Long Beach – Think about it, the Grand Prix of Long Beach started in 1975, with Formula 5000 as a main event. Brian Redman, from England, now 88, was there for this first walk.
He was not only there. He won, beating Mario Andretti and Al Unser among other beautiful runners.
This weekend will be the 50th anniversary of the race, although it would have been last year if the Pandemic of 19 COVID-19 had not canceled the 2020 race.
Speaking with Redman on Thursday at the Grand Prix of Long Beach lunch, he seemed to remember his victory as it was yesterday.
“It was really a try,” said Redman. “In order to obtain permission to hold a world championship in the sport 1 sport, they had to have another event before that.”
The eight -year section that Formula 1 was the main event of the Grand Prix of Long Beach began in 1976.
Redman beat his 1975 victory.
“Well, I was very lucky because at that time, the track was not quite like today,” said Redman. “There was a very rough section going to Ocean (BLVD.), where the stands were. And after the ocean, there was a tight right -hander at 90 degrees which went downhill; fairly clear.”
Redman said that once this right turn is done, the opportunity was there to go to its own right. But something happened when he did this during the qualifications.
“Towards the end of the qualification on Saturday, the car suddenly went laterally when I gave at full speed,” said Redman.
He had a conversation with his engineer, telling him that there was something wrong with the gearbox.
“They opened it and the limited slip had broken,” said Redman. “This is what controls the Wheelspin and they put a new one.”
Unfortunately, he still broke around fifteen laps in the race.
“So now … I must be very, very careful about the accelerator,” said Redman. “And he was held together and we won. And therefore Mario, Al Unser Sr. and Tony Brise, they all broke gearboxes and driving trees and Al Unser went into the wall; something broke on his suspension.”
Redman ran in Formula 1 from 1967 to 1974.
Impressive facts
Alex Palou, 28, from Spain has only led to the NTT Indycar series since 2020. However, he won serial championships in three of his first five seasons and is currently first after winning the first two races of this season.
He still hasn’t won in the streets of Long Beach, but he has two third place. He also did not win Indianapolis 500, but he finished second in this race in 2021.
Baby Herta
The driver of Indycar Colton Herta, who won here in 2021, wants him to remember the first time he was at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. His father Bryan ran there in the main event of the field car because in 2000, the month after Colton’s birth on March 30.
“I was two weeks old,” said Colton Herta, from Santa Clarita. “I don’t remember all of this. I don’t think I got out of the motorhome with my mother. I was stuck there all the time. But I have a lot of memories after this year. This is the one I never missed over the years.”
Herta finished second in Long Beach last year.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
