SPEED WORLD CHALLENGE RETURNS TO TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH WEEKEND

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Nov. 11, 2009) -- The SCCA SPEED World Challenge will once again bring its signature brand of wheel-to-wheel sports car racing to the historic 1.97-mile street course at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 16-18, 2010.

For the first time, the World Challenge race will feature cars from both the Touring Car (TC) and GT classes. Since the World Challenge began running at Long Beach in 2006, only the GT class has raced. The TC and GT classes will be scored separately, and trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each class.

“We are excited to be back again racing at Long Beach and we look forward to giving our Southern California fans the opportunity to see both our classes race” said Dave Drimmie, VP, Marketing and Communications of WC Vision, the ownership group formed to elevate the stature and marketability of the World Challenge series. “ Southern California is the epicenter of car culture and I’m positive the fans who come to the race are going to enjoy our unique brand of sports car wars.”

The SCCA SPEED World Challenge has proven a popular event during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. The series features such well-known marques as Mustang, Corvette, Viper, Porsche, Acura, Mazda, Scion, and BMW as well as an always-exciting standing start. The World Challenge starting field will take the green flag on Sun., April 18 after the conclusion of the IndyCar race.

“Not only are we delighted to welcome back the SPEED World Challenge to Long Beach, but we are also excited about the added component of having the GT and TC classes compete in the race,” said Jim Michaelian, President and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.  “As always, this should be the perfect ending to a weekend of non-stop racing action.”

The addition of SPEED World Challenge completes the six-race weekend program, which also features the 34^th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, American Le Mans Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Formula Drift.

Last week, WC Vision and its sanctioning partner, SCCA, announced five of the nine events that will make up the 2010 World Challenge season. The other four will also run with the IZOD IndyCar Series: the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, March 26-28; Watkins Glen International, July 2-4; Streets of Toronto, July 17-18, and Mid-Ohio (also with ALMS), August 6-8. The final four race dates, and a television package, will be announced in the coming weeks.

For the second consecutive year, ticket prices for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach have remained unchanged. Tickets for the three-day event range from $25 for a Friday General Admission ticket to $125 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 including the all-new Vista Club located high atop the Hyatt Regency Long Beach.

Credit card orders for the 2010 event weekend will be accepted at the toll-free ticket hotline, (888) 82-SPEED, or online by visiting www.gplb.com.  The Web site also includes updates on 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach news, ticket information downloads and ongoing announcements of special race week activities.

A printed ticket brochure that includes a circuit map, ticket prices, order form and other information can be obtained by calling the hotline.