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From the Archives | 1989 IMSA Nissan Grand Prix of Miami | The Original Miami Street Race!

Watch the original ESPN Speedworld broadcast of the 1989 IMSA Nissan Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Xtra. Racing on May 3rd of 1989, this GTP race had a 25 car grid. Two classes of cars raced, GTP, and GTP Lights. Including iconic cars such as the Nissan GTP ZX-T and the Porsche 962C. The overall win went to the No.83 Nissan GTP ZX-T driven by Geoff Brabham. The IMSA Grand Prix of Miami launched in 1983, when promoter Ralph Sanchez brought sports car racing to downtown Miami with a street course through Bayfront and Bicentennial Parks — IMSA’s first true street race. That 1983 race was ended early due to torrential rain and the entire area being flooded after 27 laps. Despite the race ending before it was 50% complete, Sanchez paid the full purse — including $50,000 for first to Al Holbert in his Chevrolet March GTP car. Through the ’80s and early ’90s, it became an early-season highlight of the IMSA GT Championship, with winners like Al Holbert, Geoff Brabham, and Juan Manuel Fangio II mastering one of the most ambitious street circuits of its time. In 1984, Derek Bell made a dramatic pass for the win at the end of the Biscayne Blvd main straight in the Löwenbräu Porsche 962 over Darren Brassfield in the Budweiser Chevrolet March GTP — a true battle of the beers. The event ultimately ended after 1993 as rising costs, downtown construction, and shifting event priorities made the large-scale street layout harder to sustain. Still, the IMSA Grand Prix of Miami helped the rise of North American street racing and cemented Miami as a landmark city in IMSA history — long before today’s Miami Grand Prix. #IMSA #autoracing #motorsport #sportscars #imsaclassic FOLLOW IMSA: International Motor Sports Association YouTube: @imsaofficial Facebook: @IMSA Instagram: @imsa_racing TikTok: @imsa_racing X/Twitter: @IMSA Download the Official IMSA App for real-time results, timing & scoring. IMSA.com - Sports car racing and radio coverage, schedules, results and stories.