LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Roger Daltrey, founding member and lead singer of The Who, was a passenger in a race car years ago. But the ride in "The Fastest Seat in Sports" two-seater -- with Mario Andretti as his chauffeur -- on the formation laps of the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach "was something else."
"I loved every minute of it," said Daltrey, who was at the venue to raise awareness of Teen Cancer America and, of course, watch the 80-lap Verizon IndyCar Series race on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit.
Daltrey, inducted in 1990 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Who, co-founded Teen Cancer America with The Who bandmate Pete Townsend. The organization seeks to ensure that cancer patients throughout the United States have access to special units and treatments. Daltrey's charity in the United Kingdom, Teenage Cancer Trust, has built 27 such units in major hospitals.
"This effort started in Britain 25 years ago by a local doctor who realized that teens with cancer suffer from particularly aggressive and rare forms of cancer," Daltrey said. "He also realized that this age group under the healthcare system either classified you as a child or an adult. You still have that system in American and I’ve been working for 12 years to get the hospital system to realize there’s an enormous care gap."
The Teen Cancer Trust logo was on the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing car driven by Justin Wilson, who was announced as an ambassadors for the program along with Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
"It’s an honor to meet someone like Roger, but I think it’s more of an honor to see a person like him become interested and lend his support for such a great cause," said Dixon, the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion. "For me, I’ve been working with CANTeen in New Zealand for so many years and there’s a gap in the healthcare system. There are so many changes going on for teens with their hormones and trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Cancer is something that is pretty tough for anyone fighting it is something that we believe in. Cancer as a whole is horrible and there are so many causes that are fighting it.”
Andretti, the grand marshal, won four times on the streets of Long Beach, including 30 years ago. Also receiving a ride in a two-seater during the formation laps, courtesy of driver Arie Luyendyk, was Winter Olympic bobsled medalist Steve Holcomb. The Utah native, a seven-year member of the National Guard, was the guest of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (flanked in photo at right by drivers Oriol Servia and Graham Rahal). Its No. 15 entry is sponsored by the National Guard.
A walk down memory lane
Michael Kincaid of Dana Point, Calif., was pointing out some basic design principles of the Jorgensen Eagle Formula 5000 car to his grandson, Daniel, when he abruptly halted and said, "Maybe we should ask that guy."
Dan Gurney, who built the car driven by Vern Schuppan on Sept. 16, 1975 (the first race car on the Long Beach streets), walked by on his way to an autograph session at the "Four Decades of Racing in the Streets" display in the Long Beach Convention Center. The display featured 39 eight-foot boards highlighting each of past races, compete with a winner's circle photograph and the race's commemorative poster.
Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and Verizon IndyCar Series team owner A.J. Foyt dropped by to reminisce and offer 80th birthday wishes to his longtime friend (photo below).
The No. 48 Jorgensen Eagle was joined in the display commemorating the 40th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach by:
• Brian Redman's F5000 Boraxo Lola T332, the car he drove to the first checkered flag at Long Beach
• Mario Andretti's Lotus 77, which he drove to a win here in 1977
• The Parnelli VJP 4, in which Andretti finished 15th in 1976
• The six-wheeled Tyrell 007, driven by Jody Scheckter in the 1976 race
• Derek Daly's Ensign M179, which he drove at Long Beach in 1979
• Alain Prost's 1980 F1 McLaren M30
• A.J. Foyt’s 1986 March 86C
• RuSPORT’s 2004 Lola Champ Car
• All eight generations of Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race cars, including those driven by Jay Leno, Donny Osmond, Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves.
Of note
Al Unser Jr., a six-time Indy car winner and multiple Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race winner at Long Beach, gave the command to start engines. ... Paul Tracy earned his first Indy car victory on the streets of Long Beach and he made his NBCSN debut as an analyst for the 40th annual race. "I've been fired by Roger Penske, I'll call it the way I see it," Tracy said on the pre-race show. ... E.J. Viso took the lead at the start of the Stadium Super Trucks race and led much of the way, but Robby Gordon came from behind after a competition yellow to win. Viso, who said he and his sponsors are working on a return to the Verizon IndyCar Series, was runner-up in his first race in the series.
