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Sports

Tracking the Stars at the Long Beach Grand Prix

Or ... a lesson in how to approach celebrities.

As my first big celebrity media event, the Grand Prix Press Day had plenty to offer a young, budding Patch journalist just sprouting her little leaves.

From swarms of media flies descending upon smiling movie stars outfitted in matching red-and-white Toyota race suits, to the roar of motors punctuating sentences (“This is the [roar] Long Beach event!”), to the heart-stopping joy ride around the 1.97 mile long track, it was as it was intended to be – an enticing spectacle.

And still it will have been small fries compared to the actual race weekend, which is April 15-17.

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The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be celebrating its 37th birthday this year, and Long Beach residents know – this is the event that puts the city on the map. Sometimes referred to as “the Monaco of the West Coast,” it’s one of the largest racing events in the country, next to the Indianapolis 500, and the Daytona and Talladega races.

Though I’m fairly new to Long Beach and the world of high-speed auto racing, I was instantly intrigued by the smell of hot oil and grease on the pavement, the sound of engines revving in excitement, and the languid, chattering crowds of people watching brightly colored race cars fly by.

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And soon about 170,000 spectators will be basking in this pleasantly gritty experience.

Many of them come for the thrills, some for the sun and sand, and still more for the stars.

Almost as old as the Grand Prix itself, which is French for “big prizes,” the pro/celebrity race enlists famous movie, TV and music stars to compete against each other for the reward of a charitable donation to local children’s hospitals. $5,000 is donated for each entry and another $5,000 to the winner’s charity of choice.

So is it work or is it play?

For most everybody there, including the Committee 300 volunteers, the Grand Prix Association members, the sports journalists, the pro racers and the celebrities, it seemed to be a good healthy dose of loud, fast fun with the added benefit of being "at work."

“It’s mental work,” Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers said, “But definitely more play. The training was intense, but a lot of fun. Next year, after my brothers go to race day, I'm sure they'll want to do it, too."

And the energy was apparent.

Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle, now a professional race-car driver, was practically hopping out of his racing gear with noticeable enthusiasm. I heard him called “a good kid.”

And the stars all seemed to have excellent rapport with each other. Stephen Moyer, when asked the best part of the event so far, said, with a charismatic smile, “Meeting Kevin Jonas. He’s just a great lad.”

I couldn’t help but start singing Weezer’s catchy tune, “Beverly Hills,” in my head as I watched the stars play. Probably the most impressive moment was upon arrival around 9:30 a.m., as the celebrity drivers left the parking lot for their first practice round around the track, and I recognized Jonas, Michael Trucco from Fairly Legal, A.J. Buckley from CSI: New York, and the grimly beautiful Stephen Moyer from True Blood.

OK, Hollywood stars in control of insanely fast moving vehicles: kind of scary, but mostly awesome.

The media people present were offered a ride in a pace car, which is a safety car that limits the speed of competitors on track, and of course, I opted for the ride in my favorite palindrome.

The strangest thing about it is that my first thought was, "this is just like the video games!" That is, except that the screeching of brakes as the car banks around sharp turns at 100 miles an hour reminds you how the close the walls really are.

That first turn made me doubt for a minute that my driver knew what he was doing, and it made me wonder how in only four days these celebrities could feel confident enough to brave the roads. But as I thought we were about to topple over, I realized that Rocky, 65, was a seasoned, nonchalant professional who had been driving since he was 17.

"That's my kid up there in the red car zipping around me. Keeping me honest," Rocky said with a smirk.

I don’t know which was more nerve-wracking, being chauffeured around at 115 miles an hour or deciding to approach Stephen Moyer.

Although the day was practically over when I talked to him, he put on the charm and told me that it was just such a treat to be able to be out here.

“I feel like a little kid with a toy race-car! I’ve always loved racing. I played with toy cars as a kid. I just don’t want to go home!” he said with expressive gestures unbefitting his gloomy and reserved vampire character.

Though this was my first time approaching those larger-than-life faces in the flesh and blood, it was easy to see that the celebrities had a ball and the media had a field day. 

After the third round of practice sessions, Michael Trucco said good-naturedly, "I'm not sure if I'm prepared to race yet. I'm prepared to practice some more! But it's getting ugly out there, got to stay away from Tito..."

Around the infamous second turn, UFC champion Tito Ortiz took a significant bite out of Djimon Honsou's bumper.

This was after lunch, after Ortiz lifted E! News spokesperson Ken Baker up from the belly in good humor after a lewd comment. 

Baker, also known as "Sleezeball" to his famous friends, went on to list some Charlie Sheen-inspired rules of the road, including: no crack, no prostitutes and no "Duh, winning!" announcement from the victor.

Is there anything really that different from these celebrities and everyday Joes and Janes?

Kody Swanson, pro driver, remarked on the media hype, “I’ve been driving for ten years, since I was 12 and it’s much different with all the media here. We usually don’t get this much attention. But it’s fun, they all handle the challenge differently, some are suspect and I’m not quite sure I trust staying too close to them, but most handle themselves pretty well out there.”

And that’s when I realized that for celebrities and race-car drivers alike, confidence must be the driving force behind their success, plus a healthy acceptance of risk.

Whether or not we care for Sheen’s antics or the slightly predatory relationship between paparazzi and superstars, I think we can all take the lesson that confidence is key.

Without a jumbo camera, I was unsure whether these big personalities would be willing to talk to me. I was drafting a "How to approach celebrities" list in my mind and repeating, 1) Be aggressive--be, be aggressive.

2) Remember they are people, too (just exceptionally attractive, successful, famous people).

3) Treat them genuinely.

And I live by the advice of “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Today I did two.

Almost everyone finds it difficult to step outside of his or her own personal bubble from time to time, but I think we can agree it must be done. Whether it is talking to the pretty girl in the class, stepping up to a store manager or sidelining a celebrity on race day, understanding the perspectives of people who seem to exist on a different plane is one of those virtues worth cultivating.

More importantly, it was just a beautiful, sunny day full of charming personalities and fast cars -- one that could not help but be enjoyed.

Not to mention, it's for a good cause. The celebrities will be visiting children's hospitals in the area on Thursday to donate the check and visit with sick children through the Racing for Kids foundation.

For Salvador Farfan, President of the Committee of 300 volunteer group, giving back to the community is why he comes out to the races every year and volunteers his time to projects like this.

For Chris Gehman, another volunteer, race day is play-day, and the sounds, the smells, the people, and the cars all keep him coming back.

For fans, it’s about the feeling of being star struck, for families, it might be about camaraderie or go-carts for the kids, and for others still, there is just pure joy to be had in the excitement of competition.

For me, it was a challenge to break down barriers.

But whatever the reason for partaking in the races, it will get the heart pumping and hopefully push you out of your comfort zone into the thrill of the uncertain.

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