PORTLAND, Ore. (April 27, 2018) – The Grand Prix of Portland is excited to announce that two locally-based organizations have joined on as official sponsors. Lanphere Auto Group and Motorcycles in Beaverton, Ore., and World of Speed Motorsports Museum in Wilsonville, Ore., will have a significant presence during the event, August 31-September 2.
Lanphere Auto Group and Motorcycles began in 1964 as a Honda motorcycle dealer and expanded to become Beaverton Honda, a car dealer, when the Japanese manufacturer entered the U.S. market. One of the region’s largest family-owned automotive dealerships has grown to over 600 employees today and encompasses Beaverton Kia, Beaverton Infiniti, Beaverton Motorcycles, Newberg Dodge and Canyon Road Auto Body.
“We were excited to hear the Grand Prix was coming to Portland and anxious to be involved. Over the years we have supported racing in many forms including cars and motorcycles. We love giving back to the sport of racing and look forward to a partnership with the World of Speed Motorsports Museum,” said Bob Lanphere, Jr., president of Lanphere Enterprises. “This event will be good for Portland and very special to race fans. Lanphere Auto Group and Motorcycles is happy to be a sponsor of the Grand Prix of Portland.”
World of Speed Motorsports Museum celebrates the great history of motorsports in the Northwest with all forms of racing. From IndyCar to NASCAR, drag racing to sports cars, motorcycles to land speed racing and boats, World of Speed has something for everyone. It is also home to an auto shop program for local high-schoolers. Students learn automotive fundamentals and repair and get school credits upon completion.
“We are excited to have IndyCar back in Portland. There were some great races over the 24 years that the Indy cars raced here. Some of IndyCar’s greatest names raced here adding to the rich motorsport history of the Northwest,” said World of Speed Curator Ron Huegli. “The World of Speed Motorsports Museum is honored to be a partner with the Lanphere Auto Group at the Grand Prix of Portland.”
“It’s an honor to have these two companies with a deep passion and history rooted in motorsports involved in the Grand Prix of Portland,” said Jerry Jensen, general manager of the Grand Prix of Portland. “Race fans will enjoy the on site activations each has planned for the event as well as the opportunity to engage in some fun and exciting ways.”
Both companies will create exciting activation spaces to engage attendees at the Grand Prix of Portland. Lanphere’s will showcase new Honda vehicles while World of Speed will feature vintage Indy cars right from its dynamic gallery floor which features nearly 100 cars, bikes and boats constantly evolving. In addition to the displays, Lanphere and World of Speed will gain significant on site presence via trackside and spectator signage and will entertain clients and guests at the three-day festival.
The Grand Prix of Portland serves as Round 16 of 17 of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series. Three-day grandstand and general admission tickets are on sale now at portlandgp.com. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.
ABOUT LANPHERE AUTO GROUP AND MOTORCYCLES
When Bob Lanphere, Sr. was honorably discharged from the Army in 1955 he bought a BSA motorcycle and that was the beginning of his dream to open a motorcycle shop. The dream grew by leaps and bounds and took a twist when Honda offered motorcycle dealers an opportunity to sell the Honda car coming to America. On February 28th, 1964 Bob opened the doors of Beaverton Honda on the corner of Hall and Broadway in Downtown Beaverton. Over the next 54 years, Beaverton Honda Motorcycles grew into the Lanphere Auto Group by opening a number of dealerships throughout the Pacific Northwest. Today, Bob Lanphere, Jr. still owns and operates Beaverton Honda, Beaverton Kia, Beaverton INFINITI, Newberg Dodge, Beaverton Motorcycles and Canyon Road Auto Body.
ABOUT WORLD OF SPEED MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM
At World of Speed, we are all about motorsports. EDUCATE. ENTERTAIN. PRESERVE. CELEBRATE. The museum encompasses many aspects of motorsports, including drag racing, road racing, land speed racing, motorcycle racing, open-wheel cars, NASCAR, and hydroplanes. If you love motorsports as much as we do, stop by and check out our special exhibits like the Daytona Banking Wall, the Wall of Sound, Women in Racing, and the History of Northwest Drag Racing. While you’re here, take a spin (or two) in one of our three simulators to feel like you’re really behind the wheel of an iconic Formula, Indy, or NASCAR race car!
ABOUT GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND
Portland International Raceway (PIR) is the home of the Grand Prix of Portland. PIR is a 1.967-mile, 12-turn permanent road course owned by the City of Portland and operated under the Portland Parks and Recreation. Opened in 1960 to host sports car and drag racing, the 268-acre property is the site of over 550 events annually including automotive and motorcycle road racing, motocross, cruise-ins and other special events including the Rose Cup Races.
The inaugural Indy car race PIR was held in 1984 and won by Al Unser Jr. Current Verizon IndyCar Series driver Sebastien Bourdais was the winner of PIR’s last professional open-wheel event in 2007. Indy car racing had a rich 24-year tradition racing at PIR from 1984-2007 which included many memorable races. The Father’s Day race of 1986 featured Mario Andretti victorious over his son Michael on the last lap by less than a second. There was also the closest three-way road racing finish in Indy car history in 1997 when the top three were covered by just 0.055 of a second. The Grand Prix of Portland is owned and operated by Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which also promotes Honda Indy Toronto (July 13-15, 2018), The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (July 27-29, 2018) and Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (March 8-10, 2019).
For more information, visit portlandgp.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @PortlandGP or follow updates on Twitter @Portland_GP and Instagram at @Portland_GP using #PortlandGP.
Media Inquiries:
Steve Bidlack, Manager Marketing and Communications
419-884-4000 Ext. 4623 (office) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
