Long Beach Street Circuit is one of America’s most recognisable street circuits, winding for 3.2km around the Long Beach waterfront and Convention Center. Used by IMSA and historically associated with top-level sports car racing, the circuit is a tight mix of fast sections and unforgiving 90-degree corners, with concrete walls leaving very little room for error. The lap begins with the famous run along Shoreline Drive before heavy braking into Turn 1, one of the best overtaking opportunities on the circuit. From there, the cars weave through the Fountain complex and the tight city streets before joining the Seaside Way back section.
The final part of the lap is where Long Beach really earns its reputation. Turn 9 provides another important passing opportunity, while the long, sweeping **Turn 10** leads into the circuit’s defining feature the slow Turn 11 hairpin. Getting the hairpin right is crucial, as a clean exit onto Shoreline Drive can set up a slipstream and overtaking attempt into Turn 1 on the following lap. With its narrow track, walls, bumps and limited margin for mistakes, Long Beach rewards precision and patience, while traffic and close racing can quickly turn a small error into a major problem.