with Competition Motorsports
Los Angeles-Based Driver set for First Visit to Legendary Long Beach Race in No. 99 Competition Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 in the Tequila Patrn American Le Mans Series
Los Angeles-based race car driver and Hollywood helicopter film pilot David CJ Calvert-Jones has never been to his home race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, but he will not need a grandstand ticket for his first visit to Southern Californias largest three-day sports special event two weekends from now.
Calvert-Jones, better known as CJ in racing and industry circles, has lived in Los Angeles for a decade but has never been to the legendary Long Beach event. That will all change when the emerging race car driver makes his Long Beach debut in the No. 99 Competition Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 in the Tequila Patrn American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Long Beach, Saturday, April 20, in the ALMS GTC class.
Thats how you want to do it, Calvert-Jones said. The first time you go to a race you want to be in it, and I am looking forward to my first go at Long Beach. Its a race that everybody knows and one that every driver wants to be a part of some point in your career.
A native of Australia who moved to Los Angeles to establish his aerial production company Helifilms, CJ will actually get a sneak peak of the Long Beach race circuit tomorrow. He will join his Competition Motorsports teammates as featured participants in Tuesdays annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Media Day where CJ will give southern California media members hot laps around the Long Beach circuit in actual Porsche 911 race car.
In recent years, when not piloting a helicopter in the production of such popular films as Transformers and Secretariat, CJ has made a winning mark as an emerging sports car road racing driver.
After getting his first introduction to racing in a BMW in vintage event competition at California Speedway, CJ debuted in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama in 2012. He placed second in the 2012 Gold Cup standings with a class victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and five runner-up finishes.
Stepping up to ALMS GTC competition at end of 2012 at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, CJ posted a seventh-place result. He hopes to run the full GTC season this year and co-drove with Lawson Aschenbach and Eric Curran to eighth in the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring last month with Competition Motorsports. A co-driver for CJs Long Beach debut is on track to be announced in the coming days.
Support for No. 99 Competition Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 comes from Blundstone Boots, Footwear & Accessories, Gibson Freight, doddle, OMP and JRZ Suspension Engineering.
