Acura is new title sponsor for Grand Prix of Long Beach
The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach announced today that it has reached a multi-year agreement with American Honda to feature Acura as title sponsor for the Grand Prix of Long Beach starting in 2019.
Perry Nelson / Motorsport Images
The 45th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which will be held on April 12-14, will be the first since 1979 that Toyota USA has not enjoyed title sponsorship of an event that it supported since its inception in 1975 as a Formula 5000 race.
With Long Beach’s GP weekend being one of only two dates/venues which the NTT IndyCar Series shares with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (the other being Belle Isle, Detroit, which is Chevrolet-sponsored), Acura/Honda’s new involvement makes sense. Acura Team Penske is one of the front-running IMSA squads, while Honda has won 13 of the 19 IndyCar races there.
“With our U.S. headquarters nearby in Torrance, this is a true ‘home’ event for the Acura brand,” said Jon Ikeda, Acura VP and general manager. “The Grand Prix of Long Beach is one of North America’s premier motorsports events, and an institution in Southern California. Acura is delighted and proud to be associated with the Grand Prix of Long Beach, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership.”
“This is truly the start of a new era in the history of the Grand Prix,” added Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “As we enter our 45th year of conducting America’s #1 street race, we are looking forward with great enthusiasm to this new partnership with a premium luxury brand like Acura. Together we will explore new ways to elevate the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to greater heights in the coming years.”
In addition, to IndyCar and IMSA, the AGPLB weekend will feature the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge under the lights on Friday and Saturday nights, Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Trucks, the Pirelli GT4 America series and the Historic IMSA GTO Challenge.
For tickets to Long Beach and all IndyCar events in 2019, click here for links.
The Acura Team Penske ARX-05 of Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya leads the Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R of Eric Curran and Felipe Nasr, 2018.
Photo by: Richard Dole / LAT Images
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