LONG BEACH, Calif. (Feb. 19, 2008) -- The first step toward turning Shoreline Drive in downtown Long Beach into a 200-mph front straightaway took place this morning as construction began for the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The first of more than 14 million pounds of concrete blocks that line the 1.97-mile circuit in downtown Long Beach was set in place, with the help of Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster. It marks the beginning of two months of work preparing the 11-turn racing circuit for race weekend April 18-20.
Grand Prix Association of Long Beach director of operations Dwight Tanaka and his staff of 40 will put in more than 30,000 working hours installing concrete blocks, three miles of fencing and 16,000 bolted-together tires, along with 15 huge spectator grandstands, seven pedestrian bridges and eight giant-vision boards for full-circuit TV coverage.
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02-21-2008, 08:46 AM
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