Jordan King excited for the iconic Long Beach Grand Prix
Date: 12 / 04 / 2018
Jordan King will contest his second ever Verizon IndyCar Series race this weekend as Ed Carpenter Racing moves onto the famous Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for race three of the 2018 season.
The season-opening Firestone of Grand Prix of St. Petersburg a month ago left Jordan anxious to get to the next street circuit race. On his Verizon IndyCar Series debut, Jordan shone in Florida as the 24-year-old set the track record in qualifying, reached the Firestone Fast 6 and took the lead of the race by Lap 5. However, a punctured tyre caused him to brush the wall which resulted in a piece of damaged suspension. After his bright start to life in Indy Car, Jordan eventually took the chequered flag down the order in 21st – leaving the young Brit hungry to bounce back and secure a good result this weekend in California.
After handing the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet over to team owner, Ed Carpenter, for the one-mile oval of ISM Raceway, Jordan is now back in the car for back-to-back race weekends and he’ll be looking to bring his street circuit experience from Monaco, Macau, Baku and Pau to Long Beach this weekend.
Ed Carpenter Racing team won the 2014 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with fellow MB Partners driver, Mike Conway, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet. It was the team’s first of three wins that season and it’s first on a street course. The Indianapolis-based team began competing in the Verizon IndyCar Series in 2012 and have earned seven victories in its first five seasons.
This weekend’s race will see 85 laps of the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course in Long Beach, California. Tyre allocation for the weekend with see seven sets of primary, four sets alternate with rookie drivers allowed one extra set for Practice 1.
With only simulator experience of the circuit, Jordan’s excited to see what the track is like for real and is eager get back in the car this weekend after sitting on the sidelines a week ago.
“I am really looking forward to getting into the car again after spending last weekend watching Ed and Spencer drive at Phoenix. I’ve only driven Long Beach on the simulator so I’m excited to see what it holds in real life. It certainly looks like a great circuit! I’m sure we will have a positive weekend.”
Track action commences this Friday with the first two practices sessions of the weekend at 18:00 (BST) and 22:00 respectively. Saturday kicks off with practice three at 18:45, followed by qualifying getting underway at 23:30. The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach takes place on Sunday when lights go out at 21:40.