The 1975 Long Beach Grand Prix was the inaugural running of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. The race was held September 28, 1975, on a temporary street circuit. It was race 7 of the 1975 SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship. An estimated 65,000 spectators saw Englishman Brian Redman win the race from Australian Vern Schuppan, with Canadian driver Eppie Wietzes finishing third.
Background In 1974 the city of Long Beach began a billion-dollar redevelopment program of the downtown area. Chris Pook, a British travel agent working in Long Beach, proposed holding a street course race in the vein of the Monaco Grand Prix. In order to prepare for a Formula One race the following year, the organizers decided to hold a Formula 5000 race in Long Beach.
Qualifying Qualifying times were set in two sessions on Saturday. Seeded drivers had one 45-minute session and one 1 hour, 15 minute session, while non-seeded drivers had two 45-minute sessions. Starting positions were set by two heat races, with the finishers from Heat 1 starting in odd positions and Heat 2 in even positions.
Pos Driver Team Car Time 1 Mario Andretti Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:21.297 2 Al Unser Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:21.948 3 Tony Brise Theodore Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:22.036 4 Jackie Oliver Phoenix Racing Shadow DN6-Dodge 1:22.799 5 Tom Pryce Phoenix Racing Shadow DN6-Dodge 1:23.346 6 Brian Redman Carl A. Haas Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:23.602 7 Vern Schuppan All American Racers Eagle 755-Chevrolet 1:23.674 8 Graham McRae Eddie Lewis Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:24.039 9 Elliott Forbes-Robinson Francisco Mir Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:24.091 10 Jody Scheckter Hogan Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:24.168 11 John Gunn Racing Consultants Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:24.204 12 Eppie Wietzes Formula Racing Lola T400-Chevrolet 1:24.223 13 Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:24.264 14 David Hobbs Hogan Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 1:24.491 15 Jon Woodner Interscope Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 1:24.817 16 John Cannon Anglo American Racing March 73A-Chevrolet 1:24.909 17 John Morton Krinitt Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:25.347 18 Brett Lunger Chris Oates, Ltd. Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:25.529 19 Warwick Brown McCormack/Burke Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 1:25.734 20 Danny Ongais Interscope Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:26.090 21 Bob Earl T. P. Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 1:26.183 22 Evan Noyes Evan Noyes Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:26.357 23 John Korn Jomar Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 1:26.846 24 George Follmer Lance Smith Racing Lance LSR1-Chevrolet 1:26.947 25 Randy Lewis Wrangler Wracing Team Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:26.966 26 Chris Amon McCormack/Burke Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 1:27.167 27 Tuck Thomas Lancer Stores Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:27.574 28 Benny Scott Black American Racers Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:27.645 29 Bob Nagel Nagel Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:28.562 30 Roger Bighouse Roger Bighouse Chevron B24-Chevrolet 1:28.570 31 John David Briggs Briggs & Fodge Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:28.650 32 John Benton Formula Magazine Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:29.252 33 Bob Allen Manteca Motors Eagle 74A-Chevrolet 1:29.743 34 Arlon Koops Solazure IV, Ltd. Lola T330-Chevrolet 1:29.801 35 Michael Brockman J. Levitt Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 1:30.086 36 Bill Baker Barbara Baker Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:31.310 37 Bill Simpson E. J. Simpson Berta Argentina BA-3-Chevrolet 1:31.894 38 Skeeter McKitterick AME Racing Chevron B24-Chevrolet 1:31.952 39 Gary Wilson Sting Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 1:33.219 40 Ron Dykes J. B. Quality Products Lola T192-Chevrolet 1:33.496 41 Jim Gustafson Jim Gustafson Racing March 73A-Chevrolet 1:36.831 42 Michael Brayton Ill-Eagle Eagle Mk.5-Chevrolet 1:37.730 43 Garth Pollard G. W. Pollard Lola T330-Chevrolet 1:38.810 44 Steve Durst J. Levitt Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 2:05.826
Heat races Heat 1 Pos No Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 64 Tony Brise Theodore Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 16:32.444 2 2 5 Mario Andretti Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 1 3 00 Tom Pryce Phoenix Racing Shadow DN6-Dodge 12 Finished 3 4 48 Vern Schuppan All American Racers Eagle 755-Chevrolet 12 Finished 4 5 33 Elliott Forbes-Robinson Francisco Mir Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 5 6 4 Warwick Brown McCormack/Burke Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 12 Finished 10 7 91 Jon Woodner Interscope Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 12 Finished 8 8 28 Randy Lewis Wrangler Wracing Team Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 13 9 19 Bob Earl T. P. Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 12 Finished 11 10 20 Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 7 11 50 John Korn Jomar Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 12 Finished 12 12 75 Bob Nagel Nagel Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 15 13 71 John David Briggs Briggs & Fodge Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 16 14 69 Michael Brockman J. Levitt Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 12 Finished 18 15 97 Bob Allen Manteca Motors Eagle 74A-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 17 16 46 John Morton Krinitt Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 9 17 8 Gary Wilson Sting Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 9 Retired 20 18 26 Michael Brayton Ill-Eagle Eagle Mk.5-Chevrolet 7 Retired 21 19 39 John Gunn Racing Consultants Lola T332-Chevrolet Retired 6 20 96 Steve Durst J. Levitt Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet Retired 22 DNS 88 Tuck Thomas Lancer Stores Lola T332-Chevrolet Did not start DNS 65 Bill Simpson E. J. Simpson Berta BA-3-Chevrolet Did not start Heat 2 Pos No Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 51 Al Unser Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 16:30.391 1 2 1 Brian Redman Carl A. Haas Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 3 3 3 Jody Scheckter Hogan Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 12 Finished 5 4 10 David Hobbs Hogan Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 12 Finished 7 5 94 Eppie Wietzes Formula Racing Lola T400-Chevrolet 12 Finished 6 6 2 Chris Amon McCormack/Burke Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 12 Finished 13 7 9 John Cannon Anglo American Racing March 73A-Chevrolet 12 Finished 8 8 13 Ron Dykes J. B. Quality Products Lola T192-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 20 9 45 George Follmer Lance Smith Racing Lance LSR1-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 12 10 30 Skeeter McKitterick AME Racing Chevron B24-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 19 11 12 Benny Scott Black American Racers Lola T332-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 14 12 55 Bill Baker Barbara Baker Lola T332-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 18 13 22 John Benton Formula Magazine Lola T332-Chevrolet 11 + 1 lap 16 14 6 Graham McRae Eddie Lewis Lola T332-Chevrolet Retired 4 15 0 Jackie Oliver Phoenix Racing Shadow DN6-Dodge 8 Accident 2 16 63 Danny Ongais Interscope Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet Retired 10 17 73 Garth Pollard G. W. Pollard Lola T330-Chevrolet Retired 22 18 82 Jim Gustafson Jim Gustafson Racing March 73A-Chevrolet Retired 21 19 85 Arlon Koops Solazure IV, Ltd. Lola T330-Chevrolet 2 Accident 17 DNS 24 Evan Noyes Evan Noyes Lola T332-Chevrolet Did not start DNS 25 Brett Lunger Chris Oates, Ltd. Lola T332-Chevrolet Did not start DNS 18 Roger Bighouse Roger Bighouse Chevron B24-Chevrolet Did not start
Race At the start, Al Unser led from 2nd on the grid. On lap 3, polesitter Tony Brise had taken the lead and Mario Andretti took over second place. Brise led until lap 15, when both Andretti and Unser got by. Brise re-passed Unser on the next lap, and battled with Andretti until he re-took the lead on lap 29. On lap 33, Andretti retired with transmission problems, and one lap later Brise retired with a broken driveshaft. Brian Redman took the lead and pulled away to a nearly 30-second victory over Vern Schuppan and Eppie Wietzes. Redman also clinched the season points championship. in
Result Pos No Driver Team Car Laps Time/Retired Grid 1 1 Brian Redman Carl A. Haas Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 50 1:10:12.042 4 2 48 Vern Schuppan All American Racers Eagle 755-Chevrolet 50 +29.938 7 3 94 Eppie Wietzes Formula Racing Lola T400-Chevrolet 50 Running 10 4 2 Chris Amon McCormack/Burke Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 49 + 1 lap 12 5 10 David Hobbs Hogan Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 49 + 1 lap 8 6 4 Warwick Brown McCormack/Burke Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 49 + 1 lap 11 7 24 Evan Noyes Evan Noyes Lola T332-Chevrolet 48 + 2 laps 27 8 19 Bob Earl T. P. Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 48 + 2 laps 17 9 46 John Morton Krinitt Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 48 + 2 laps 28 10 30 Skeeter McKitterick AME Racing Chevron B24-Chevrolet 46 + 4 laps 20 11 12 Benny Scott Black American Racers Lola T332-Chevrolet 40 + 10 laps 22 12 64 Tony Brise Theodore Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 34 Driveshaft 1 13 5 Mario Andretti Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 33 Transmission 3 14 50 John Korn Jomar Racing Lola T330-Chevrolet 33 Battery 21 15 3 Jody Scheckter Hogan Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 29 Halfshaft 6 16 91 Jon Woodner Interscope Racing Talon MR-1A-Chevrolet 27 Accident 13 17 33 Elliott Forbes-Robinson Francisco Mir Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 27 Camshaft 9 18 13 Ron Dykes J. B. Quality Products Lola T192-Chevrolet 27 Suspension 16 19 28 Randy Lewis Wrangler Wracing Team Lola T332-Chevrolet 20 Rod 15 20 51 Al Unser Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 17 Suspension 2 21 00 Tom Pryce Phoenix Racing Shadow DN6-Dodge 14 Gearbox 5 22 75 Bob Nagel Nagel Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 14 Mechanical 23 23 55 Bill Baker Barbara Baker Lola T332-Chevrolet 14 Black flagged 24 24 20 Gordon Johncock Patrick Racing Lola T332-Chevrolet 11 Rod 19 25 39 John Gunn Racing Consultants Lola T332-Chevrolet 9 Overheating 25 26 9 John Cannon Anglo American Racing March 73A-Chevrolet 6 Halfshaft 14 27 6 Graham McRae Eddie Lewis Lola T332-Chevrolet 1 Accident 26 28 45 George Follmer Lance Smith Racing Lance LSR1-Chevrolet 0 Wheel 18
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