Grand Prix to Stand Pat

The Long Beach Grand Prix, the most successful street race in America, will remain a Champ Car World Series event in 2006 and beyond with the purchase of the assets of the Grand Prix from Dover Motorsports by two of the owners of Champ Car.

An announcement will be made today that the race has been bought by Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe.

The sale ended speculation as to whether Champ Car or Tony George’s Indy Racing League would conduct the race. The IRL ran its first street race last month in St. Petersburg, Fla., amid speculation that it would become the sanctioning body for the Long Beach race.

Champ Car, or its predecessor, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), has sanctioned the race since it switched from Formula One in 1984.

The purchase is contingent on approval by the Long Beach City Council, which has five years left on its contract with the Grand Prix Assn. There is little likelihood that there will be problems with city officials.

Kalkhoven, Forsythe and Paul Gentilozzi bought the assets of bankrupt CART after the 2003 season, renaming the organization the Champ Car World Series.

Kalkhoven would not confirm the Long Beach sale but said, “If everything falls into place, I think it’s a win for the fans, it’s a win for the city, and it’s a win for Champ Car....

“It is the greatest tradition in road racing in the U.S. It has the longest history, has some wonderful races, a long list of incredible champions. I firmly believe that it is the cornerstone of open-wheel road racing in the United States.”

Asked if his group was buying the race to keep it from the IRL, Kalkhoven said, “We have been interested, not because of the IRL, but because it has a long history with Champ Car and a very loyal fan base....

“We want to continue the many years of relationship we’ve had with them.”

The Grand Prix Assn.’s contract with Toyota as title sponsor ended with last month’s race, but officials close to the GPLB say they believe that the Japanese car manufacturer will remain. Its Toyota Pro-Celebrity race has become one of the event’s feature attractions.

Jim Michaelian, chief executive of the Grand Prix Assn., will remain, as will his staff.

“Now that we know who we’ll be working for, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and start planning for next year’s race,” Michaelian said. “It’s a relief to know that the feeling of uncertainty about the future of the race is over.”

Said Kalkhoven, “My experience with the management of the Long Beach Grand Prix is, they’ve done a first-class job and certainly we would like to work with them.”