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My First Formula One Race, the 1977 U. S. Grand Prix at Long Beach
Story and Photographs by Jim Casey
In 1977 I was living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, living the life of an overworked and underpaid ski bum. A friend and former boss was living in Los Angeles at the time, and some friends and I decided to go to L.A. for the Long
Beach Grand Prix. We drove through some spectacular scenery in Bryce Canyon in Utah on the way, and spent the night in Las Vegas, where I spend hours breaking even at the blackjack tables. 
Arriving in Los Angeles, we learned that the cars and drivers would be parked along one of the streets in Long Beach, and we talked to Jacques Laffite, Jody Scheckter, and my hero Mario Andretti. The cars looked fabulous, and we could hardly wait for practice to start Friday morning.
Friday morning was the first time I’d heard those engines, and the sound was glorious, especially the Matra V-12 that the Ligiers were using at the time. Most of the teams were using the Cosworth DFV, but there were the flat-12 Ferraris, and the flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine in the Brabhams.
My friends and I wandered around as best we could on the street circuit, staying mostly on the back side of the track, near the Queen’s hairpin, and the section leading from there up to Ocean Ave. It was very entertaining to stand at the bottom of the hill leading up to Ocean, when the cars would accelerate out of the corner, and the sound would bounce off the walls of the buildings lining the street.
We were able to walk through the pits, watching the mechanics working on the cars, talk to some of the drivers, and I even bumped into Bernie Ecclestone in the Brabham pit. He did not have much to say, and seemed a bit uncomfortable to have a lot of fans around.
The weather was gloriously perfect Southern California the entire weekend. Niki Lauda took pole in his Ferrari, but was passed by Scheckter and Andretti.
We were at the Queen’s hairpin for the start, so we missed the crash at the first corner. The race was a tight battle the whole way, with Scheckter, Andretti, and Lauda roaring around like they were tied together for the whole race. Toward the end, Scheckter had a tire going down, and Mario was able to get through for a great win, and Lauda also passed Jody for second.
It was a great race, a great spectacle, and cemented my love for a sport I had only seen on television previously.
11/21/11
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