Long Beach Grand Prix | iDSC056

Long Beach Grand Prix - The Professor’s Media Day Extravaganza If you haven’t experienced the Annual Long Beach Grand Prix it’s something you need to add to your ‘to-do list’ for sure.  But very few get to experience the event’s Media Day – especially the way our Professor, Clinton Quan, recently got to enjoy.  So, we decided to share the Media Day he was treated to which included; a lap of Indy Car Experience at 150mph followed up by more laps in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car.  Just another day at the office for the Professor.  You gotta hear the details in this iDriveSoCal Podcast though – wow! ***Transcript*** Recording date – April 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA Clinton Quan: Toyota was giving out rides to the media in the Camry Pace cars. And then I saw there was a Honda Indy car experience trailer. And I asked her if I could go for a ride, and she asked me if I was with the media. I told her I was with iDriveSoCal, and she said, "Sure, sign you up." I put on a helmet and I got in the car. And next thing I knew, I was strapped in the car and out on the track going over 150 miles an hour on the racetrack. And I'm just holding on for dear life. Tom Smith: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States--Southern California. I'm Tom Smith. And with me today for another chat is the good professor Mr. Clinton Quan. Say hello, Clinton. Clinton Quan: Hi, Tom. Tom Smith: We dispatched Clinton to the media day, the press day for the Long Beach Grand Prix. And even I was surprised at what Clinton came back with it. It sounds like he had quite a day, and I think a day that most of us, myself and you listening, would probably love to have because it included Clinton getting to suit up in a race suit whatever, the one piece weight race suit kind of jumpsuit. Clinton Quan: Yes, a racing suit. Tom Smith: Got to do 150 miles an hour in downtown Long Beach. Clinton Quan: Yeah, a little over 150 miles an hour on the streets of Long Beach on the road course for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Tom Smith: Okay so that was in a...what was it a formula car, formula experience? Is that what you said it was? Clinton Quan: It is an Indy car. Tom Smith: Indy car, okay, the Indy experience. Clinton Quan: Yes. Tom Smith: All right, I'm going to let you take it away in just a second but first, so that was part of the day, folks, was the Indy experience. So if you picture this open wheel car and Clinton's behind the driver and doing 150 in downtown Long Beach, buildings flying by it like a blur, but then it didn't end there. Then he got out and what was the other car that you got to ride in? Tom Smith: I got a ride in a Porsche 911 GT3 cup car. And I got three laps in that one. Tom Smith: Three laps, also on the Long Beach Grand Prix, same track. Clinton Quan: Yes. Those are the cars used for the Pirelli World Challenge. Tom Smith: Okay, so the Pirelli, I'm not even sure what that means, but so that's what we're going to talk about here because check out the pictures that we're going to post on the site, or that are posted on the site by the time you listen to this, but take us through your day and your experience because I'm not quite sure. It sounds to me, Clinton, like this was back in the college days, maybe a little bit after college, and you're still single and you're like looking for stuff to do that's fun on the weekends, whatever. And you're going to parties that maybe you're not really invited to, but it sounds like a really cool party, or you go to the club and there's a really long line, but you try to work your magic about getting it in the side door or going up and dealing with a bouncer and whatever.