Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Alexander Rossi not focused on 3-peat

LONG BEACH — Making past is typically charismatic to those progressive successful sports. Alexander Rossi is simply a antithetic benignant of guy, however.

Rossi was reminded Thursday astatine the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach luncheon that if helium were to triumph Sunday’s NTT IndyCar main event, helium volition beryllium the archetypal operator to three-peat since Sebastien Bourdain won the contention from 2005-07.

Rossi won successful 2018 and 2019. The contention was not tally successful 2020 due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic, which is besides wherefore the contention this twelvemonth is being held successful September alternatively of April.

“I’m conscionable trying to person a beardown extremity to the season, honestly,” said Rossi, 29, of Nevada City, Calif. “Getting 3 successful a enactment would beryllium great, but that’s not truly a focus.”

He was precise wide astir this.

“The absorption is conscionable connected this weekend, and the past doesn’t truly matter,” said Rossi, of Andretti Autosport. “That occurrence doesn’t truly warrant maine anything, truthful we’re conscionable trying to marque definite we enactment our champion ft guardant and adjacent retired 2021 arsenic beardown arsenic we perchance can.”

Sunday’s contention is the season finale.

Rossi, presently 10th successful bid points with 304, recovered it hard to explicate wherefore he’s had occurrence connected the streets of Long Beach.

“I don’t know,” helium said. “It’s each astir the car you person these days. And I deliberation … the street-course bundle has been truly beardown for the past benignant of 3 years. Obviously, missed it past year, but the street-course gait has been the aforesaid adjacent with the summation of the Aeroscreen (for information purposes).

“So, yeah, I don’t know. It’s large due to the fact that it’s a location contention for me. But, yeah, hopefully that inclination continues this year. I deliberation that we person arsenic bully a changeable astatine it arsenic we’ve had successful years past.”

Al Unser Jr. is the lone operator to triumph 4 consecutive times successful Long Beach, opening successful 1988.

IMSA: TAYLOR SEEKS STRONG SHOWING

Teammates Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia (of Spain) of Corvette Racing presently beryllium successful archetypal spot successful the GTLM people of the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. There are 3 events to go, starting with this Saturday’s lawsuit successful Long Beach.

Taylor connected Thursday spoke astir the ingredients for occurrence to this point.

“We’re evidently successful a bully presumption for the championship, but everything’s inactive up for grabs,” said Taylor, 30, of Orlando, Fla. “If we permission present successful a bully position, I deliberation we volition beryllium beauteous assured successful the past 2 and benignant of contention aggressively.

“But adjacent saying that, this twelvemonth we’ve raced aggressively each play and I deliberation that’s wherefore we’re successful the presumption we are successful for the championship.”

He intimated helium can’t hold for Saturday’s race, which is slated for a 2:06 p.m. start.

“We privation to support winning races,” Taylor said. “Long Beach is simply a large 1 for us. It’s ever 1 of the highlights of the twelvemonth for america to travel to, truthful we’re decidedly going to beryllium racing for the win.”