Toyota Grand Prix races on the streets of Long Beach

Dario Franchitti took first place in the IndyCar Series at the 35th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Franchitti said at the press conference after the race, "that last restart we were able to get on it again, pull away, and the Target car, the pace was great all day from the car. It allowed me to drive exactly as I wanted to … Great to finally win here in Long Beach."

Will Power, last year's ChampCar Series winner, took second. Power was 3.3182 seconds behind Franchitti.

Tony Kanaan placed third, his 68th career top-five finish.

This was Franchitti's ninth career victory in the IndyCar Series but his first victory on a road/street course.

Power had no radio or telemetry during the race, making it more difficult for him since he could not communicate with his pit crew except the pit board.

"I'm very happy," Power said. "Second is very good."

Second place is Power's best IndyCar finish. Toward the end of the race, Power said he tried to conserve as much fuel as possible. He will not race again until the Indianapolis 500.

Kanaan's third-place finish was his 11th consecutive top-10 finish, the longest streak in the IndyCar Series.

Danica Patrick, one of the most popular drivers in the series and a fan favorite, came in fourth. Patrick started in the 22nd position and moved her way up to second by the 35th lap. She held that position until Lap 51 when she went into the pit lane for tires and fuel.

"We obviously had our moment in qualifying," Patrick said, "with spinning out and hitting the wall." Patrick said she would like to improve her qualifying to start the race at the front. She moved up 18 spots in yesterday's race, which was more than any other driver. This was her 12th career top-five finish.

The IndyCar series race consisted of 85 laps around the Long Beach street course, which is just short of two miles long.

According to Firestone engineers, the track temperature was 121 degrees under the Long Beach sun, the ambient temperature was 88 degrees.

Power lead past the start/finish line and into Turn 1. Power held his lead until the yellow flag in Lap 17.

There were five yellow flags during the race. The first was in Lap 17 when EJ Viso and Scott Dixon made contact in Turn 6. In Lap 24 the yellow flag came out again when Mario Moraes made contact with cars slowing for Turn 11, the hairpin turn. Justin Wilson made contact with Moraes, causing Moraes to do a quarter turn and block the track.

Darren Manning and Hideki Mutoh also made contact with the stopped cars and Dan Wheldon stopped behind the cars, resulting in five cars blocking the almost the entire track with very little space for other drivers to pass. The last three yellow flags resulted when Ed Carpenter, Mike Conway and Moraes made contact with tire barriers in Turns 1, 8 and 5, respectively.

The next IndyCar Series will take place at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. on Sunday, April 26.

The IndyCar series wasn't the only attraction that brought people to downtown Long Beach this weekend for the Toyota Grand Prix. There was also Firestone Indy Lights, American Le Mans Series and the traditional Pro/Celebrity race.

JR Hildebrand won the Indy Lights.

Gil de Ferran won the American Le Mans series in an Acura ARX 02a.

This year's celebrity winner was Keanu Reeves and the pro winner was Al Unser, Jr.

For attendees not extremely interested in racing, the Lifestyle Expo had a number of different displays from hot sauce to video games and new commuter car options to a blackjack table.

In the kids area were inflatable obstacle courses, slot car races, trampolines, and motocross, BMX and skateboarding demonstrations.

Over in Shoreline Village fans could get their own taste of racing by driving go-karts around a small course set up in front of the Yard House.

This year's Toyota Grand Prix hosted two concerts over the weekend. Mexican blues/rock band El Tri performed on Friday evening, and Saturday's concert featured rock band Puddle of Mudd.

Forumula DRIFT -- Streets of Long Beach

The grandstands of turns Nos. 9 through 12 on Long Beach's Grand Prix street course were the epicenter of excited drift fans under sunny skies Saturday.

It was Round 1 of the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship and 32 drivers were out to compete. The 32 qualified Friday, where 47 people initially competed.

The top 32 competed tandem style, two cars going at once, down to the top 16, top eight, and top four. In tandem competition, one driver leads and the other shadows.

Ryan Tuerck, took first place, Stephen Hubinette second and the 2008 champion Tanner Foust came in third.

The Formula Drift Streets of Long Beach competition drew a diverse crowd to downtown Long Beach for some serious motorsports showmanship.

Fans almost filled four grandstands and many others lined up along the fence behind rows of cameramen, other media people and crew members.

Tents next to the straightaway between turns Nos. 9 and 10 were also full.

Countless other fans wandered through the vendor fair and between the trucks set up by each drift team. They could see the cars up close and, with the right timing, could meet the drivers.

Even more people watched from balconies of surrounding buildings.

On the other side of the track, across the Firestone bridge, was the JTuned Auto Gallery. More than 60 modified cars were on display in the gallery varying in makes and years. All the cars on display were modified for drifting.

Drifting involves controlling a powerful car as it slides sideways at high speeds through a marked course. The sport originated in Japan and crossed the Pacific to the U.S., where it thrived underground until bursting into the mainstream over the past few years.

One thing that brought drifting to the public eye was the 2006 release of the movie "The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift," in which Foust was a stunt driver.

On Thursday, I got to ride along with Foust in his RWD Scion tC. It was a little scary as first, sliding toward a wall but Faust had the car under control and made the turn, speeding on to the next one. His angle and speed impressed me the most.

As in any motorsport, there is a risk of crashing, which is something fans enjoy - as long as no one is seriously injured. When Conrad Grunewald drifted right into the tire barrier, taking off the rear bumper of his Chevrolet Corvette, spectators rose out of their seats cheering and remained standing to watch the cleanup crew in action.

Early in the Top 16 competition, one car lost its rear bumper, inspiring one fan to shout, "I want that bumper!"

Drifting fans lucked out on the weather. Friday's event was covered by clouds, but Saturday was sunny with very few clouds over the track.

After this competition, Formula Drift moves to Round 2 in Braselton, Ga. Formula Drift will find its way back to Southern California in October for the final round of the season.

Vintage chic

It's always nice to have family and friends with great taste. Recently, I was fortunate enough to acquire a new-old pairs of shoes from my aunt. These shoes, made by RE-MIX are reproductions of a 1940s style and they are basically amazing. Until I have an occasion to wear them, I will continue to wear them around my house. Compared to some of my other heels, these ones are quite comfortable. Besides, a vintage look adds something extra to an otherwise ordinary outfit.

The same can be said for vintage cars. You might feel like your life is a little drab. Daily routines can become bland and without that something extra, you'll fall right into a rut. A classic car could be the cure. Unfortunately, classic cars can be quite pricey to own. So do the next best thing -- the auto version of window shopping -- check out the classic cars, hot rods, street machines, muscle cars and trucks at the GoodGuys 3rd Meguiar's Orange County Get-Together.

With more than 2ooo cars to look at, you can live vicariously through other people for the cost of a ticket -- $15 in case you were wondering. And at this event, you can do more than look at the cars in park.

The 3rd Meguiar's Orange County Get-Together will feature an autocross event. That's right, at the fairgrounds a street course will be set up for drivers to test their skills and spectators to spectate. Personally, I've never been to the OC Fair and Event Center, so I can't really describe what the course will look like, but who doesn't love seeing cars go fast? Especially cars that people have put so much time, money, effort and heart into.

Of course, along with all the hot cars will be a variety of vendors and exhibits and those are always fun to check out. You might even get to see a Sham-WOW!

If you're in the Southern California area, you should go check out the event, I already checked the forecast, sunny skies and mild temperatures! I think I might even wear my new-old shoes.

Time for a makeover and Peggy Lee update

OK, OK. So I haven't blogged since November. But cut me some slack, I had finals, then enjoyed a wonderful vacation where I didn't think about school or anything related to school -- and that includes this blog originally started for the purpose of publication in my campus newspaper.

Now I'm in my last semester of college and sadly taking 18 units with an internship, so my posts might again be sporatic, but I'll try to be good. There are a lot of exciting things coming up this spring.

First, I should tell you, I'm changing the focus of this blog. Actually, it's more accurate to say I'm splitting the purpose. While bringing you my views on the automotive industry, I'll also be focusing on classic cars, including updates on my own Mustang.

Now that I feel like I've covered the administrative stuff associated with blogging, on to the interesting part of the post!

If any of you are confused by the title, I'm not delusional. I know Peggy Lee the singer died seven years ago. I am talking about my 1965 Mustang, whom I have named Peggy Lee -- yes, after the singer. What can I say? That car gives me fever.

Picking up where I left off, after winning the car, I had to sadly go back to Long Beach and back to school. Everyone asked where my car was and some didn't even believe I won until I showed people pictures/articles/the winning key -- which I take everywhere with me for luck.

My parents were able to go over to the Good Guys headquarters and pick the car up. Meanwhile I was itching for a chance to go home and sit behind the wheel again.

That chance came when I went home for Thanksgiving. I got home, hugged my car, and then went inside the house to say hello to everyone. On clear days, when driving conditions were ideal, I drove the car whenever I could, even Thanksgiving Day, before people came over for dinner. Once the usual crowd showed up at my parent's house, I couldn't wait to offer people rides -- keyword being rides, as I don't let many people drive my car. It was great for me to be able to show off my car and drive it around town, sadly since it was a holiday, not many people were out to oogle her.

Thanksgiving break is never long enough. I didn't feel like I got to spend enough quality time with Peggy Lee, so I started counting down until winter break.

As the weather got worse, my dad bought a cover for Peggy Lee, to shield her from the elements.

After what felt like an eternity, I finished my exams and headed back to the Bay Area. Since I got home after dark, I knew I would have to wait one more day before I could uncover my Mustang. But that's exactly what I did Saturday morning.

Sadly, Saturday afternoon the clutch burned out on Peggy Lee. My older sister was driving at the time, and while I was mad at her when it happened, it wasn't entirely her fault. So with the help of my sister, her friend and my dad, we pushed Peggy home. It took the whole family to get her into our sloped driveway.

And that's where she sits today. My dad occasionally runs the engine to keep things working, but Peggy hasn't seen the streets since Dec. 20. I'm hoping to get her back to driving conditions as soon as possible.

That's the Mustang news, check back soon as the Good Guys car show season starts in Orange County in March -- more information on that is coming soon -- and the countdown to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will commence in the upcoming weeks.

As far as my next post goes, I'm hoping to spark your interest with the line of electric MINIS cruising different cities.

Dream of dream car comes true

I won a 1965 Ford Mustang. It has a V-8 with a 4-speed transmission. It is a beast and I could not be happier about … what? I’m sorry. You want to know how this happened?

Let’s rewind to April.

In April, my dad and I went to the Good Guys All-American Get Together. My dad and I have been going to these shows for years, and there is always some contest for winning a car. We entered this time, filling out the forms and dropping them. I didn’t give the contest another thought until September when I got a phone call from the now-out-of-business radio station KRFC, part of CBS radio, telling me that I was one of 32 finalists in the drawing for the ’65 Mustang giveaway.

I immediately went online and read the contest rules, and a little cloud blocked the sun on my perfect day. Participants had to be present to win. The contest was in Pleasanton, and I was in Long Beach. For those of you unfamiliar with California geography, I was a little less than 400 miles from my dream car.

I had no way of getting to Pleasanton that odd weekend in November, so I tried hard not to think about it

In October, another amazing thing happened. My dad called and told me the Good Guys had sent me something. He opened it for me and told me they had sent some information about the contest, along with two passes to the show.

The universe seemed to be taunting me. Then something amazing happened — yes again, a lot of amazing things happen in this story, so deal — my dad told me if I found a good deal on tickets, he would fly me home for the show. I wasted no time in checking all the flights I could, finding a round-trip ticket for $120. My parents bought me the ticket and I started planning for my trip back to Pleasanton.

Fast forward to November 9, walking up to the Live 105 booth — remember KFRC went out of business so another station took over the contest — I got my finalist wristband and was told to come back at 2:45 p.m. My dad and I used the time to walk around the show like we always do, around 2:30 p.m. we made our way back toward the booth, then over to the car. We had to wait for all the show winners to be announced, and there were seemingly 100 categories. I stood with other finalists, 24 of us in all, as each winning car drove past. After the last car was announced, it was time for the contest to begin. My heart has never beaten so fast.

Names were drawn at random from a bucket to determine who would draw a key. I don’t remember how many people were called before me, but there weren’t a ton of keys left. I picked up key No. 19. I was bummed because it was such a high number, I didn’t think I had a chance. Then people started trying their keys in the ignition. I watched person after person get in the car and try to start it, 18 times people tried, and 18 times they failed. Then they called for key No. 19. I walked up to the Mustang, ditched my purse outside and sat down. Just sitting in the car was an experience I’ll never forget. It took me a minute to see where the ignition was, it wasn’t on the steering column like in my old Mustang. I put the key in, and turned it, expecting nothing. But nothing didn’t happen, the engine roared, and I screamed.

I won the 1965 Mustang. I won my dream car.

’Tis the season, so rev your engines for the holidays

As the weather stays the same and no natural indicator of season change occurs in Southern California, I frequently, and eagerly, check and recheck the dates of two of my favorite holidays in the fall — not to mention the date that marks the beginning of what I like to call “Open Season.”
Are you wondering what two events could have this girl dancing in her favorite black heels? It’s Southern California car show season, and this year’s festivities are full of promise.
The Orange County Auto Show and Los Angeles Auto Show are coming up — the O.C. show is this week — and I couldn’t be more excited than if Christmas morning was only a few days away.
The really exciting fact: I’m credentialed for both shows. That means media access before the public is allowed to park. Oh yeah.
The line up of this year’s shows has all kinds of potential. At the O.C. Auto Show there will be a number of West Coast debuts and the L.A. Auto Show will have North American debuts, including the unveiling of the much anticipated 2010 Ford Mustang.
The O.C. Auto Show will have for the first time on the West Coast the Chevrolet Silverado hybrid, Lamborghini LP560-4, 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe, 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX and 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel.
While none of these really catch my eye — OK, you got me, I drooled a little when I saw the LP560-4 would be making a cameo — the real reason I’m going out to the Anaheim Convention Center is the celebrity appearances.
Some of Hollywood’s most memorable cars will be on display this year including Bumblebee, the Camaro from “Transformers,” the time-traveling DeLorean from “Back to the Future” and a Mach 5 inspired by “Speed Racer.” While I’m stoked for the Doc’s machine and a sucker for speed, Bumblebee is the car-lebrity I’m dying to see in person. Awesome cars, huge robots, what more could you ask for in a movie?
I also have to admit, I’m hoping to grease a palm or two while I’m there. Mostly with Mark Williams, the senior features editor of Motortrend. If I can’t convince him to become a regular reader of my humble blog, maybe I can at least score an internship.
But I digress.
Besides nearly fainting from seeing my favorite big-screen cars, I’m very excited about the test driving opportunities that await me in the O.C. Mazda, Toyota and Hyundai will all have ride and drive events this year. Check back for what I test and what I think.
The O.C. Auto Show is like Christmas Eve for me, a few presents, but really more of an excitement builder for the next morning. Although the L.A. Auto Show won’t take place for more than a month after the O.C. show, the anticipation will only grow.
Any regular reader knows about my obsession and excitement over the 2010 Mustang, and I’ll be there the minute it is unveiled with my camera and a defibrillator in the event my heart stops.
Along with my beloved Mustang, 20 world debuts are confirmed so far for the L.A. Auto Show. Not all of the specific cars were not mentioned, but Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan, Porsche and Volkswagen are the manufacturers who signed up.
Not much information is available for the L.A. Auto Show, but I’ll be checking the website regularly between now and press days. The lack of information just makes me more excited.
Stay tuned for complete coverage of both shows.



The L.A. Auto Show is tricky to get in to, but this is my golden ticket! I smooth talked my way in last year, and I guess they decided I was good enough to come back.






SHOW INFO

Orange County Auto Show

Dates:
Oct. 2 to Oct.

Hours:
Thursday, Oct. 2 and Friday, Oct. 3: noon to 10 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ticket Prices:
Adults (13+) $10
Seniors (62+) $6
Kids (12 and under) Free

College Two-Fer day (Thursday): Buy one $10 adult admission with valid college ID & get a second adult admission free with a second valid college ID

Los Angeles Auto Show

Dates:
Nov. 21 to Nov. 30, 2008

Hours:
Friday, Nov. 21: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sundays: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mon – Weds: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Thanksgiving Day: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 28: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Selling a name

I’ve recently come to the realization that the automotive world may have more in common with the sports world than I previously thought — I’m not talking about racing.
I’m talking about isolating one name and selling it off.
Professional sports teams do it all the time. Fans be damned, team owners want the money so they sell beloved players. The team remains intact with the exception of that one player.
Chrysler LLC is thinking about doing the same. In late August, Chrysler LLC announced that it was considering selling it’s high performance sports car, Viper, to interested third parties. Chrysler LLC even brought in a financial consultant, Lazzard Limited, to advise the sale.
According to an article on www.caranddriver.com, Chrysler doesn’t have a specific time it wants Viper sold by.
Some domestic companies, Roush and Saleen, have expressed an interest in buying Viper. But reports indicate people shouldn’t be surprised if a foreign company picks it up.
Viper is the halo car of Dodge. Let’s face it, Viper is the halo car for Chrysler LLC. A halo car is a high-performance, high-power car that companies make to prove to enthusiasts they have what it takes to be stylish and fast. Companies like Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari don’t need halo cars, but Ford, GM and Chrysler do.
Unfortunately, halo cars aren’t known for their tremendous sales.
USA Today reported that last year Dodge only sold 435 Vipers. The Detroit News reported that sales are up this year, with 682 Vipers sold as of July.
Those numbers shouldn’t be all the surprising. The Viper is available in two models. The roadster starts at $85,545 and the coupe starts at $86,295, according to the Dodge website. But honestly, if you’re buying a Viper, who is going to buy it stock? Add some fun features and your Viper is easily over $100,000.
Unfortunately, the high cost and low numbers don’t balance out in a way that is really beneficial to Chrysler, or its parent Cerberus — a private equity investment company with its hands in numerous industries. Cerberus is in the business of making money. It’s not particularly concerned with the fact that Viper has become one of Chrysler’s iconic halo cars — not to mention proof that the U.S. can compete in high performance vehicles.
Different estimates for the worth of the Viper name have been reported from different sources. David Healy, an auto analyst at Burnham Securities, told The Detroit News “that Viper could sell for maybe $50 million — likely ‘as a hobby for an Indian car manufacturer.’” But Kevin Tynan, an analyst at Argus Research, told USA Today that he thinks Viper could go for $140 million to $150 million. Does anyone else think the $90 million to $100 million difference in the estimates is a bit much? I almost wish Chrysler would hurry up and sell so I could see the final price.
In addition to selling off entire brands, like Ford selling Land Rover and Jaguar, many automotive companies have been seriously cutting back on the models produced — cutting out the low-selling high-performing cars — and closing factories. General Motors is planning on closing the factory where Hummers are made. Chrysler has plans to close the factory where Vipers are produced, the Corner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, at the end of 2011, making that the last model year for Vipers.
It sounds like if someone else doesn’t pick up Viper, it’s at risk of going extinct. It will have been around for just under 20 years.