The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach has been cancelled by local Long Beach city authorities due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The event, which features Indycar and IMSA Weathertech Sports Car championship races, was due to go ahead on the April 17-18.
However, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced that all large scale events of 250 people and more through April would be cancelled in an attempt to minimise potential exposure to COVID-19.
Speaking on Twitter Mayor Garcia said the ruling, that affects all concert, sporting events and parades, was taken in accordance of guidance issued by the Governor of California and will remain in place till the 30th April.
The Mayor noted the importance of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, which is the city’s most popular event attracting approximately 180,000 people annually, and was open to rescheduled the event for a later date.
Yet the mayor made clear that, “our top priority must be the health & well-being of our community and this is absolutely the right thing to do.”
Long Beach is the second IMSA round to have been effected by efforts to tackle COVID-19 by US authorities, after the Sebring 12 Hours was postponed to November due to the US travel ban on European countries.
Long Beach was due to be the second round of the championship after the Sebring rescheduling.
The first race of the Indycar championship in St Petersberg will still take place this weekend but in front of empty grandstands, after all fans were banned from attending by city officials.
