2022 Grand Prix of Long Beach should not be confused with 2022 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
The 2022 Grand Prix of Long Beach (formally known as the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach) was a sports car race held at Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 9, 2022. It was the third round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship and the first round of the 2022 WeatherTech Sprint Cup.
International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2021.[1] It was the eighth year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the fourteenth annual running of the race, counting the period between 2006 and 2013 when it was a round of the Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series respectively. The 2022 Grand Prix of Long Beach was the third of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2022 by IMSA, the shortest of the season in terms of distance, and it was the first round held as part of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.[2] The race was held at the eleven-turn 1.968 mi (3.167 km) Long Beach street circuit in Long Beach, California on April 9, 2022.[3]
On March 31, 2022, IMSA released the latest technical bulletin outlining Balance of Performance for the DPi, GTD Pro, and GTD classes. In DPi, the Acura ARX-05 received a 10 kilogram weight break. In GTD Pro and GTD, the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD received a 10 kilogram weight increase, a 0.4mm smaller air restrictor, and a fuel capacity reduction of 4 liters. The BMW M4 GT3 lost 17 horsepower as well a 20 kilogram weight break and a fuel capacity reduction of 8 liters. The Porsche 911 GT3 R was given a 2mm larger air restrictor while the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 received an increase in turbo boost pressure. The McLaren 720S GT3 was given a 15 kilogram weight break.[4]
Before the race, Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, and Loïc Duval led the DPi Drivers' Championship with 676 points, 11 points ahead of Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, and Will Stevens in second followed by Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis in third with 663 points.[5] With 668 points, the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship was led by Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet, and Felipe Nasr with a thirteen-point advantage over Antonio García, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg. With 672 points, Stevan McAleer and Mike Skeen led the GTD Drivers' Championship, 53 points ahead of Luís Pérez Companc, Simon Mann, and Toni Vilander in second followed by Ryan Hardwick, Jan Heylen, and Zacharie Robichon in third with 615 points. Cadillac, Porsche, and Ferrari were leading their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while JDC-Miller MotorSports, Pfaff Motorsports, and Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports each led their own Teams' Championships.
A total of 26 cars took part in the event, split across three classes. 6 were entered in DPi, 6 in GTD Pro, and 15 in GTD.[6] The only change from the previous round in DPi was the absence of Ally Cadillac Racing. In GTD Pro, Risi Competizione, TR3 Racing, and Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR were absent. BMW M Team RLL scaled down to 1 car in order to focus on development for LMDh in 2023.[7] WeatherTech Racing also scaled down to 1 car and changed its full season entry from using the Porsche 911 GT3 R to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.[8] In GTD, NTE Sport skipped after its transporter suffered a tire blowout en route to the event.[9] GMG Racing made its first appearance since the 2021 Long Beach round while Crucial Motorsports made its sprint debut at this event.[10] Rick Ware Racing made its season debut with drivers Ryan Eversley and Aidan Read.
There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, one on Friday morning and one on Friday afternoon. The first session lasted 90 minutes on Friday morning while the second session on Friday afternoon lasted 105 minutes.[11]
Friday's afternoon qualifying was broken into two sessions, with one session for the DPi, GTD Pro and GTD classes, which lasted for 15 minutes each, and a ten minute interval between the sessions. The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars, with the Pro-Am (GTD) classes requiring a Bronze/Silver Rated Driver to qualify the car. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put DPis ahead of the GTD Pro and GTD cars.[12]
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by .
| Class | Team | Driver | Time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DPi | 01 |  Cadillac Racing |  Sébastien Bourdais | 1:09.472 | - | 1 |
| 2 | DPi | 02 | Cadillac Racing |  Alex Lynn | 1:09.833 | +0.361 | 2 |
| 3 | DPi | 60 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | Tom Blomqvist | 1:09.939 | +0.467 | 3 |
| 4 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing |  Pipo Derani | 1:10.001 | +0.529 | 4 |
| 5 | DPi | 5 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Tristan Vautier | 1:10.376 | +0.904 | 5 |
| 6 | DPi | 10 | WTR - Konica Minolta Acura |  Filipe Albuquerque | 1:10.576 | +1.104 | 6 |
| 7 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Jordan Taylor | 1:18.048 | +8.576 | 7 |
| 8 | GTD Pro | 25 | BMW M Team RLL | Connor De Phillippi | 1:18.115 | +8.643 | 25 |
| 9 | GTD Pro | 9 |  Pfaff Motorsports | Mathieu Jaminet | 1:18.173 | +8.701 | 8 |
| 10 | GTD Pro | 23 | Heart of Racing Team | Ross Gunn | 1:18.437 | +8.965 | 9 |
| 11 | GTD | 1 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow | 1:18.487 | +9.015 | 10 |
| 12 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Robby Foley | 1:18.599 | +9.127 | 18 |
| 13 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Jack Hawksworth | 1:18.627 | +9.155 | 11 |
| 14 | GTD | 32 | Team Korthoff Motorsports | Mike Skeen | 1:18.918 | +9.446 | 12 |
| 15 | GTD | 59 | Crucial Motorsports | Jon Miller | 1:18.932 | +9.460 | 13 |
| 16 | GTD | 57 | Winward Racing | Russell Ward | 1:18.973 | +9.501 | 14 |
| 17 | GTD | 66 | Gradient Racing | Marc Miller | 1:19.146 | +9.674 | 15 |
| 18 | GTD | 27 | Heart of Racing Team | Roman De Angelis | 1:19.181 | +9.709 | 16 |
| 19 | GTD | 12 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Frankie Montecalvo | 1:19.181 | +9.709 | 17 |
| 20 | GTD | 51 |  RWR Eurasia Motorsport |  Aidan Read | 1:19.366 | +9.894 | 19 |
| 21 | GTD | 70 | Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport | Brendan Iribe | 1:19.385 | +9.913 | 20 |
| 22 | GTD | 39 | CarBahn with Peregrine Racing | Robert Megennis | 1:19.742 | +10.270 | 21 |
| 23 | GTD Pro | 79 | WeatherTech Racing | Cooper MacNeil | 1:19.743 | +10.271 | 22 |
| 24 | GTD | 16 | Wright Motorsports | Ryan Hardwick | 1:20.072 | +10.600 | 23 |
| 25 | GTD | 99 | Team Hardpoint | Rob Ferriol | 1:21.079 | +11.607 | 24 |
| 26 | GTD | 34 | GMG Racing | Kyle Washington | 1:23.938 | +14.466 | 26 |
| QUALIFYING RESULTS STARTING GRID | |||||||
As a result of finishing second place, Bamber and Lynn took the lead of the DPi Drivers' Championship with 1005 points. Bourdais and van der Zande advanced from seventh to fifth while Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor dropped from second to fourth.[13] As a result of winning the race, Gunn and Riberas advanced from tenth to fifth in the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship. Jordan Taylor and Antonio García jumped from second to first while MacNeil advanced from ninth to fourth. GTD drivers, teams, and manufactures did not score full season points due to the event only counting towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. Cadillac continued to top the DPi Manufactures' Championship while Chevrolet took the lead of the GTD Pro Manufactures' Championship. Cadillac Racing and Corvette Racing leaders of their respective class Teams' Championships with ten rounds remaining.
Class winners are denoted in bold and .
| Pos | Class | No | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Laps | Time/Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | |||||||
| 1 | DPi | 01 | Cadillac Racing | Sébastien Bourdais Renger van der Zande | Cadillac DPi-V.R | 73 | 1:40:48.134 |
| Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | |||||||
| 2 | DPi | 02 | Cadillac Racing | Alex Lynn Earl Bamber | Cadillac DPi-V.R | 73 | +3.761 |
| Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | |||||||
| 3 | DPi | 5 | JDC-Miller MotorSports | Tristan Vautier Richard Westbrook | Cadillac DPi-V.R | 73 | +9.048 |
| Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | |||||||
| 4 | DPi | 60 | Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian | Tom Blomqvist Oliver Jarvis | Acura ARX-05 | 73 | +10.014 |
| Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | |||||||
| 5 | DPi | 31 | Whelen Engineering Racing | Pipo Derani Tristan Nunez | Cadillac DPi-V.R | 73 | +10.535 |
| Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | |||||||
| 6 | DPi | 10 | WTR - Konica Minolta Acura | Filipe Albuquerque Ricky Taylor | Acura ARX-05 | 73 | +11.979 |
| Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | |||||||
| 7 | GTD Pro | 23 | Heart of Racing Team | Ross Gunn Alex Riberas | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 8 | GTD Pro | 14 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Jack Hawksworth Ben Barnicoat | Lexus RC F GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 | |||||||
| 9 | GTD | 1 | Paul Miller Racing | Madison Snow Bryan Sellers | BMW M4 GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6 | |||||||
| 10 | GTD Pro | 3 | Corvette Racing | Jordan Taylor Antonio García | Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 | |||||||
| 11 | GTD | 66 | Gradient Racing | Marc Miller Mario Farnbacher | Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 | |||||||
| 12 | GTD | 12 | Vasser Sullivan Racing | Frankie Montecalvo Aaron Telitz | Lexus RC F GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 | |||||||
| 13 | GTD | 96 | Turner Motorsport | Robby Foley Bill Auberlen | BMW M4 GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6 | |||||||
| 14 | GTD | 16 | Wright Motorsports | Ryan Hardwick Jan Heylen | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
| 15 | GTD | 32 | Team Korthoff Motorsports | Mike Skeen Stevan McAleer | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | |||||||
| 16 | GTD | 99 | Team Hardpoint | Rob Ferriol Katherine Legge | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
| 17 | GTD | 51 | RWR Eurasia Motorsport | Aidan Read Ryan Eversley | Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 | |||||||
| 18 | GTD | 70 | Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport | Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorf | McLaren 720S GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| McLaren M840T 4.0L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 19 | GTD Pro | 79 | WeatherTech Racing | Cooper MacNeil Raffaele Marciello | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | 69 | +4 Laps |
| Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | |||||||
| 20 | GTD | 34 | GMG Racing | Kyle Washington James Sofronas | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 67 | +6 Laps |
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
| 21 DNF | GTD | 39 | CarBahn with Peregrine Racing | Robert Megennis Jeff Westphal | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo | 57 | Accident Damage |
| Lamborghini 5.2 L V10 | |||||||
| 22 DNF | GTD | 27 | Heart of Racing Team | Roman De Angelis Maxime Martin | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 | 48 | Accident |
| Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 23 DNF | GTD | 59 | Crucial Motorsports | Jon Miller Paul Holton | McLaren 720S GT3 | 47 | Alternator Belt |
| McLaren M840T 4.0L Turbo V8 | |||||||
| 24 DNF | GTD | 57 | Winward Racing | Russell Ward Philip Ellis | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | 33 | Accident Damage |
| Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | |||||||
| 25 DNF | GTD Pro | 9 | Pfaff Motorsports | Mathieu Jaminet Matt Campbell | Porsche 911 GT3 R | 29 | Radiator |
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||
| 26 | GTD Pro | 25 | BMW M Team RLL | Connor De Phillippi John Edwards | BMW M4 GT3 | 69 | +4 Laps |
| BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6 | |||||||
| Sources:[14] [15] | |||||||
| +DPi Drivers' Championship standings | +/– | Driver | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Alex Lynn Earl Bamber | 1005 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Tristan Vautier Richard Westbrook | 1002 | ||
| 3 | Tom Blomqvist Oliver Jarvis | 973 | |||
| 4 | 2 | Filipe Albuquerque Ricky Taylor | 940 | ||
| 5 | 2 | Sébastien Bourdais Renger van der Zande | 926 | ||
| Source: | |||||
| +LMP2 Drivers' Championship standings | +/– | Driver | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Keating Scott Huffaker Mikkel Jensen | 385 | |||
| 2 | Giedo van der Garde | 348 | |||
| 3 | Ryan Dalziel Dwight Merriman Kyle Tilley | 330 | |||
| 4 | Steven Thomas Josh Pierson Jonathan Bomarito | 303 | |||
| 5 | James McGuire Guy Smith Duncan Tappy | 284 | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +LMP3 Drivers' Championship standings | +/– | Driver | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | João Barbosa Lance Willsey Malthe Jakobsen | 374 | |||
| 2 | Ari Balogh Dakota Dickerson Garett Grist | 343 | |||
| 3 | Daniel Goldburg Rasmus Lindh Cameron Shields | 326 | |||
| 4 | Lars Kern Kuno Wittmer Orey Fidani | 302 | |||
| 5 | Jon Bennett Colin Braun George Kurtz | 285 | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +GTD Pro Drivers' Championship standings | +/– | Driver | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Antonio García Jordan Taylor | 990 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Matt Campbell Mathieu Jaminet | 960 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth | 919 | ||
| 4 | 4 | Cooper MacNeil | 830 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Ross Gunn Alex Riberas | 816 | ||
| Source: | |||||
| +GTD Drivers' Championship standings | +/– | Driver | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevan McAleer Mike Skeen | 672‡ | |||
| 2 |  Luís Pérez Companc Simon Mann Toni Vilander | 619‡ | |||
| 3 | Ryan Hardwick Jan Heylen Zacharie Robichon | 615‡ | |||
| 4 | Andy Lally John Potter Spencer Pumpelly | 609‡ | |||
| 5 | Scott Andrews | 587‡ | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +DPi Teams' Championship standings | +/– | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | #02 Cadillac Racing | 1005 | ||
| 2 | 1 | #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports | 1002 | ||
| 3 | #60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian | 973 | |||
| 4 | 2 | #10 WTR - Konica Minolta Acura | 940 | ||
| 5 | 2 | #01 Cadillac Racing | 926 | ||
| Source: | |||||
| +LMP2 Teams' Championship standings | +/– | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 385 | ||||
| 2 | #29 Racing Team Nederland | 348 | |||
| 3 | #18 Era Motorsport | 330 | |||
| 4 | 303 | ||||
| 5 | #22 United Autosports | 284 | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +LMP3 Teams' Championship standings | +/– | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #33 Sean Creech Motorsport | 374 | |||
| 2 | #30 Jr III Motorsports | 343 | |||
| 3 | #38 Performance Tech Motorsports | 326 | |||
| 4 | #13 AWA | 302 | |||
| 5 | #54 CORE Autosport | 285 | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +GTD Pro Teams' Championship standings | +/– | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | #3 Corvette Racing | 990 | ||
| 2 | 1 | #9 Pfaff Motorsports | 960 | ||
| 3 | 2 | #14 Vasser Sullivan Racing | 919 | ||
| 4 | 4 | #79 WeatherTech Racing | 830 | ||
| 5 | 5 | #23 Heart of Racing Team | 816 | ||
| Source: | |||||
| +GTD Teams' Championship standings | +/– | Team | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #32 Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports | 672‡ | |||
| 2 | #21 AF Corse | 619‡ | |||
| 3 | #16 Wright Motorsports | 615‡ | |||
| 4 | #44 Magnus Racing | 609‡ | |||
| 5 | #47 Cetilar Racing | 567‡ | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +DPi Manufacturers' Championship standings | +/– | Manufacturer | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cadillac | 1122 | |||
| 2 | Acura | 1089 | |||
| Source: | |||||
| +GTD Pro Manufacturers' Championship standings | +/– | Manufacturer | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Chevrolet | 1000 | ||
| 2 | 1 | Porsche | 960 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Lexus | 949 | ||
| 4 | 1 | Mercedes-AMG | 938 | ||
| 5 | 3 | Aston Martin | 886 | ||
| Source: | |||||
| +GTD Manufacturers' Championship standings | +/– | Manufacturer | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 684‡ | |||
| 2 | Mercedes-AMG | 683‡ | |||
| 3 | Porsche | 650‡ | |||
| 4 | Aston Martin | 628‡ | |||
| 5 | McLaren | 598‡ | |||
| Source: | |||||