United States Grand Prix West

Coordinates: 33°46′01″N 118°11′22″W / 33.766914°N 118.189328°W / 33.766914; -118.189328

The United States Grand Prix West was a race held at Long Beach, California, as a Formula 5000 race in 1975 and a Formula One world championship event from 1976 to 1983 held in the same location throughout those years.

History

With the east coast Watkins Glen track on the downslope after two fatalities in successive years and a politically charged 1975 event, the USGP West was created for the 1976 season on a tight circuit made up of city streets in Long Beach, California, located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area on the west coast. A Formula 5000 race was held there in 1975, and the US was just the second country (after Italy in 1957) to host two Championship F1 events in the same season. Southern California had seen a championship Formula One race before; the 1960 United States Grand Prix was held at Riverside Raceway, which was just an hour from Long Beach. Like most street circuits used in Formula One and other disciplines of motor racing, Long Beach gained a reputation for being a grueling race that was very punishing on the car and driver. The circuit was an immediate success from its first race in 1976, and it became the U.S.'s answer to the Monaco Grand Prix. The 1976 event was won by Swiss Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari with his teammate Niki Lauda finishing 2nd and Patrick Depailler finishing 3rd while furiously charging through the field after an incident he had early in the race. 1977 saw a race-long battle between Lauda, South African Jody Scheckter in a Wolf and American Mario Andretti in a Lotus. After being stuck behind Scheckter for most of the race, Andretti outbraked the South African into Queen's Hairpin and took victory; Lauda also passed Scheckter and took 2nd; and the Wolf driver completed the podium with 3rd place.