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Grand Prix of Long Beach: Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe inducted into Walk of Fame

April 14, 2023

LONG BEACH — Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe both experienced glory at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Thursday, they were rewarded in the most special way by being inducted into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame in front of the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center on South Pine Avenue.

Halfway through the ceremony, it began to drizzle. It was an ironic twist of sorts because Hunter-Reay and his family were not able to make it to the event because of severe weather in Ford Lauderdale, Fla. that dropped some 26 inches of rain Wednesday, resulting in the cancellation of all flights out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The induction acts as the bell-ringer for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, which will take place Friday through Sunday.

James Hinchcliffe, second from right, is joined by city officials at his Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, downtown. From left, Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Cindy Allen, Mayor Rex Richardson and Councilmember Mary Zendejas. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association, helps unveil Ryan Hunter-Reay’s newly installed medallion on the Motorsports Walk of Fame on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, in downtown Long Beach. Hunter-Reay was unable to attend the induction ceremony due to travel issues. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

James Hinchcliffe signs autographs at his Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, downtown. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

James Hinchcliffe, left, is joined by Vice Mayor and Councilmember Cindy Allen at his Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, downtown. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson addresses the crowd during the Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony for James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, outside the Long Beach Convention Center. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association, addresses the audience downtown on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, at a ceremony inducting James Hinchcliffe, seated, and Ryan Hunter-Reay into the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Fans walk past the newly-installed images of James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay on the Motorsports Walk of Fame on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, in downtown Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

James Hinchcliffe speaks at his induction ceremony on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, at the Motorsports Walk of Fame on South Pine Avenue in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

Matt Schalnat, center, and his children, Lizzy, 11, and RJ, 8, from Escondido, attend the Motorsports Walk of Fame induction ceremony for James Hinchcliffe and Ryan Hunter-Reay on Thursday, Apr. 13, 2023, in downtown Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)

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Hinchcliffe, 36, of Canada, won the Indy Lights race at Long Beach in 2010. He won the IndyCar main event there in 2017; he also took third in that race in 2012.

Hinchcliffe opened with a joke at the ceremony that included Mayor Rex Richardson and other dignitaries.

“This is a very, very special day for me certainly,” he said. “When I told my wife that I was getting indicted here in Long Beach … Sorry … no, no, no. She was quite happy for me. As I am thrilled.”

Once the laughs subsided, Hinchcliffe got serious. He talked about how, other than the Indianapolis 500, Long Beach is the race that drivers, teams and officials mark on their calendars.

“Sports is all about history and just walking down this pathway here (where the medallions of inductees are embedded in cement), you see some of the greatest names of the sport that have raced here, raced all over the world,” Hinchcliffe said.

“This city committing themselves to the greats of the sport like this, like in victory lane, having names and faces down in the victory circle there, I think it really shows how much the city gets behind it and we feel that as competitors and as members of the community of IndyCar.”

Hunter-Reay, 42, won the IndyCar race here in 2010 and was fifth in 2019. Hunter-Reay was also IndyCar series champion in 2012.

Jim Michaelian, CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, read some comments Hunter-Reay sent him Wednesday while he was at the airport ahead of his flight getting canceled.

“What an incredible honor it is to be inducted into the Grand Prix of Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame,” Hunter-Reay wrote. “I grew up watching this race, idolizing the winners, dreaming of one day having a chance to wrestle an IndyCar around this crown jewel of street circuits.”

Hunter-Reay, originally from Dallas, said he instantly fell in love with the track the first time he went around it.

“To this day, I can honestly say qualifying at Long Beach in a dialed-in Indy car were some of the best moments of my racing career,” he wrote. “In 2010, my victory here was the turning point in my career, a critical win which I dedicated to my mother Lydia, who had just recently passed away from cancer.”

Michaelian noted that Hunter-Reay also won the Indy 500 in 2014 and that although he is no longer driving full-time, he will be driving in the Indy 500, which he won in 2014, in May.

As for Hinchcliffe, he will be one of the commentators on Sunday’s NBC telecast.

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Orange County Register

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Grand Prix of Long Beach: Hunter-Reay, Hinchcliffe inducted into Walk of Fame

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