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A cool breeze swept through downtown Saturday as a C-17 Globemaster thundered overhead, while below unfolded a day of blistering speeds, spectacular crashes and a few words from Hugh Hefner.
"May the best man, or woman, win," said the Playboy founder, who served as Grand Marshal of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.
The race kick-started action at the 33rd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, which began Friday and ends today.
Hefner concluded: "Gentlemen, and women, start your engines."
A Paul Tracy crash during Champ Car practice was followed by several crashes during the celebrity race, where there was action both on and off the track.
On the track, three-time defending champion Sebastien Bourdais recaptured today's pole position in the Champ Car World Series.
The 25-year-old Frenchman's 23 Champ Car victories are second only to Tracy's 30 wins on the active driver list.
Tracy was knocked out of racing for the next three months after suffering a compressed vertebrae in his crash. He was taken to St. Mary Medical Center for an MRI and released.
Bourdais, who races in a McDonald's-sponsored car for Newman/Hass racing, finished qualifying with both Team Australia cars on his tail.
Team Australia's second and third place starts today had the team's sponsor, Aussie Vineyards President Duncan Shaw, stoked.
"We're in the front row again, I'm pretty happy," said Shaw, as he stood in the pit at the end of Saturday's race.
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