The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach officially was canceled Wednesday and won’t be rescheduled for the 2020 season.
Race organizers confirmed in a statement that they were unable to move the IndyCar race, which originally was scheduled for April 17-19. The statement also said organizers were focused on holding the race’s 46th edition in 2021.
IndyCar had announced the cancellation of the Long Beach Grand Prix last Friday as part of the reaction to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, but race organizers had held out hope of postponing the event, possibly sandwiching it between IndyCar races at Portland and Laguna Seca in September.
The Long Beach Grand Prix had been held in the spring for 44 consecutive years, starting with Formula One (1976-83), then Champ Car (1984-07) and IndyCar (2008-19).
The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach today announced that the 2020 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is cancelled. All 2020 ticket holders will be receiving an e-mail today with instructions on how to apply for a credit for 2021 or a full refund. https://t.co/gokXIolGkS
— Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (@GPLongBeach) March 18, 2020
“Over the past few days, we have actively pursued the possibility of rescheduling the Acura Grand Prix to a later date this year with the City of Long Beach, the Convention Center, the NTT IndyCar Series, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and our other race sanctioning bodies,” Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association, said in a release. “We are very disappointed that we were unable to put something together for all our loyal fans and valued clients, but trying to reassemble all the elements that have made the Long Beach event such a success does not appear feasible for 2020.
“As a result, our attention will now be focused on planning the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 16-18, 2021.”
The race is offering refunds or credit toward tickets for next year’s race.
The race weekend also featured an IMSA race. In a statement, IMSA confirmed receiving notification from Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach organizers that the race had been canceled.
“IMSA and the event promoter exhausted every option to conduct this race, but many factors made it impossible including our scheduled races in the second half of the year,” the statement read. “We all look forward to returning to the iconic street circuit in April of 2021. IMSA is continuing to work with partners for possible alternative events to run a full 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.”