TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH 2009: SCCA PRO RACING SPEED WORLD CHALLENGE

(John Grafman photo) The Speed GT is a thrill-a-minute challenge. With only 29 laps from start to finish, the passing occurs almost immediately. The Speed World Challenge runs right after the Indy and Drifting competitions, and the track is slippery with spent rubber from the tires. Several locals are battling hard against each other. A father and son team, Brandon Davis (No. 10 car) and his father Mike (No. 11), from nearby Huntington Beach are running in Ford Mustang Cobras. James Sofronas (No. 14) is a local Newport Beach resident racing with GMG in his Porsche 911 GT3, and his teammate, Dino Crescentini (No. 4), a local from manhattan Beach, is racing a Porsche 911 GT3, also with GMG.

(Kurt Fuhrmann photo) Eric Curran (No. 30) from Massachusetts, the 2007 race winner and overall GT point leader, rides in the Whelen Engineering Corvette. He is fierce competition, and even starting in 7th position he's a force to be reckoned with. After racing 28 laps and with only one lap to go, Eric can't catch Newport Beach resident James Sofronas. His GMG Porsche ran flawless, even with the temperature in the mid-nineties. In the end, Sofronas takes first place, Eric Curran in second, and Brandon Daves holds onto third. Finishing in the top five is Mike Daves in fourth, right behind his son, and in fifth is Jason Daskalos (No. 5) from New Mexico racing in a Dodge Viper. The aggressive driving and high-speed action of the SWC prove this is ready for the center-ring. - Kurt Fuhrmann

(John Grafman photo) LA Car's Long Beach Grand Prix coverage: LBGP 2009: The Circus Comes to Town LBGP 2009: Pro/Celebrity Race LBGP 2009: The Molly Sanders Interview LBGP 2009: Drifting LBGP 2009: The Tanner Foust Interview LBGP 2009: American Le Mans Series LBGP 2009: IndyCar Racing LBGP 2009: Speed World Championship LBGP 2009: Racing Goes Green LBGP 2009: The Grand Prix Lifestyle