The Gang
Chillin' in the Bell Micro Sponsor Suites....
On Saturday, we were fortunate to be invited by “Racing for our Heroes” to attend the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. RFOH is a non-profit organization, started by American Le Mans driver and Marine veteran Jason Carter, that takes veterans and their family members to International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) races throughout the country as a way to say “thanks”.
There were about a dozen fellow veterans from the Los Angeles VA Hospital and Naval Medical Center in San Diego, including us. Not only did they get us into the Grand Prix for free, but also gave us unlimited access to the Bell Micro sponsor suites AND we got to meet the drivers and look at the cars that they were going to race that day.
Compared to the NASCAR race we went to last year, I’d say I like the Grand Prix better. Even though we only saw a fraction of the track at one time, the race was still pretty exciting to follow. The coolest thing was that it was a true street course race set up in downtown Long Beach — Shoreline Drive and Pine Avenue were shut down and turned into a course for Lamborghinis, Corvettes and Ferraris speeding past high-rise condos.
Big names like Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti were there, but the real treat of the day, I thought, was the celebrity race – come on, it’s Southern California/Hollywood after all. It was pretty entertaining watching Raven Simone crash a few times, listening to people yell “Go Neo!” every time Keanu Reeves tried to pass, and chuckling with the rest of the group when Alex Trebek drove by last in every lap. Poor guy….
We had a great time. They told us we were welcome to come to any race, so maybe this won’t be the last for us :)
Oh, and did I mention we got to meet Mike Metzger? Craziest dude I've ever seen on two wheels....
Visit my flicker set to see the rest of the photos from the race
ROFH page for more photos
There were about a dozen fellow veterans from the Los Angeles VA Hospital and Naval Medical Center in San Diego, including us. Not only did they get us into the Grand Prix for free, but also gave us unlimited access to the Bell Micro sponsor suites AND we got to meet the drivers and look at the cars that they were going to race that day.
Compared to the NASCAR race we went to last year, I’d say I like the Grand Prix better. Even though we only saw a fraction of the track at one time, the race was still pretty exciting to follow. The coolest thing was that it was a true street course race set up in downtown Long Beach — Shoreline Drive and Pine Avenue were shut down and turned into a course for Lamborghinis, Corvettes and Ferraris speeding past high-rise condos.
Big names like Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti were there, but the real treat of the day, I thought, was the celebrity race – come on, it’s Southern California/Hollywood after all. It was pretty entertaining watching Raven Simone crash a few times, listening to people yell “Go Neo!” every time Keanu Reeves tried to pass, and chuckling with the rest of the group when Alex Trebek drove by last in every lap. Poor guy….
We had a great time. They told us we were welcome to come to any race, so maybe this won’t be the last for us :)
Oh, and did I mention we got to meet Mike Metzger? Craziest dude I've ever seen on two wheels....
Visit my flicker set to see the rest of the photos from the race
ROFH page for more photos
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