[h=2]PREVIEW: SVRA U.S Vintage Grand Prix at The Glen[/h]



Mark Dill (words & images)
The rich heritage and racing culture of the entire community of Watkins Glen will be hitting on all cylinders when the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) brings its show to town this weekend for the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix presented by Jaguar. America's premiere vintage racing series is working in collaboration with community leaders staging their annual Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival. The result is a long weekend celebration that extends beyond Watkins Glen International raceway to ignite the entire town in a high-octane buzz.
"What we have is a wonderful three-way collaboration between the community, the track and the SVRA," says Marianne Shoemaker who is the festival chairwoman as well as director of guest and special services at Watkins Glen International. "You don't have many festivals presented on Fridays, but this really is a holiday for Watkins Glen and a great way to kick off a weekend of racing at the track."
Among the many features of the festival will be a Concours d'Elegance that was first presented in 1948 as well as inductions into the Walk of Fame on Franklin Street and tours of the original 6.6-mile public roads race course by vintage and historic cars. The festival's crescendo event is the Grand Prix Tribute Tour featuring select SVRA vintage racers. For most of the day vintage cars from both the SVRA and other invited private owners will be parked along the main drag of Watkins Glen. Corvette is the featured marque of the weekend. A hugely popular street festival underscores the authentic car culture so evident even on ordinary days in the village atmosphere.
The Walk of Fame is testimony to that vibe. The names listed there go on and on: Jim Clark, Dan Gurney, Stirling Moss, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Parnelli Jones and dozens more of tremendous stature. This weekend Roberto Guerrero and Davy Jones (pictured) will headline the new inductees. Jones is the grand marshal for the SVRA race meet and Guerrero will serve in the same capacity at the festival. In that role Roberto will give the command to start engines and wave the green flag for the Grand Prix Tribute Tour.
"I am a little surprised and a whole lot humbled to have my name added to a list of such amazing champions," Guerrero said on Wednesday from Chicago en route to New York. "These SVRA events bring back so many memories too. I see people I remember, people that care for the sport and love it the way I do. All of that makes this honor so meaningful."
Drivers and personalities competing in the SVRA races this weekend are further evidence of the event's importance and the significance of The Glen in history. Among the numerous headliner names driving is Lyn St. James (pictured), who was inducted into the Walk of Fame in 2009.
"This place has such huge history and such an emotional connection for me personally I just feel like this is where I should be," says St. James.
Lyn made history 31 years ago at The Glen when she became the first woman to score a solo victory in a major sportscar endurance competition at the IMSA GTO Serengeti Drivers New York 500.
Her 1985 success will be commemorated as part of the weekend's festivities. She will be sharing driving duties in Group 9 with one the SVRA's top drivers, Bruce Hamilton, in his 2008 Dallara-Infiniti Indy Lights racer.
TV personalities Lauren Fix (the Car Coach) and Peter Klutt (Legendary Motor Car) have also filed entries. Fix is returning with her 2000 Jaguar XKE (pictured) for Group 10 and Klutt is a Group 6 favorite in his familiar 1969 Corvette – the same car he shared with Al Unser Jr. in their impressive victory at the first Brickyard Invitational Indy Legends Pro-Am. Andre Ahrle, who won this year's Indy Legends Pro-Am with co-driver Robby Unser, will be on hand with his Legendary Motor Car-prepared 1965 Cobra.
Appropriately enough, the Historic Trans Am drivers will ladle on more genuine history when they join the SVRA for the fourth time this season. These cars are from the glory days of Trans Am, 1966 though 1972. They are held to the most rigid standards of authenticity. Many of the machines were driven by genuine legends of the sport such as Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Mark Donohue, Peter Revson, George Follmer and Swede Savage.
NASCAR television announcer Mike Joy will be part of a strong field of 31 Historic Trans Am cars. Among the leaders of the series are Vic Edelbrock, Ken Epsman and Bill Ockerlund.
A major feature race of the weekend will be the Collier Cup race for MGs. The SVRA has now conducted this special contest since 1985. It is homage again to history, recognizing the contributions of sports car racing pioneers, the Collier Brothers: Barron, Miles and Sam. They established America's first MG import business in 1936 and founded ARCA. After the passing of Sam and Miles, the SCCA established the "Collier Brothers Memorial Trophy" race for their beloved MGs in 1954. The Collier Cup is a revival of that history.
One of the Collier Cup favorites this year has to be Dave Nicholas, who helped BMW win an IMSA Camel GT touring class championship in 1973. Nicholas has reeled off ten vintage Group 1 race wins in his "Honeybee" MGA (pictured) since returning to competitive driving in 2013 after a 21-year absence.
Event sponsor Jaguar is back on track with their state-of-the-art F-Type sports cars. Davy Jones and Guerrero will lead a team of performance drivers to greet the company's customers. They treat them to hot laps and give them a turn behind the wheel with one-on-one coaching. In one of the more amazing arrive-and-drive opportunities anywhere, any fan who is a licensed driver with closed-toe shoes can get behind the wheel and feel F-Type performance on an autocross course of Jones' design. Again, the champion drivers will provide coaching.
"This is absolutely one of our marquee events of the season," says SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. "We are so proud to be a part of an event that is such a perfect fit for this community. This is a tremendously historic track and everyone in Watkins Glen gets behind it one hundred and ten percent. We have one of the largest fields of cars in years with over 450 entries, and all are top quality. This is powerful."