Bill Auberlen will be in action in the Tequila Patrón Sports Car Showcase at Long Beach next Saturday, in the No. 55 BMW Team RLL BMW Z4 GTE he co-drives with Andy Priaulx. If he wasn’t racing, Auberlen would be there as a fan. Living only 15 minutes away from the 1.968-mile street circuit, Auberlen caught the racing bug attending the event as a youngster. Here are a few Auberlen tips for spectators planning to attend this year’s event: “Long Beach is an amazing race, and a huge party. It’s a good time to get away, have a few beers and sit under the sun and watch phenomenal racing.
“On Saturday (April 12), grandstands are open for people to walk up and watch our race. You want to be in Turn 1 or 2, either an inside or outside grandstand. But any grandstand that’s by a turn in Long Beach is going to be great. The straightaway is where you can get to see the cars accelerating to their top speed, which for me is not quite as exciting. I would go for any grandstand entering any turn, and it’s going to make for some action.
“A lot of fans don’t realize they can go right into the paddock, and talk to any of the IMSA teams. Feel free to ask, ‘Do you mind if I come in and take a look,’ and 99 percent of them will be happy to show you everything in detail. Don’t stand back and watch from afar – our series is inviting and very informative.
“Fans can pick up detailed schedules at the track. When I used to go to there, I would watch practice and then go into the convention center and look at all the displays. Then I’d go to the paddock where I could see them servicing the cars and I would ask questions. I was so into it, and at Long Beach, there is so much to look at and take part of.
“When lunch time comes, forget about going inside. Go to the outside of the Main Shoreline straightaway and go to the Yard House or any one of the amazing restaurants directly on the water. They’re only 40 feet away from the straightaway. So you can sit in your seat and watch our cars go by at 180 mph.
“It feels like you’re in Monaco, but with a California vibe. Great races in the streets, restaurants everywhere, and it rarely rains at Long Beach during the races.
“I can’t wait for the event to start. It’s one of my favorite races of the year.”