The Grand Prix of Long Beach is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It was the premier race on the CART/Champ Car World Series calendar from 1996 to 2008, and the 2008 race was the final Champ Car series race prior to the formal unification and end of the open-wheel "split" between CART and IRL. Since 2009, the race has been part of the unified IndyCar Series. The race is typically held in April. It is one of the longest continuously running events in IndyCar racing and is considered one of the most prestigious events on the circuit.
Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French professional racing driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, having won 37 races. He won four successive championships under Champ Car World Series sanction from 2004 to 2007. Later he competed at the IndyCar Series from 2011 to 2021. He also entered 27 races in Formula One for the Toro Rosso team during 2008 and the start of 2009.
James Vasser Jr. is an American former racing driver. Vasser won the 1996 CART IndyCar championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, and scored ten victories in the series. Vasser was the last American to win the CART championship.
Oriol Servià i Imbers is a Spanish racing driver who competes part-time in the IndyCar Series. He raced for Dragon Racing in the 2014–15 Formula E season, and left the series prior to the 2015 Miami ePrix to become managing director for the technical and commercial partnerships of Dragon Racing. Servià holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. Since 2018 he also serves as pace car driver at IndyCar races outside the Indianapolis 500.
KV Racing Technology was an auto racing team that last competed in the IndyCar Series. The team was originally formed as PK Racing before the 2003 season by Australian businessman Kevin Kalkhoven and former Formula One team manager Craig Pollock from the remnants of the PacWest team.
The 2006 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the first round of the 2006 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on April 9, 2006 on the streets of Long Beach, California. The pole and race win were both captured by the two-time running Champ Car champion, Sébastien Bourdais. The race was billed at the time as Jimmy Vasser's final Champ Car race, ending a 15-year career that featured 10 wins and the series championship in 1996, though he would later make a come out of retirement to drive in the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the final race run under Champ Car sanction.
The 84th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 2000. The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was part of the 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series season. After four years of an ongoing organizational dispute and "split" in Indy car racing, Chip Ganassi Racing became the first major CART-based team to compete at the race since 1995. The Ganassi team of Jimmy Vasser and Juan Pablo Montoya competed as a one-off entry, and were well received by fans and fellow competitors. Both drivers were quickly up to speed with the IRL regulars, and were expected to be favorites in both qualifying and on race day. Also making a heralded return to Indianapolis was two-time winner Al Unser Jr. who had switched full-time to the IRL in 2000.
The ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers was an IndyCar Series race held at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin.
The Grand Prix of Portland is an Indy Car Series race held at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The race was held every year from 1984 through 2007 first as a CART series race, then as part of Champ Car World Series. After a ten-year absence, the race returned to the IndyCar Series for the 2018 season.
The 2007 Rolex 24 at Daytona was a Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series 24-hour endurance sports car race held on January 27–28, 2007 at the Daytona International Speedway road course. The overall winner of the race was the Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates-owned #01 car, a Lexus-powered Riley MkXI, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya, Salvador Durán, and Scott Pruett. The GT class was won by the #22 Alegra Motorsports/Fiorano Racing Porsche GT3 Cup car driven by driver/owner Carlos de Quesada, Jean-François Dumoulin, Scooter Gabel, and Porsche factory driver Marc Basseng.
The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is an IndyCar Series race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California. The event dates back to 1960, and became an American open wheel race in 1983. The race was part of the CART/Champ Car series from 1983 through 2004. After a fifteen-year hiatus, the event returned in 2019 as part of the IndyCar Series, replacing Sonoma.
The 2005 G.I. Joe's Presents the Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland was the fourth round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on June 19, 2005 at the Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The pole sitter was Justin Wilson and the race was won by Cristiano da Matta. It marked the 12th and final Champ Car victory for the 2002 CART champion. It was also the first career Champ Car pole for Wilson, the first of eight in his American open wheel career.
The 2005 Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland was the fifth round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on June 26, 2005 at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio. Due to the controversy at the 2005 United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis, any fan who had a ticket to the 2005 United States GP was granted free admission to this race. Paul Tracy swept both the pole and the race win, his second victory of the season.
The 2005 Molson Indy Toronto was the sixth round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on July 10, 2005 on the streets of Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sébastien Bourdais was the pole sitter and Justin Wilson won the race. It was the first American open wheel victory for the British driver. Sébastien Bourdais took the season points lead by finishing fifth and would end up keeping the points lead for the remainder of the season.
The 2005 West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix of Edmonton was the seventh round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents: the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on July 17, 2005, at Finning International Speedway, a temporary course laid out at Edmonton City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. A. J. Allmendinger won the pole, the first of his career, and Sébastien Bourdais was the race winner.
The 2005 Lexmark Indy 300 was the twelfth and penultimate round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on 22 October 2005 on the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Queensland, Australia. Sébastien Bourdais won the race and also clinched his second consecutive Champ Car championship. Oriol Servià earned his first and to date only pole position in his career. The race also marked the final career podium for 1996 CART champion Jimmy Vasser, who finished third running for his co-owned team PKV Racing.
Jack W. Hawksworth is a British professional racing driver from Bradford, West Yorkshire. As of 2020, he competes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for AIM Vasser Sullivan.
Parker B. Chase is an American professional racing driver who competes full-time in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Michelin Pilot Challenge and driving the No. 98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the No. 24 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. He has experience in sports car and stock car racing, including racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series.
