Grand Prix: Local Flavor in World Challenge Race

Michael Lewis grew up in Laguna Beach, but this weekend he only has eyes for Long Beach.

Eschewing the ocean sports that are so prevalent among beach community teens, Lewis –l now 25 – caught a different kind of wave more than a decade ago, one that’s not powered Mother Nature but instead has lots of horses under the hood.

Lewis is in his second season with Effort Racing driving a Porsche 911 GTR3 R in the Pirelli World Challenge, one of the support races to this weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

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His career included the typical progression, including European Formula 3 in Europe in 2013 and the IMSA PorscheGT3 Cup championship in 2014. He is now a teammate of Manhattan Beach’s Patrick Long, who won one of two races in the season-opening event at Circuit of the Americas.

Lewis won both the Saturday and Sunday events a week later in St. Petersburg, also on the undercard of the Verizon Indycar Series. This week, Lewis returns to his home race; he finished fourth in his Long Beach debut a year ago, a season in which he had 12 top 10 finishes -- including six top 5s – in 20 races.

Long qualified fourth and Lewis sixth on Saturday. They will try to chase down pole-sitter Alvaro Parente in a McLaren, Johnny O’Connell in a Cadillac and Parente’s teammate, Colin Thompson.

The 50-minute timed race begins Sunday, 10 a.m., a few hours ahead of the 42nd version of the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

"I think it will be a nice track for us," Lewis said of the 11-turn, 1.968-mile layout for the Cadillac Roar by the Shore Presented by Replay XD. "You've got to put the power down and the Porsche can do that.

"I just want to get on the podium, try to get another win. I'm expecting to drive fast and see where the cards play out."

The cards aligned Long fourth in qualifying on Saturday and Lewis sixth. They will try to chase down pole-sitter Alvaro Parente in a McLaren, Johnny O’Connell in a Cadillac and Parente’s teammate, Colin Thompson.

Michael Lewis is the son of Steve Lewis, who racing fans will recognize as publisher of Performance Racing Industry Magazine from 1986 to 2012, as well as the PRI Trade Show, the largest of its kind held annually in Indianapolis. But Lewis also owns race teams. His Nine Racing is a heavyweight in the USAC National Midget Series Championships, of which Nine Racing has won 10 titles. Among the drivers who passed through Lewis’ shop are Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Dave Darland, JJ Yeley, Kenny Irwin Jr., Bobby East, Stevie Reeves and his first driver, Stan Fox, whose career eventually came to an end at the 1994 Indianapolis 500.

The younger Lewis didn’t take to the cars right away. When he was 12, by which time he had already concluded standing in against a baseball pitcher was no way to make a living -- his first “test” consisted of being pushed around in a quarter midget. No engine, just pushed around. But in advance of a second test, he got in a 50 hp go-kart in an Irvine parking lot and was swept up. A racer was born.

Other local drivers include Andrew Palmer of Los Angeles (starting 8th), James Sofronas of Villa Park (17th), Tim Pappas of Santa Monica (18th) and Brent Holden of Newport Beach (20th).

"I want to try to win the race for my hometown fans, friends and family," Lewis said. "There's such an overwhelming amount of positivity, sometimes I don't know if I can handle it because there are so many friendly faces."

At race's end, he's hoping he sees them from the top step of the podium.