Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD Stadium SUPER Trucks to Run
On April 21, history will be made once again with an unprecedented road course demonstration race by Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD Stadium SUPER Trucks, which will run just prior to Sunday’s IZOD IndyCar Series main event.
It has been a long-time dream of Gordon’s to personally redevelop and bring back this unique form of off-road stadium racing that was immensely popular more than 20 years ago – known then as the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Championship.
“Long Beach is going to be insane," said Gordon, a California native. “Imagine these 600 HP machines drifting around corners and hitting metal jumps, flying over 50 feet through the air on the famous road course that has seen icons like Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Jr. and many more. To run our Stadium SUPER Trucks Series here it’s truly a great thing for us as we get to bring even more fun and excitement to the Long Beach event and show racing fans what off-road trucks can really do on asphalt."
Gordon, who himself competed regularly on the streets of Long Beach in the mid-1990s scored a Trans Am win as well as a podium finish for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race in 1994. Gordon will be one of the many drivers who will race as well as become airborne (over specially constructed metal ramps) in the only event on the 2013 Stadium SUPER Trucks schedule slated to run on asphalt.
“We are excited to add Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Trucks to our Sunday program," said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “This will bring a whole new dimension to the multitude of racing activities we have on our weekend program and the sights and sounds of those V-8 trucks going down Shoreline Drive should be awesome."
Race fans will certainly get an eyeful as the Stadium SUPER Trucks go to battle, powered by 600-horsepower engines, going door-to-door on the 11-turn, 1.97-mile street course circuit for this special one-of-a-kind event. The Grand Prix exhibition will serve as the build-up to the Robby Gordon OFF-ROAD Stadium SUPER Trucks event scheduled the following weekend (April 26-27) at the famed L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The series then moves to San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium on May 4 and May 18 for two thrilling venues to round out the commemorative California portion of the inaugural 2013 season.
Gordon’s new series, based in Charlotte, debuts April 6 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., with packed stadiums expected throughout a 12-race season. Other venues include Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Soldier Field in Chicago, Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, and the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Ticket prices for the Grand Prix range from $28 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $130 for a three-day ticket that includes Sat./Sun. reserved seating in grandstand upper levels. Pre-paid parking packages are also available, along with handicapped seating, IndyCar Paddock passes, Super Photo tickets and a wide variety of Hospitality Club packages. Fans can select and pay for their 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach seats, parking and paddock passes online at gplb.com. Ticket orders can also be placed by calling the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 82-SPEED.
Fans can also follow the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on Facebook at GrandPrixLB and on Twitter @ToyotaGPLB.