The 48th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach raced to the finish line on Sunday, April 16.
And while the professional drivers may have been the stars of the show, the weekend wouldn’t be possible without one particular group of dedicated folks: The volunteers and employees who keep the Grand Prix running smoothly.
Yet, those workers don’t spend the weekend trodding along. If anything, according to interviews with several of them, they enjoy the party as much as anyone.
For some of them — from Convention Center employees to city firefighters — the thrill of being at “Southern California’s 200-mph beach party” came from their exchanges with the racegoers themselves.
“I enjoy the interaction with people,” said Mark Bogart, an event staffer who helped visitors attend the large, sometimes overwhelming, Grand Prix concourse. “It’s always nice when we get a chance to actually talk with someone, and carry on a little bit of a conversation.”
Bogart’s post on Sunday was near the Family Fun Zone at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. His main job, he said, was to keep folks from going into restricted areas.
“Right here, I’m just keeping people from going behind the curtain and directing people to where they want to go,” Bogart said, “mostly to the bathrooms.”
During one seven-minute span, Bogart managed to help five different groups of people find their ways around the property.
Bogart has worked the Grand Prix for several years. The hours are long, he said, with some of his colleagues waking at 6 a.m. and working until 6 or 7 p.m.
And except for occasional breaks, Bogart said, he must stand most of the time. But it’s a fun experience getting to meet various spectators, he said.
Jajari Collins, supervisor of a conversion crew at the Convention Center, agreed.
“A lot of people (from) all walks of life come through here,” Collins said. “It has changed over the years, but it’s still a fun place to go.”
Collins has worked at the Convention Center for a decade — and this was his ninth Grand Prix.
His crew typically builds stages and risers at the Convention Center. But for race weekend, Collins said, his responsibility involved helping the housekeeping team collect trash at the “Elephant Lot,” a 13-acre parcel serving as the staging area for race crew during the Grand Prix.
“People have been really good when they are throwing their trash away,” he said. “They are not just discarding them on the ground. We have a lot of trash cans around for people to utilize. So in that aspect, it’s OK.”
Erik Santos, meanwhile, spent much of Sunday morning directing the rush of people near the grandstands entrance. That’s where frenzied fans can sit and watch the 85-lap Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and other races during the weekend.
The San Diego resident said he woke up at 4:30 am to jump on a ride-share van with colleagues to Long Beach for work.
“It’s worth it because I like entertainment,” Santos said. “I like festivals. I also do festivals, like thrusting stages, LED walls and all that, and this is a different aspect of entertainment that I haven’t worked in.”
Santos, a sports fan himself, said he enjoyed walking around the venue during his breaks — exploring the various products and activities the Grand Prix had to offer.
“There’s a wide variety of cars,” he said of the Lifestyle Expo. “It’s kind of cool.”
Santos seems to know his cars — since he mentioned what was apparently absent.
“The only thing I think that they are missing is Japanese vintage classic cars,” Santos said. “There’s a few of them here, but not too many.”
For Long Beach Fire Capt. Jack Crabtree and his team, meanwhile, the main part of being at the sporting event involves providing fire engines and ambulances along the track in case there’s any medical emergencies among the crowds or drivers.
Since Saturday, his crew had transported six spectators to local hospitals, he said.
“Because of the size of the Grand Prix,” Crabtree said, “we have ambulances and paramedics available throughout the venue, so we can still give help when help is needed.”
“It’s a fun event to be a part of,” Crabtree added, “and be part of a team (for it).”
Source: Orange County Register
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