Long Beach secures long-term deal

The sportscar championship made a highly successful debut at the Californian street track last season, and shares the bill with Champ Car again this weekend.

It is now set to remain on the schedule for another five years, after Long Beach Grand Prix president Jim Michaelian and ALMS CEO Scott Atherton announced a contract extension today.

"There is no doubt that Long Beach and southern California represent an ideal market for the American Le Mans Series," Atherton said.

"We have seen that our brand of racing - with its relevant, leading-edge technology - goes hand-in-hand with the most influential marketplace in North America. That is a key reason why we are so thrilled to announce this five-year extension today.

"The reception of the American Le Mans Series in our first year at Long Beach in 2007 was more than we could have hoped for. With this world-class event now confirmed as a regular feature on our calendar, we look forward to working with Jim and his staff to make our race bigger and better by every measure."

Earlier this week the ALMS announced that it had also extended its deal to race at St Petersburg for a further five years. It is set to run alongside the merged IRL IndyCar Series at both tracks.