Action Express Racing Pre-Long Beach Report

No. 5 Car

The Mustang Sampling Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype fielded by Action Express Racing is primed to perform on the demanding streets of Long Beach, fresh off a podium finish in the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Defending IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar prototype champions Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi aren't strangers to the extreme demands of competing on one of the most challenging street courses in the world. Both drivers have competed in the Southern California classic in various classes of competition, and both are eager to make their third start in the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix.

For Fittipaldi, the Long Beach Grand Prix is an event he's competed in across three different decades, with his first of seven CART Champ Car starts coming in 1995 driving for Derrick Walker. The Brazilian driver's last open wheel start in the Long Beach Grand Prix came in 2002 driving for Newman Haas Racing.

"Long Beach is an extremely difficult course," said Fittipaldi. "You have to respect the fact that it's a street course so you don't have a lot of run off area and room so if you mess up, it's going to end your day quickly. There are a lot of technical zones and limited passing opportunities so you have to be quick, have a good handling car and constantly be ready to jump on opportunities."

When asked to compare the difference between competing in an IndyCar and the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, Fittipaldi was quick to point out visibility and temperature as key factors making the prototype more difficult.

"You can see a lot more out of the IndyCar than you can from the prototype," said Fittipaldi. "We have an extremely limited sightline in our car and you can't see around or through the car directly in front of you, so the initial start of the race and subsequent restarts are very hectic times. It's your best chance to pass, but it's also your best chance to get into an incident that will end your day in a hurry.

"While the IndyCar tends to keep you a little cooler and provide much better visibility because of the open-cockpit design, you have to battle much higher lateral g-force and much less time to react due to the higher speeds. It's really a trade off either way you look at it, but the track provides great action for the fans and that's why it's one of the premier events in North America."

Fittipaldi isn't alone in the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP in terms of past experience on the 1.968-mile street course. Co-defending series champion Joao Barbosa also had a prior start in Long Beach in 1997 when he competed in the Toyota Atlantic Championship.

Barbosa, who finished fourth in his first career start on the streets of Long Beach, acknowledges it's certainly near the top of his list of races he'd like to win.

"Long Beach was my second career start in the United States," said Barbosa. "Although the track configuration has changed since then, it still has the same demands of perfection lap after lap. As with any street course, you have no margin for error so you have to hit your marks lap after lap and of course, slower traffic can really disrupt you. If you get stuck behind a lap car it can allow your competitors to get position on you and overtake.

"The layout of Long Beach is extremely interesting, and the history of the racing in the streets makes the event special. It's certainly high on any drivers list of races to win, and I know it's near the top on mine." 

The Mustang Sampling Corvette DP enters the Long Beach Grand Prix second in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship point standings, following a third place finish in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. Among full-season competitors, the Action Express Racing cars lead the way with the Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, followed by the Whelen Engineering Corvette DP trailing by a single point.

No. 31 Car

The Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype is headed west to the streets of Long Beach in pursuit of the team's first victory of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship following a runner-up performance in the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Dane Cameron and Eric Curran have kicked off the 2016 championship in midseason form, and both are hoping that will lead to a victory in the BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach. The duo trail the defending series champions, in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP by a single point as the series reaches its third stop. The two Action Express Racing Corvette DPs currently lead all full-season competitors in the championship standings.

Last season, Cameron was one of the few drivers who made a pass for position in the two-hour sprint race, which ran under green flag conditions for the entire event. With the difficulty in gaining track position on the narrow and demanding street course, IMSA's winningest driver knows starting in the front and running a flawless race will be critical to his team's success.

"Long Beach is one of our toughest races of the year with such a condensed schedule for practice and a shorter race," said Cameron. "That format places a premium on showing up ready to go and maximizing every opportunity. It is tough to pass so qualifying well and using strategy and perfect pit stops to your advantage are a must at Long Beach. Overall its a great event and a really fun track to drive and I can't wait to get back to work in our No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette DP."

For Eric Curran, the 2015 season was remarkable for the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette DP, but despite the success, the part-time resident of Southern California is eager for more on the first stop of the West Coast swing.

"Long beach is an amazing venue being able to race in the streets and on the main roads of the city," said Curran. "The fact that at night the track turns right back into a main street just adds to the wow factor of this race. It's really difficult to top the atmosphere that you have at Long Beach with the fans and being right on the water. In addition to the atmosphere, you're part of a great racing history when you compete in the Long Beach Grand Prix and it would be incredible to win the race in our No. 31 Whelen Engineering Corvette DP."

Curran will make an appearance on Wednesday night with the Whelen Engineering Corvette DP at the annual "Roar in the Shore" event taking place in Belmont Shore on Second Street in front of Legends Sports Bar (5236 E Second Street). Curran will answer questions from IMSA Radio's Shea Adam and sign autographs for fans.

The Whelen Engineering Corvette DP currently sits third in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship after starting the season with a sixth place finish at Daytona and a runner-up result at Sebring.

Cameron has two previous starts in IMSA competition at the Long Beach Grand Prix, in 2014 with Risi Competizione and then last season with Action Express Racing. Cameron also made one start in the Formula Atlantic Series in 2008.

Curran has two starts, both coming in Coyote Chevrolet Corvette DPs, first with Marsh Racing in 2014, where he earned his first career top-5 finish in prototype competition, and then last year with Cameron in the Whelen Corvette DP for Action Express Racing.

The BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix gets underway with practice on Friday, April 15 at 7:40 a.m. PT, with qualifying for prototype competitors at 6:15 p.m. PT. All on-track activity can be heard on IMSA Radio throughout the weekend. The BUBBA burger Sports Car Grand Prix goes green on Saturday, April 16 at 4:05 p.m. PT and will be televised live on FOX Sports 2 and on FOX Sports GO.