Eight Oreca FLM09s are set to do battle in PC, led by defending class champions CORE autosport, which earned its first series victory here last year. Ryan Dalziel returns to the seat of the Sebring-winning No. 06 entry with Alex Popow, which should be one of the leading contenders this weekend.

PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports are among the favorites for PC honors. (Photo: John Dagys)

Other entries to keep a close eye on include the PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports car of Butch Leitzinger and Rudy Junco, as well as Long Beach veterans Tomy Drissi and Bruno Junqueira in RSR Racing’s machine.

With the Sebring class-winning No. 23 Alex Job Porsche of Bell and Sweedler moving up to GT (with its new Lotus Evora), it leaves six cars in GTC, including AJR’s Cooper MacNeil and Leh Keen, who inherit the championship lead thanks to their runner-up finish last month.

AJR’s WeatherTech-backed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car will face competition from the likes of JDX Racing, Green Hornet, TRG and hometown favorites GMG Racing, based in nearby Santa Ana.

Other potential favorites, NGT Motorsport, has withdrawn its two-car entry for this weekend following damage sustained to its No. 30 Porsche at Sebring.

As usual, track time comes as a premium at Long Beach. A two-hour practice session kicks off activities bright and early Friday morning, followed by qualifying at the end of the day.

The Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach takes the green flag Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT.

John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at