2018 Long Beach Grand Prix was Epic! (Photos)

So, who else was there?

Audi and it’s R8 LMS got to shake things up with the brand-new BMW M8 GTE. Of course, arguably one of the most prominent GT racing brands was in attendance in a big way: Ferrari and it’s 488 GT program. These cars look and sound brutal, and that’s amongst a field of brutal race cars.

Likewise, the Mercedes-AMG GT4 was in the mix, playing the Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars and the ever-interesting SIN R1 GT4.

Then, there was the Ford GT. The race car for the road was right at home on the city street-turned-race course that is Long Beach. A modern-day McLaren F1 LM if there ever was one. The second and third-place finishes seem to cement that thought pretty well.

Then, in between the racing, and the drifting, there was the ever-popular Stadium Super Trucks. To say that these drivers have no fear is an understatement. Whoever thought to put jumps on a race track was one clever — or insane — person.

Astute fans of The Bachelor, of which we are sure there are many in this crowd, may notice a familiar name. Above is none other than the most recent bachelor himself, Arie Luyendyk Jr., throwing down in SST. Luyendyk Jr. is the son of two-time Indy 500 winner, Arie Luyendyk. The Bachelor was doing well, working his way through the pack and into third place before suspension failure brought his truck out of contention.

IndyCar

Of course, the IndyCar race was the top billing at the Long Beach GP. We have some bets going on in the office about the ever-changing aero packages on IndyCars. The majority say that by this time next year, the cars will be sporting the “halo” over the cockpit. What do you think?

Photos for 6 Speed online by Jim Donnelly Photo

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Jake Stumph

Jake Stumph is a lifelong car enthusiast and racer, and former content editor for Internet Brands Automotive which he joined in 2015. His work has been featured by several other prominent automotive outlets, including Jalopnik and Autobytel.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in Political Science at the Ohio State University in 2013, then pivoted from covering politics and policy to writing about his automotive adventures, something that, he says, is a lot more fun. Since that time, he has established connections with most of the world's major automakers, as well as other key brands in the automotive industry.

He enjoys track days, drifting, and autocross, at least, when his cars are running right, which is uncommon.

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