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On the track and behind the scenes with the 2007 Miss Long Beach Grand Prix girls.

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MISS TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
Photos and a Look Behind the Scenes

The 2007 Tecate Miss Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by BodiPro Race Team.

• Grand Prix Main Page
• PubClub's Annual Long Beach Grand Prix Party Bus
• Long Beach Nightlife

Beautiful girls and race cars go together like engines and ethanol, drivers and determination, speed and sponsors.

At the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the beauty in the eye of the race fans is the Tecate Miss Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by BodiPro Race Team! Twenty girls gracefully grace the event in a buildup to Saturday night's contest to choose the next Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. With high-powered race cars screaming at up to 190 mph on the streets of Long Beach, this is beauty and the beasts at its best.

What fun! Being part of the Miss Long Beach Race Team is an adventure.

And while those beauties are a definite a visual enhancement for the Grand Prix it's an incredible experience for the contestants The girls – along with the reigning Miss Grand Prix (Lauren McDonald in 2006 with Melissa Paz now in the role) – can be seen all around the facility during the three days in their grid suits and at other race-related functions.

Yet there's more than meets the eye with these lovely ladies. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the 2007 Race Team, what it took to get here, what happens when they are there and the fun on the track, off the track and at the sponsor parties and events. The 2007 Tecate Miss Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by BodiPro was developed and executed by the pros at Australia-based Procon Leisure International (www.proconleisure.com).

Celeste Truong, Lauren Gardner, Melissa Paz and Lauren McDonald are styling.

The girls greeted race fans to the Grand Prix on the NBC broadcast.

The photo caused a car wreck on Pine Ave.

Rick Kaufmann of BodiPro takes advantage of being the presenting sponsor.

At The Track

The Top 3 for '07: Melissa Paz (center), Chelsea Hunter (R) and Leilani Ackerley.

It is certainly easy to notice 20 gorgeous girls walking around the Grand Prix in their distinctive orange grid suits. They cruise around posing for photos in the GA areas, the paddock and pits.

They are with the Champ Car drivers during the Friday autograph session in the paddock, conduct their own autrgrpah session on Saturday in the Convention Center expo and serve as Grid Girls for the Toyota Pro/Celebrity race (Saturday), the stepping-stone Atlantic race (Sunday morning) and the Champ Car main show on Sunday afternoon.

Only hours after winning the title, Melissa Paz found herself in the pace car.

First Runner-up Chelsea Hunter on the gird by pole-sitter Sebastian Bourdais.

Hammin' it up with Face of Champ Car winners Brandi Latimer and Lauren Gardner.

Sign of the time: 2006 Finalist Sheri Doty on the grid.

The Finals show off the BodiPro portable gym machine.

More girls! With the "birds" from Team Australia.

The rest of the time, they are in private rehersals. They are constantly on the go, prompting a former winner at a similar event in Toronto, Lynne Kush, to remark the experience is "boot camp for models."

Miss GP is on top of the world!

On Friday and Saturday, the reigning Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is on the move, conducting media interviews – 2006 queen Lauren McDonald was live on KABC TV-7's Morning News and Uncle Joe Benson's KLOS radio show Friday afternoon in 2007 – pausing with photos with fans, getting pace car rides and enjoying the festive atmosphere that is the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach..

The Contest

The swimwear parade a fan highlight, with choreography by Alexandra Janicek.

Finalist Venus Ramos proudly takes the stage in her swimwear.

The winners and their hardware after the Finals. Photo: Simon Leung

Assuming "the pose" on the Main Stage before the winner is announced.

For the girls – and many fans – the Finals are the obvious highlight of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach experience.

It is held on the Main Stage (in front of the fountains) on Saturday evening. Here, the girls are going through the final judging process – After-5 wear. By this time, they have already completed 2/3 of the competition. While the looked poised, they are indeed nervous at the same time, having to impress judges for the last time and also woo the crowd.

The swimwear judging takes place on Thursday night at a Pine Street club as part of Thursday Thunder on Pine (in '07 it was at Cafe Sevilla and when the girls stepped outside for a group photo on the street there was a loud THUD; a car had smashed into the rear another vehicle during the photo!).

On Saturday afternoon, when many fans are gearing up for the Finals by spending time at the trackside cantinas, the girls are going through probably the toughest part of the entire adventure - the interview judging. Each girl has three minutes to talk with – and impress – a panel of judges. After all, looks may have gotten her here but it's a girl's composure and attitude that will make her the next Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Then it's the Finals, which lasts one exciting, exhilarating hour. The girls come out in their After 5 wear as a group, then individually. They change into their swimwear to please the thousands of fans, then line up in their grid suits to await the announcement of the winners. The event is set to music and dance coordinator Alexandra Janicek – herself a former contest winner – compiles an intricate and entertaining routine to showcase the girls.

The Sponsor Parties

Beauty at the bar: Girls at the sponsor party. Bottom photo: Simon Leung

Life as a member of the Tecate/BodiPro Miss Grand Prix Race Team is not all rehearsals and grid suits. A girl has to dress up every so often, and those opportunities are presented at the various sponsor parties throughout the weekend.

One of the best is the Red Bull party in a hospitality tent on Friday night. The girls put on their cocktail dresses and are treated to cocktails, a delicious dinner and all kinds of attention.

In the oncoming twilight, eyes sparkle and flashes pop as Champ Car, Grand Prix and city of Long Beach officials, plus sponsors, meet and mingle in an energized environment. A DJ spins acceptable music, drinks are downed and the girls literally have a chance to let their hair down.

On Saturday, the "hottest ticket in town" is thhe Racer Magazine party. Held at a downtown club, it has a "Who's Who" of the Grand Prix on the guest list.

Since the contest has just concluded, the girls are cutting loose on the dance floor and the winners are still in somewhat of a happy shock at the final results.

Then it's back to the host hotel for a few hours sleep before the Big Race Day. The Top Three girls don't get much rest – staff photographer Simon Leung has 'em up at daybreak for an early-morning photo shoot. Those slave-driving photograhers and their darn lighting issues!

The girls get racy at the Racer Party on Saturday night.

PubClub's columnist, The Bartender, with Alex Zerega.

Media Attention, Appearances and Interviews

Finalists pose by a Champ Car at the TGPLB Media Luncheon.

The week-long list of events begin when the Finalists are contacted by the staff PR guru for media interviews. Girls appear at a Monday afternoon Grand Prix charity golf tournament, the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Media Luncheon and conduct dozens of other interviews throughout a busy week.

Media attention in 2007 was high. MTV, Fox's Fuel TV, Brazil TV, Univision, plus local papers and press covered all aspects of the girls, from the prelims through finals and even to the "champagne spray" on the podium after Sunday's Champ Car race. The girls were also featured on the race's NBC broadcast, providing a group "introduction" to the race and a "welcome back" greeting after commercial breaks.

For the Miss Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, there is an extra bonus. She gets to participate in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Media Day, held at the track the Tuesday before race weekend. Here, she mingles with celebrities, takes high-paced rides in pace cars and race cars and conducts dozens of interviews with entertainment media.

Lauren McDonald and Uncle Joe Benson of KLOS share a live laugh.

The "class clown" of 07, Samantha Bedolla, hosts a Univision segment.

The Preliminary Contests

The girls just don't appear at the track out of nowhere. They go through a round of preliminary pageants held at LA, Long Beach and Orange County bars throughout the month of March.

A pool of potential contestants is contacted by Procon staffer Loriann Valencia. This hot LA model knows the look, the attitude and reliability required of all contestants.

The prelims consist of judging in After-5 attire and swimwear. There are 10-15 girls at each event, with only four advancing to the Finals. These events are posted on PubClub.com and are open to the public.

Finalists from events in Long Beach and Hermosa Beach.

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