The Long Beach Grand Prix 2008 is off to a good start.

I love this event. I wait for it all year long. Though my history with the LB GP is filled with frustration, it is an exciting moment of our lives in Long Beach. So why frustrating? 4 years ago at the 30th Anniversary, I missed the old car racing. 3 years ago I threw my back out and had to give the tickets away. 2 and 1 year(s) ago I had all inclusive tickets given to me from a friend but didn’t know I could go in the stands and paddocks! This year, I called my friend too late who had given her tickets away… boohoo, snif, snif!

However, I love Fridays for two reasons, I meet a lot of people and I love the American Le Mans Series. I’m not an F1 or Indy Car race fan though I like it’s technical subtleties. I’m really more of a prototype and GT2 fan. I love these long streamlined endurance racers. I love these GT cars stripped and prepped for race. That is my fun.

The part I most look forward to is the inside action at the GP. I love talking to vendor, snooping around, getting the latest news and this year was rich. First of all, Green Is In! Yes, even the gas guzzler producers of yesterday (the infamous Detroit boys and the Japanese makers) are back with a vengeance with “green” technologies. Hey, a hype is a hype as long as they make a buck! Hydrogen, ethanol and hybrid powered vehicles still makes no sense, yet is a step in the right direction. Hydrogen is a ridiculous hype. It costs more to create hydrogen than to plug directly into the electric grid. It’s just a way for car makers and their backers, the oil consortium to make money on oil. Let’s just go to the electricity directly and forgo the extra steps. And for those who bravely clamor ethanol, two thing; corn ethanol is not the best way to do it (energy rating to power wise), sugar cane is much better and cheaper. To top it all, as if we needed it, corn ethanol is driving the price of food (check your grocery bills from a year ago). So please, do the math and go electric and skip the hybrids. You’re only giving money to the people who tied us to oil in the first place.

Finally, I admit, I can’t believe I am saying but I am in love with a non-gasoline, non-Italian car. I saw the electric Tesla at last and it is beautiful! I have to thank one of the ladies behind the famous Who Killed The Electric Car movie for doing a great job at expressing why I will fall in love with electric cars. The passion in her eyes light mine. Anyone who has heard about the Tesla and only seen pictures, I can only say one thing, it is much prettier live. It is small and beautiful. I would sink $100,000 into it. I just don’t have it

Finally, I met Nelson Phillipe, the young French driver who took the LB GP by surprise a few years ago driving powerful cars at the age of 17.

I’ll have more on everything at the end of the weekend with pictures and all.