St Petersburg GP vs. Long Beach GP

[IndyCarFan]

I would be very interested in everyone's opinion on this. However, please identify if you have been to the St Pete GP, the Long Beach GP, both GPs or neither.

The Long Beach Grand Prix has long been considered by most people the best open wheel street race in the United States. For most of its life it was a CART/ChampCar event.

The St. Petersburg Grand Prix only has a 5 year history (1 with CART/ChampCar and 4 with IRL/ICS) but it has frequently been compared to the Long Beach Grand Prix.

For those that have been to both events at least once please compare the two. What did you particularly like or not like? What areas need improvement? Etc..... Also, do you plan on attending one or both of these events again in the future?

For those that have not been to either event but have seen both events on TV at least once I would like similar information. Obviously your only perspective is from TV coverage, highlight shows, media coverage, etc. but there is one important extra question. What would it take for you to decide to attend one or both of these events in person?

Thank you for your help with this. Your input is important and can make a difference.

[nigelred5]

Well, they are both waterfront locations. Other than that and concrete walls, they seem pretty different to me. Long Beach's main straight really isn't a straight at all. St Pete does have the wide open airstrip and a good passing zone in addition to the curving back straight along the marina. It may be blasphemy to some, but I think I actually prefer the St Pete course in many ways. At least calamity corner at St Pete isn't the first corner!

[seppefan]

I am off to LongBeach tomorrow to say goodbye to ChampCar. Second time of going. Watched St.Pete on the tv and thought it looked great. Had dinner last night with people who went to St.Pete this year ( one being a driver ) and they raved about the place saying it was just fantastic. Long Beach is a dump as a town. The race is ok I suppose but it left me cold. I would leave it off the calender.

[MAX_THRUST]

Monaco wouldn't be on the F1 schedule without its historical significance. For that reason alone Long Beach must stay.

Loved STPete when CART races there, have only seen one race at ST Pete with The IRL, not this years though.

They are both different tracks and are close to water, my favourite was the Miami track that CART did. To small but I liked it??????????

[Rogelio]

I am off to LongBeach tomorrow to say goodbye to ChampCar. Second time of going. Watched St.Pete on the tv and thought it looked great. Had dinner last night with people who went to St.Pete this year ( one being a driver ) and they raved about the place saying it was just fantastic. Long Beach is a dump as a town. The race is ok I suppose but it left me cold. I would leave it off the calender.

Long Beach was a dump of a town. The downtown restaurants/nightlife are the talk of Southern CA. During race week/weekend you can feel the electricity and excitement about the race. The city supports the race and has a long history of committment. Perhaps, the LB Gran Prix can be "compared" with the Rose Parade in the sense of the beauty that it portrays: beautiful weather/women, and the excitement that is SoCal.

I have been attending the LB Gran Prix for the past 20 years. The long "straight away" out of the hairpin are an amazing strech of exciting racing. Fans can watch the cars enter the hairpin at reduced speeds and then bust out to nearly 180 mph. What more needs to be said. The scenery looks fabulous on tv and in person. The image of the LB Arena with the Wyland paintings, Queen Mary, Shoreline Village, Pacific Ocean, etc... make a picture perfect postcard. The imagery that surrounds the race make the race.

I have not been St. Pete's, so I will not comment. However, the scenery is beautiful and if the fans show up, then it is all for the best.

With all that said, I am not attending the LB Gran Prix this year. The capitulation of the Amigos alienated me beyond expression and then they expect us die-hard fans to support the last race. Instead, I am off to Ensenada to do the Rosarito to Ensenada Bike Race. I will gladly return next year and return to the yachts below the Yardhouse and enjoy a good weekend of racing and of course drinking.

[xtlm]

"Monaco wouldn't be on the F1 schedule without its historical significance."

sad truth

because it is one of the better races of the year, and one of the few unique tracks they have

[bblocker68]

Parts of Long Beach are still a dump, but not downtown. The LBC is still a rough neighborhood, but downtown LB is very nice, along with the water front, Naples and the 2nd St. Strip.

Thank you LBGP for making the downtown area a great place to come visit.

[pits4me]

St. Petes would be fourth on my list.

1. Long Beach
2. Surfers
3. Vancouver
4. St. Pete's

[indycool]

Attended Long Beach long ago and attended St. Pete twice when it was a Trans Am race. What would it take to get me to go to either one? A plane ticket and a room....don't have the bucks.

But I've watched both on TV. The settings are similar along waterfronts. They're both street races. They're both in appropriately big markets. Long Beach, by history, and St. Pete (finally, after three tries failed) by strong promotion and sponsor lineup, are successful or becoming successful. Both will be helped by the Indy cars being one series.

Guess I really have no point in choosing one or the other as a favorite. As a race fan, I'd probably take Silver Crown at DuQuoin over both of 'em. As an Indy car fan, I have them both on the schedule and don't have any reason to dislike either one.

[nigelred5]

Attended Long Beach long ago and attended St. Pete twice when it was a Trans Am race. What would it take to get me to go to either one? A plane ticket and a room....don't have the bucks.

But I've watched both on TV. The settings are similar along waterfronts. They're both street races. They're both in appropriately big markets. Long Beach, by history, and St. Pete (finally, after three tries failed) by strong promotion and sponsor lineup, are successful or becoming successful. Both will be helped by the Indy cars being one series.

Guess I really have no point in choosing one or the other as a favorite. As a race fan, I'd probably take Silver Crown at DuQuoin over both of 'em. As an Indy car fan, I have them both on the schedule and don't have any reason to dislike either one.

Airtran to Tampa! Cheaper than Greyhound and the seats aren't nearly so sticky. oh, wait that was a southwest commercial! ;)

I had pretty much everything (air, hotel, car rental and ticket) worked out for under $300 roundtrip for flying in saturday AM and flying out sunday evening and meet my 'rents down there for the race but the wife squashed it. Add in a few bucks for a few cold ones and a cuban sammich or two and that's all I need for a race.

[indycool]

That's not a bad deal at all and I could probably do that from Indy about the same except ATA, which was the cheapest from Indy to Florida, just went belly-up. Maybe Airtran will pick up some of their routes. Thanx, Nigel...

[nigelred5]

And they are an official sponsor of INDYCAR!!!

We have a nice luxury with BWI in Baltimore. Tons of Cheap $39.00 each way type of Flights to Florida from low cost carriers. I'm also smack in the middle of Baltimore and Philly so I also get tons of cheap flights out of Philly as well. No need to be a high roller to attend a race if you don't want to be. It's usually a time thing with me. Sign up for the Email alerts with the airlines. You'd be suprised how often you can get a last minute flight to a race destination, and you don't have to stay in the Hyatt to enjoy a race. teh best thing about florida is there are tons of hotels, Especially in central florida if you don't mind staying relatively sober and driving a little in the evening.

Hope to see a lot of Indycar fands there next year! We need to make St Pete the LongBeach of the East!~

[indycool]

Sounds like a great idea to me! Thanx again, Nigel.....

[pits4me]

Had a nice chat with teams that ran both. St. Petes has a lot of promise but pretty shallow using their current measuring stick. \

Track access - LB is very accessable from most directions. The Interstate dumps you right at the track, Public transportation very very close. The Blue line light rail stops within 1 block of the track.

There are lots of hotels and motels in the area. For those towards the airport or other cities, there is public transportation.

Many more places to eat within short walking distance of the track.

[pits4me]

I suspect St. Petes Friday crowd was as big as Long Beach's crowd Thursday. Todays crowd was amazing. Seemed more than Saturday last year. Most of those (in racing) I spoke to dread the thought of what Sunday will be like. Many ALMS folk were planning on breakfast at the track with their manufacturer sponsors. Now the question is will they be able to go opposite the incoming influx of traffic and fans. WOW LBGPA, shades of the good times. And thanks for opening up the track Thursday for non-open-wheel practice.

[gerkebi]

I've been to both numerous times, I love the history at LB and the girls are much better looking there. Oh yeah, racing, we were talking racing. I have a slight preference for St. Pete. Better passing zones, plenty of restaurants right downtown, and the front porch of the Vinoy...my favorite place on earth!

[grantb4]

I've been to LBGP and Vancouver. Both events are (were) great, but I don't like either track. The only street course I've ever enjoyed is the one that F1 used to run on in Australia (Adelaide?). That was the only one that had reasonable run off area. Most of the street courses are impossible to pass on and if anyone has an incident it's immediate full course caution. But they are all still better than ovals.

[Cart750hp]

St. Petes would be fourth on my list.

1. Long Beach
2. Surfers
3. Vancouver
4. St. Pete's

Pits, it's been a very long time we agreed and this time we did again. I'd like to add Miami on number 5.

Long Beach Grand Prix has a history that put F1 and mainly CC on the board. I believe that if the A1GP will take over Long Beach, it will still be a huge event. So, it's mainly the event rather than the series running.

However, St Pete is a very nice track and hopefully become more successful. This track is still new and hasn't built any series running around it long. True CART was there and now IndyCar but it doesn't have that good name as Long Beach, Toronto, Surfers and Cleveland. It will take time but it's a beautiful track though.

[IndyCarFan]

Anyone? Bueller?...... Bueller?........

[BenRoethig]

I have to say I have a slight preference for st. Pete.