F1Weekly podcast # 800

CLARK AND NASIR CELEBRATE NUMBER 800 THIS WEEK, IF YOU HAD ASKED ME IN 2005 HOW LONG ARE WE INTENDING ON DOING THIS PROGRAM I WOULD HAVE SAID A COUPLE OF MONTHS OR UNTIL FERNANDO RETIRES FROM F1! AND NOW WE GO ON…

HISTORY RETURNS TO LONG BEACH!

Long Beach, CA — Next April 18-19, Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach fans will get a double dose of nostalgia when the Historic Formula Atlantic Challenge, featuring open-wheel race cars from the 1970s and 1980s, lights up the track for a doubleheader weekend.

The twin 20-minute races will run Saturday, April 18 along with the IMSA WeatherTech Championship race and Sunday, April 19 — the same day as the NTT IndyCar Series race — with practice and qualifying on Friday.

The Formula Atlantic series ran at Long Beach from 1978-82 and 1989-2008 as one of the premier “feeder” series to top-level open-wheel racing. Drivers including Bobby Rahal, Michael Andretti, Willy T. Ribbs, Danny Sullivan, Al Unser Jr., Jimmy Vasser and Jacques Villeneuve all raced at Long Beach as they worked their way up through the FA ranks. Two former Formula Atlantic drivers, Keke Rosberg and Villeneuve, became Formula One World Champions, while 1979 Long Beach Grand Prix winner Gilles Villeneuve was also a Formula Atlantic graduate. Several other Atlantic drivers were Indy Car champions over the years. The Rosberg, Villeneuve and Rahal cars — along with many others — are expected to be in the race field at Long Beach.

The historic 2020 event at Long Beach will be sanctioned by the Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA).

Play Podcast: 08-13-19f1weekly800.mp3