RRDC celebrates 50-year legacy of racing at Long Beach with expanded Legends Dinner and Gala
Yesterday at 06:00 PM
Bobby Rahal, president of the Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC), has announced an expanded 2025 RRDC Legends Dinner and Gala, which will celebrate the 50 years of racing on the streets of Long Beach, and will honor Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr. and Brian Redman.
The 15th annual dinner and gala is scheduled for April 10, 2025, and will be held at a new venue – the Westin Long Beach Hotel at 333 E. Ocean Blvd. – one day before the start of the 50th Anniversary Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the third race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series. It will be open to the public. More details and links to register for the event will follow soon.
All proceeds of the dinner will benefit The Mark Donohue Foundation, which supports the RRDC's SAFEisFAST initiative, and the Grand Prix Foundation of Long Beach, which supports charities in the Long Beach area. The Foundation's proceeds from the gala will go to Long Beach City College's Automotive Technology Program.
Andretti, Unser and Redman will be honored at the event and attendees will be treated to a ‘David Letterman-style’ interview of the honorees by Rahal.
Andretti won at Long Beach four times and is credited with establishing the race as a world-class event, winning the 1977 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix West and the 1984 race when the event switched to Indy cars. Unser Jr. is the winningest driver at Long Beach, with six victories (1988-91 and 1994-95) over a dominant eight-year span. Redman won the inaugural Long Beach race in 1975, an SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 event, which set the stage for Formula 1 to race on the city streets for the next eight years.
"We at the Road Racing Drivers Club are thrilled to join the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in celebrating 50 years of 'racing through the streets' of this beautiful California shore city," said Rahal. "This event has become an icon of the sport, and not just with IndyCars. Its history includes Formula 1, Formula 5000, Trans-Am, and even the popular celebrity races.
"We are honored to recognize three of our favorite legends and RRDC members, Mario, Little Al and Brian. They are true champions and supporters of the sport, and particularly the RRDC's initiatives."
"Each year, the Road Racing Drivers Club event is a highlight of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend," said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President & CEO Jim Michaelian.
"And this year is especially meaningful as we join with the RRDC in honoring three true legends of the sport—Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr., and Brian Redman. Their contributions to Long Beach motorsports history have inspired generations of drivers and fans alike, and we are thrilled to celebrate their incredible legacies during this special evening.”
