while two days of on-track testing and virtually unlimited time on the sim can shave tenths of a second off lap times, perhaps even more critical will be the time gained or lost in the driver swap on what figures to be the Long Beach race’s one and only scheduled pit stop.

While time can be gained or lost on any pit stop in any race, at 100 minutes in length, Long Beach (along with Detroit) is the shortest race on the IMSA calendar making pit stop execution more vital than ever, especially given that on-track passing opportunities generally are few and far between.
Also of note, minimum drive time in the GTD class is 35 minutes, so Wickens would likely qualify and start before the driver change sequence is initiated to turn the car over to Milner.

“We’ve always talked about the driver change being a pretty important part of the (Long Beach) race because that typically ends-up being kind of the limiting factor in the pit stop,” Milner says. “The tires and the fuel typically take a little bit less time (than a driver change). Robbie obviously comes from a place where he has the sports car racing experience, where he’s had to do those driver changes. From that side, there are no limitations, so to speak. He knows what he needs to get out of the car.”

It’s safe to say Robert Wickens won’t be satisfied unless and until he gets everything possible, himself included, out of the DXDT Corvette.

 

[teamzr1]

IMSA Schedule

 

[teamzr1]

GT America Schedule