201904.08
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Here’s everything to know ahead of the Grand Prix of Long Beach: Traffic, weather, tickets and more

by in News

It’s Grand Prix week — so get ready for a hectic atmosphere in downtown Long Beach.

The 2019 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is set for Friday through Sunday, April 12 to 14. But the action doesn’t just happen on the weekend. On Wednesday, race cars and motorbikes will take over Belmont Shore, in the annual Roar in the Shore.

Still, most of the main events — and, for some downtown residents, the inconveniences — are slated to pick up Friday.

So here’s everything you need to know about the Grand Prix.

Tickets

General admission tickets for all three days cost $95. Friday-only passes are $33, while Saturday passes are $65 and Sunday’s are $70.

Seating packages run from $98 to $147 for all three days for adults, and $79-$114 for children under 12.

Information:  888-827-7333 or gplb.com/ticket-prices.

Lifestyle Expo

The expo includes more than 150 exhibitors with the latest automotive, home, recreation, travel and entertainment products and services. The Green Power Prix-View will feature cutting-edge green technology that includes hybrid, hydrogen and biodiesel cars, as well as energy-saving products for the home.

The Family Fun Zone will include rock-climbing walls, games and racing simulator. Kids ages 3 to 6 can race in their own cars.

Dos and Don’ts

Do: bring most foods, plastic bottles and ice chests smaller than 14 inches.

Wear comfortable walking shoes and consider using earplugs, especially for children. The various cars racing during the weekend are loud, particularly in confined areas of the circuit near underpasses.

Don’t: Bring any of the following — alcoholic beverages; glass bottles and cans; stadium seats; bikes and skateboards; skates and rollerblades; fireworks; pets (except service animals); ladders and step stools; large umbrellas; lawn furniture; banners or signs; ice chests larger than 14 inches wide; and drones/RC aircraft; powered scooters.

Traffic

The following closures begin Wednesday, April 10, and last through the Grand Prix:

  • 5 a.m.: All side streets off of Shoreline Drive and Seaside Way leading into the race course will close. The course is south of Ocean Boulevard, stretching from Chestnut Avenue east to Shoreline Drive.
  • 7 a.m.: Westbound lanes of Shoreline Drive will close, along with the northbound Queensway Bridge off-ramp, the southbound Queensway Bridge on-ramp from Shoreline Drive and the portion of Aquarium Way south of Shoreline Drive.
  • 3 p.m.: Eastbound lanes of Shoreline Drive from Broadway to Ocean Boulevard will close.

Friday and Saturday closures:

  • 6 a.m.: Access to the Hyatt, Shoreline Village and the Shoreline Marina from Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue will close, and southbound Pine Avenue will close to all traffic. Access to the south side of the track will be available at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue; but only Grand Prix pass holders and those with boat owner permits will get through. The interior streets of The Pike that are north of Shoreline Drive will also close.
  • 7 p.m.: Traffic on Pine Avenue will open back up for access to the Hyatt, Shoreline Village and the Shoreline Marina.
  • 9:30 p.m.: Access to the course through the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue will close.

On Sunday:

  • 6 a.m.: Access to the Hyatt, Shoreline Village and the Shoreline Marina from Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue will close, and southbound Pine Avenue will close to all traffic. Access to the south side of the track will be available at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue; but the same rules about Grand Prix pass holders and those with boat owner permits apply. The interior streets of The Pike that are north of Shoreline Drive will also close.
  • 7 p.m.: Traffic on Pine Avenue will open back up for access to the Hyatt, Shoreline Village and the Shoreline Marina.

All traffic flows will go back to normal by 6 a.m. Monday, April 15.

Weather

It’s too early to say for sure, but perhaps bring a light jacket to the track.

A National Weather Service meteorologist last week cautiously predicted a cool weekend for the upcoming Acura Grand Prix in Long Beach. Some light rain? Maybe that, too. Or not.

NWS Meteorologist Lisa Phillips said early and preliminary predictors indicate temperatures will be somewhat below normal (normal highs for this time in April is 72 to 73 degrees) with a higher than normal chance of precipitation.

But keep in mind, she added, that the rain systems the area is seeing now are weaker than those in winter. Many of the systems are moving north and just clipping the local area — if they materialize at all.

Jim Michaelian, the CEO and president of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, said last month that while it’s rained on the event’s Friday and Saturday, it has yet to rain during Sunday’s grand finale.

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Schedule

Gates open at 7 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some of the highlights of each day include:

Friday:

  • 10 a.m. Friday: IndyCar practice;
  • 11:40 a.m. Friday: Historic IMSA GTO practice;
  • 12:20 p.m. Friday: Stadium Super Trucks practice;
  • 2 p.m. Friday: IndyCar practice;
  • 3 p.m. Friday: Historic IMSA GTO qualifying;
  • 3:30 p.m. Friday: Pirelli GT4 America practice and IndyCar autograph session;
  • 4:45 p.m. Friday: BUBBA burger SportsCar qualifying;
  • 6:45 p.m. Friday: Super Drift Challenge practice and the Fiesta Friday concert with El Tri;
  • 7:30 p.m. Friday: Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge.

Saturday:

  • 9 a.m. Saturday: IndyCar practice;
  • 9:30 a.m. Saturday: IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar autograph session;
  • 10 a.m. Saturday: Pirelli GT4 America practice;
  • 10:45 a.m. Saturday: Pirelli GT4 America qualifying;
  • 12:10 p.m. Saturday: IndyCar qualifying and Firestone Fast 6;
  • 1:30 p.m Saturday: BUBBA burger SportsCar pre-race;
  • 2:06 p.m. Saturday: BUBBA burger SportsCar Grand Prix;
  • 4:15 p.m. Saturday: Stadium Super Trucks Race No.1 ;
  • 5 p.m. Saturday: Historic IMSA GTO Race;
  • 6 p.m. Saturday: Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge and Rock-N-Roar concert with Moontower opening for Cold War Kids.

Sunday:

  • 9 a.m. Sunday: NTT IndyCar Series warm-up;
  • 9:35 a.m. Sunday: Pirelli GT4 America pre-race;
  • 9:53 a.m. Sunday: “Drivers Start Your Engines”;
  • 10 a.m. Sunday: Pirelli GT4 America race;
  • 11:50 a.m. Sunday: Mothers Exotic Car Parade;
  • 12:15 p.m. Sunday: NTT IndyCar Series pre-race;
  • 12:30 p.m. Sunday: Indy Cars to grid;
  • 1:23 p.m. Sunday: “Drivers Start Your Engines”;
  • 1:42 p.m. Sunday: Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Race no. 4 of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series);
  • 4:05 p.m. Sunday: Stadium SUPER Trucks Race No. 2.