Michelin 2022: Grand Prix of Long Beach Recap

09/04/2022

Michelin Performance Shines at Acura Long Beach Grand Prix

Michelin delivers new qualifying and race lap records
Cadillac sweeps podium, Heart of Racing Aston Martin takes GTD PRO
Paul Miller Racing delivers first IMSA win for BMW M4 GT3

Long Beach, CA —April 9, 2022 – After conquering the brutal cold at Daytona and the bumps of Sebring, Michelin delivered a record performance yet again, this time beating the heat on the streets of Long Beach.

“The first sprint race of the IMSA season brought new qualifying and race lap records, proving that Michelin tires are ready for the track and the streets of Long Beach,” says Tony Ménard, director of motorsport, Michelin North America.

“After successful performance in the endurance races, it’s great to see our collaborative relationship with teams deliver the same results in any condition.”

Cadillac takes the podium and Chip Ganassi earns overall victory again

The No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi won with the strong performance of Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande. Bourdais recovered from a mishap early in the race and stormed back to take the lead. Van der Zande held off Earl Bamber in the No. 02 Chip Ganassi Cadillac DPi. Taking third was the No. 5 JDC Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi. This was the second consecutive race that Cadillac swept the podium and Ganassi took the top spot. Cadillac remains undefeated in the DPi era at Long Beach.

Aston Martin Heart of Racing takes GTD PRO race, BMW Paul Miller Racing wins in GTD

Third time was the charm for the No. 23 Heart of Racing team. Drivers Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas piloted the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 to victory. Vasser Sullivan drove its Lexus RC F GT3 to second and Corvette Racing in the Corvette C8.R finished third.

Paul Miller Racing gave the new BMW M4 GT3 its first victory in IMSA with drivers Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers. Gradient Racing crossed the finish line in second with an Acura NSX GT3. Vasser Sullivan placed place third with its Lexus RC F GT3.

Records slashed by prototypes and GT field

New records were set by DPi and GTD in both qualifying and the race. During qualifying, Bourdais’ Cadillac DPi broke Helio Castroneves’ record set in 2019 by nearly two seconds with a 1:09:472 lap. Snow set the GTD qualifying record with his BMW M4 by turning a 1:18.487 lap. Bourdais also set a new DPi race record with a 1:10.317 lap. Inception Racing’s Frederik Schandorff broke the race record in GTD with a 1:18.642 in his McLaren 720S GT3.

Long Beach welcomes Porsche Carrera Cup North America

Porsche Carrera Cup North America raced at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach for the first time in its second season. The field is taking on the challenging street circuit with commercially available MICHELIN^® Pilot^® Sport Cup N3 tires. Kay van Berlo of the Netherlands won the first race on Saturday. He has won all three races so far this season. The second race runs at 7:20pm ET on Sunday.

Michelin Post-Race Notes

The overall Rolex 24 champions were back together in Long Beach this weekend. The Meyer Shank Racing drivers are racing across IMSA and INDYCAR. Michelin brought Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist, Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves together. See here.
The IMSA teams to beat this weekend were the ones with setups to maximize grip under braking, cornering, and acceleration on the streets of Long Beach. Watch how in the NBC Sports Michelin Tire Tech Minute

Next up:

The 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship now heads to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California for the Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship on Sunday, May 1st. The race can be seen in its entirety on Peacock from 3:00-6:00pm ET.