An overhead view of the surroundings and backdrop of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Long Beach has hosted racing on its streets dating all the way back to 1975. Open wheel events from Formula 1 and IndyCar have headlined the event with the American Le Mans Series the Saturday showcase since its debut in 2007.

But looking through the field, there are nearly a dozen drivers in Saturday’s ALMS event who have cut their teeth at Long Beach in open wheel, and now have transitioned to sports cars.

Sebring GT class winner Joey Hand is one of those, having competed in the junior Atlantic series at Long Beach on three occasions. His BMW Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Bill Auberlen did likewise once in the late ’90s.

Hand raced against a fellow Sebring class winner (in LMP2), Luis Diaz, on two occasions in Atlantic at Long Beach. “Chapulin” Diaz of Level 5 Motorsports and Hand both cut their teeth in the series before moving onward and upward in their careers.

Cristiano da Matta, No. 98 Jaguar XKR-R, is a former open-wheel star turned sports car driver at Long Beach. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

The de facto “open wheel team” in the paddock is down at Paul Gentilozzi’s JaguarRSR squad. The trio of Bruno Junqueira, Cristiano da Matta and P.J. Jones all raced at Long Beach during the CART days. Gentilozzi won here in Trans-Am and is back in the cockpit this weekend.

There’s another former open wheel veteran here in sports cars as well, with Derrick Walker back managing the No. 17 Porsche. And one of its drivers raced here in open wheel – Bryan Sellers in the Atlantic series in 2004.

Throw in Extreme Speed Ferrari’s Scott Sharp, Dyson Racing’s Guy Smith and PR1/Mathiasen driver Alex Figge, and you have a bevy of drivers who can say they’ve raced “the Beach” in two very different categories of race cars.