1976 United States Grand Prix West
The 1976 United States Grand Prix West was a Formula One motor race held on March 28, 1976, in Long Beach, California. The race was the third round of the 1976 Formula One season and the first new race to be added to the calendar since the Brazilian and Swedish Grand Prix were added in 1973. It was the second Formula One race held in California, the first being the 1960 United States Grand Prix at Riverside, only 50 miles away. The race was held over 80 laps of the 3.251-kilometre street circuit for a total race distance of 260 kilometres.
| 1976 United States Grand Prix West | |||||
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Race 3 of 16 in the 1976 Formula One season
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | March 28, 1976 | ||||
| Official name | II Grand Prix of Long Beach | ||||
| Location | Long Beach, California | ||||
| Course | Temporary street course | ||||
| Course length | 3.251 km (2.02 miles) | ||||
| Distance | 80 laps, 260.08 km (161.60 miles) | ||||
| Weather | Hot and sunny with temperatures reaching up to 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds approaching speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Ferrari | ||||
| Time | 1:23.099 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Clay Regazzoni | Ferrari | |||
| Time | 1:23.076 on lap 61 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Ferrari | ||||
| Second | Ferrari | ||||
| Third | Tyrrell-Ford | ||||
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Lap leaders | |||||
The race was won by Swiss driver Clay Regazzoni in a Ferrari 312T by 42 seconds over team mate and championship points leader, Austrian driver Niki Lauda. French driver Patrick Depailler finished third driving a Tyrrell 007.