Sato victorious at 39th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach

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Author: Chris Ellis

Takuma Sato became the first Japanese driver to win an Indycar event when he took first place at this weekend’s 39th annual Grand Prix of Long Beach. Sato, who began the race in the fourth position, proved to be a dominating force on the track, beating out Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson, who finished second and third, respectively. Last year’s winner, Will Power, placed 16th.

“The car was great, pit stops were perfect,” Sato said at the post-race press conference. “Just an incredible feeling.”

But the weekend wasn’t so great for the rest of those on the grid. Crashes claimed the races of James Hinchcliff, Tony Kanaan, Alex Tagliani and Sebastian Saavedra, forcing much of the race to continue under yellow flag cautions.

Sato’s first win in 52 starts gave legendary race team owner A.J. Foyte his first win in over a decade. Foyte took on the Japanese driver this season after Sato narrowly lost the Indianapolis 500 last year when he spun on the last corner while attempting to overtake Dario Franchitti. The weekend marked Sato’s third race with his new team.

After the race, Sato was reflective on what this win means for his homeland.

“It’s great for the Japanese,” Sato said at the conference. “Japan has had such a tough time after the earthquake. I’m really happy to give everybody some good news to wake up to because it’s very early Japanese time.”

In addition to marking the 39th time the Grand Prix has come to the 1.97-mile road course that snakes through the coastal streets of downtown Long Beach, the three-day race weekend also featured an American LeMans Series Race, a Firestone Indy Lights race, a World Challenge race and Formula Drift demonstrations. Attendance was estimated at 170,000 spectators.

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