Sports
Acura To Sponsor Long Beach Grand Prix After Toyota Bows Out
"With our U.S. headquarters nearby in Torrance, this is a true 'home' event for the Acura brand," the Acura V.P. said in a statement.
LONG BEACH, CA – Acura has stepped in to become the title sponsor of the Grand Prix of Long Beach after Toyota bowed out, organizers announced Tuesday.
"With our U.S. headquarters nearby in Torrance, this is a true 'home' event for the Acura brand," Jon Ikeda, Acura vice president and general manager, said in a statement.
He said the company is "delighted and proud" to sponsor the race.
Find out what's happening in Long Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The "multi-year" sponsorship agreement will begin with this year's event, scheduled for April 12-14.
Toyota Motor North America was the title sponsor of the Grand Prix of Long Beach for the event's first 44 years, but announced in August it would not be renewing its agreement. No reason was given for the decision.
Find out what's happening in Long Beachfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, called the agreement with Acura "truly the start of a new era in the history of the Grand Prix."
City News Service contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
