![Long Beach Grand Prix 2010: Records broken in World Challenge [Spoilers]](http://blog.niot.net/blog-images/long-beach-grand-prix-2010-records-broken-in-world-challenge-s.jpg "Long Beach Grand Prix 2010: Records broken in World Challenge [Spoilers]")
The final race of the weekend-long Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the 2010 Toyo Tires World Challenge event, held at dusk on this downtownoceanside street course as the crowds streamed out following Ryan Hunter-Reay's IndyCar victory. The track had picked up a lot of rubber during the week, with Indy Lights, ALMS, IndyCar and Drifting demos going on along with the SCCA Pro action. The skies were clear but the track was cooling as the cars lined up for round three of the championship.
The race was the third on the WC schedule following a double-header in St. Petersburg. That set of races had seen Peter Cunningham and Todd Buras sweep in GTS and Touring Class respectively, while GT crowned two winners. Randy Pobst had won from pole position on Saturday, besting teammate Andy Pilgrim to the checkers. On Sunday, it was second-place qualifier, Dino Crescentini who took the win, having dropped out of the first race due to electrical problems.
Long Beach is something of a home-track for several of the racers and everyone seemed pumped to do good in front of their family and friends. Last but not least, by Sunday afternoon it was time to run the final race on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach card.
Actor Patrick Dempsey is no stranger to racetracks, nor to the pages of Autoblog. We've run into the Gray's Anatomy star at various races and automotive events over the past few years, most recently piloting a '90s Mazda RX-792 LeMans racer in the Historics at Laguna Seca. We've even seen him run at Long Beach, although that was in their annual Toyota ProCelebrity race that usually features as many crashes and spins as a roller-derby match.
This year, Dempsey is set to return to the streets of Long Beach, but not in a Scion tC, nor even his usual ride, the Mazda RX-8 he runs in the Rolex Grand-Am GT series. No, Patrick will instead be driving the wheels off a 2010 Mazda3 prepared by Tri-Point Motorsports for the World Challenge race during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. So what was it like going from a push-me to a pull-me? Dempsey says he was impressed with the Mazda3, the first front-driver he's ever raced, though not surprised, as his daily driver is a Mazdaspeed3.
We'll be sure to keep an eye out for him when we head to Long Beach in a couple of weeks to cover the racing activities, which will include IndyCar, World Challenge and ALMS action.
![World Challenge: Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg [Spoiler Alert]](http://blog.niot.net/blog-images/world-challenge-acura-sports-car-challenge-of-st-petersburg-s.jpg)
The SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge lost Speed as a title sponsor for 2010, but they've picked up a new class of racing and a new schedule that features four double-header events with back-to-back racing on Saturdays and Sundays. 2010 will also see GT, GTS and Touring Car classes in mixed on-track action for the first time since 1999.
This weekend was the first (and second) race of the season, the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, run on the streets of St. Pete's. While the top-billed IndyCars have had their race postponed until later today because of torrential rains, the WC boys and girls were able to squeeze two action-packed events into the weekend.
One of our favorite forms of racing just wrapped up another season with a typically exciting finale at California's Laguna Seca raceway. Although it doesn't get much press, we love Speed World Challenge because the cars are so much like the ones we drool over in the real world and the drivers are a great mix of gentlemen racers and displaced pros looking to keep their skills sharp if and when they get the call to move up to the show. Some drivers only make it out to one or two races, while others are in it for the championship trophy –but when they do show up, they are driving some impressive machinery.
We just told you about the championship-winning Ford Mustang FR500C, but the list of competitors reads like a fantasy car collection, with drivers campaigning vehicles like the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Dodge Viper, Lamborghini Gallardo, Chevrolet Corvette, Aston Martin DB9, Lotus Exige S, Acura NSX, Cadillac CTS-V, and even a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 GT. The slightly less exotic Touring Car class features fun cars like the Mazda6, Mazda3 and RX-8, Dodge Neon SRT-4, Acura TSX and Integra Type R, BMW 325 and 328i, Scion tC, Honda Civic Si, Ford Focus, Subaru WRX and Legacy, Lexus IS300, and even a Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
As is the case with most racing these days, the series and event titles are longer than the tracks they race on, but we're willing to type it all out here for those who want to know what happened in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championship Presented by Toyo Tires season finishing Applied Computer Solutions Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Bondurant at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. That's quite a mouthful, but there's even more to the story. Follow the jump to read all about this, the final race to determine the championship. You'll find a full report as well as the complete results for the race and the final points standings for all of the drivers and teams that competed in Speed World Challenge this season.
