As fans tune into this weekend’s Porsche Carrera Cup NA rounds, understanding the unique demands of the Long Beach circuit becomes essential. Unlike many other courses, this track punishes drivers for the smallest mistakes due to the dynamic track surface. The 1.97-mile street course has some of the most unforgiving braking zones in North American motorsports and is known for the beautiful Turn 11 hairpin which dances drivers onto Shoreline Drive, one of the most iconic straights in the sport. Shoreline Drive isn’t just eye catching but exposes hesitation and rewards the bold. Combine this with the lack of ABS on the Cup cars, inconsistent grip across the entirety of the course, and several rookies making their Long Beach debut, this weekend is primed for a spectacular show. With that being said, let’s break down the circuit turn by turn and highlight key sections you’ll want to watch.
The circuit has 11 turns which begins with the braking zone from the Shoreline Drive straight. Turn 1 is sharp, 90 degrees and is surrounded by spectator seating. This, apart from Turn 11, is going to be the most important braking zone on the course. The racers will be attempting to prolong their speed from Shoreline Drive (like Seaside Way) as long as possible, and the lack of ABS will eventually cause lockups from pushing the 911 Cup car too hard. This makes Turn 1 the primary overtaking spot, and it will be important to watch for divebombs during the first and last laps of the race. These maneuvers could cause immediate chain-reactions and pileups, so watch for race-altering decisions being made early and late on Saturday and Sunday.
Turns 2 through 4 are less exciting but still just as important as Turn 1 in my opinion. The chaos that Turn 1 can create allows for space to be made in the short and slightly curved straight between Turn 1 and Turn 2. There is a slight braking zone at Turn 2, followed by an arc in the course before reaching the corner that makes up Turn 3. There is a smaller straight to Turn 4, which in and of itself isn’t a “turn” as much as a sweeping corner into the straight between Turn 4 and Turn 5. Now, let’s go through this section of the course and highlight why it’s still some of the most important pavement that the drivers will be competing on. The largest factor(s) are the manhole covers that can disrupt grip and create miniscule gains for those who have a smooth exit from Turns 2, 3, and find acceleration through Turn 4.
Turn 5 is where I expect rookies to over commit, and veterans to excel and ultimately create the difference between a good and great lap. The sharp right-hand turn is followed by one of the longer straights of the course which will highlight better exits and allow for distance to be created. In a field of identical vehicles, the drivers and their behaviors are what make the difference and Turn 5 will identify the successful drivers.
Turns 6 through 8 are where you’ll see brake temperature begin to factor into positioning as well as small errors costing multiple positions. Up to this point, through both turns and straights, there wasn’t a lot of room for competitors to take advantage of tiny mistakes since… well there isn’t a lot of room at all to either take corners “better” or garner speed off exits, not including Turn 5. Coming from that straightaway, Turn 6 is the little brother to Turn 1. Lots of speed, big braking zone, and after the exit racers are met with a slight kink in the course (officially Turn 7 but isn’t much of a turn). Turn 8 is a slightly wider turn than either Turn 1 or Turn 6 but will still be a big braking zone and caps off an excellent sector to the Long Beach circuit. Again, the speed gained through Shoreline Drive is unrivaled through the course, with an exception being the shorter Seaside Way (straight between Turns 8 and 9), but the 992.2’s better mid-corner aero and turn-in will make the section between Turns 6 and 9 an interesting spectacle. There will be speed into 6, and speed carried through 7 and the braking zone this creates at Turn 8 is similar to 1 and 6. Coming back to my earlier point about there being few spots for overtakes other than divebombs and pure strokes of luck (via manholes or lockups), Turn 8 is where I expect to see skill play a factor in some clean overtakes. Not that there can’t be overtakes cleanly occurring through Turns 1-7, actually I expect some overtakes THROUGH Turn 7 as the speed builds off a clean exit of 6, just that I expect the first and last laps to be where you see most of the big position losses and gains, and the cause of these changes will most likely be gutsy moves into Turn 1.
Speaking of Turn 9, I would say it will be the second largest point of interest for spectators and racers alike. The second longest straight on the course will allow for all out throttle and a lot of heat buildup in the brakes when coming into the corner. It will mimic Shoreline into Turn 1. With a clean exit, racers should be able to build speed through the sweeping Turn 10, where I expect grip and guts to play a massive role in positioning when it gets closer to the end of the race, and finally hit the hairpin. Turn 10 may play a fundamental role in spinouts as racers attempt to take the inside to be in an attacking stance coming into Turn 11 (hairpin). I would watch for divebombs and contact throughout Turn 11, throughout the race. Clean exits will be rewarded handsomely after Turn 11 as there is much of the course ahead of the racers in the form of Shoreline Drive, speed will be built quickly and maintained.
If there were few takeaways from my interpretation of this course, it would be to watch Turns 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11 as they will allow for mistakes to be made into braking zones and benefits those with experience. There are going to be 24 cars on course, 13 Pro, 4 Pro-Am, and 7 Masters. Of these, there are 6 rookies and 5 Junior Series racers (25-year-old or younger racers in Porsche’s dev. pathway or meet another criterion for “Junior”). I’d keep my eye on all these racers as they will most likely take more risks than some of the veterans (you can read my article on this weekend’s race and racers here). Getting back to the course, the most important corners are Turns 1 and 11 as they will decide most of the lap for the racers. As the laps dwindle, every turn will be a deciding factor on finishing positions, but I’d play close attention to the first and last corners throughout the race.
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