On April 18, Toyota returns to Long Beach, California for the 35th Annual Toyota Grand Prix. Amid all the weekend hoopla and product-positioning, the company will sponsor a celebrity race, pitting nearly two dozen stars (plus Raven-Symoné and Carlos Mencia) in a ten-lap, 19.7-mile throwdown.
To date, the list of participants includes Tyson Beckford, Adrien Brody, John Hamm, Keanu Reeves, Alex Trebek, Luke Wilson, and more, all of whom will drive race-ready Scion tCs. Since it's a charity event, Toyota will donate $5,000 on behalf of each celebrity racer to Racing for Kids, which supports children's hospitals in both Long Beach and Orange County, California. Toyota will contribute an additional $5,000 to any charity that the race winner chooses. And People magazine will dole out another $15,000--presumably to Racing for Kids, but we're not sure--on behalf of whomever wins the pole-position during the qualifying round on April 17th.
Even with Alex Trebek, this sounds like a really great event--though we think Toyota could make it even better by having competitors drive blindfolded while balancing an egg in a spoon. You know, kinda like on Battle of the Network Stars? That would be make for some must-see TV.
[sources: GPLB, MotorAuthority]
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