April 5th, 2012 at 10:03 am by
Sheri
(insert obvious joke about exactly whose engine was revving here)
Yesterday was press day for the 36th annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race that will take place April 14 through the streets of Long Beach, California. The charity event is held every year in conjunction with the prestigious Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix, (an internationally known race that since 2008 has featured IndyCars). Drivers in past Pro/Celebrity races have included Patrick Dempsey, Keanu Reeves, Christian Slater and Adrien Brody (who returns this year. Race Day also happens to be his 39th birthday. Brody and Reeves just competed in the Kings of the Street race in Las Vegas last month. I know I digress. I like racing. We've talked about this.). Well known names from film, television, music and sports all receive on-the-track training to prepare for the race and will then get behind the wheels of identically prepared, race-ready Toyota Scion tCs to drive the historic 10-lap, 1.97-mile street circuit to benefit Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach and Children's Hospital of Orange County.
Toyota annually donates $5,000 to Racing for Kids on behalf of each participant and another $5,000 to the winning racer's charity of choice. Racing for Kids–a national nonprofit program benefiting children's hospitals throughout the country–was created as a way to connect these children with their favorite celebrities and race-car drivers. Toyota has donated more than $2 million to the Racing for Kids organization since 1991, on behalf of the race and its participants. (This report was prepared from the official press release. Forgive me but, $2mil since 1991? That’s it?! C’mon Toyota, that’s chump change!)
LeAnn Rimes, whose husband Eddie Cibrian (who may be a douche-canoe but he's a gorgeous douche-canoe) happens to be driving in the race, will open the ceremonies on April 14 by singing the national anthem. Some of the other drivers participating in the race–which is the world's longest-running and most prestigious celebrity racing event–include actors Brody, Kim Coates (Sons of Anarchy), Hill Harper and William Fichtner (last year’s winner), former UFC champion Cain Velasquez, Mexican superstar Kate del Castillo, Jillian Barberie Reynolds, Adam Corolla, Bill Rancic and Rutledge Wood, the host of Top Gear USA.
In addition to Toyota's contributions, a $15,000 donation will be made in conjunction with the 15th-annual "People Pole Award." Sponsored by People magazine, the award honors the pole-position winner of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session on Friday, April 13.
Below are a few pics from yesterday’s Press Day, which is really just an excuse to post pics of Adrien Brody, (which will have to tide us over until we get more pics of Chris Hemsworth on the set of Rush in his firesuit).
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photo credit: Starbux/WENN
