SVRA: Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival rewind

Tuesday, 07 June 2016

Mark Dill / Images by Mike Doran & Mark Dill
To describe the plethora of historic and authentically prepared racecars at this past weekend’s SVRA Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival as impressive is like saying Muhammad Ali could box. In reality, this weekend’s show was overwhelming.


Let’s start by dropping a few hall of fame names: Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Fred Lorenzen, Donnie Allison, Denny Hulme, Tazio Nuvolari, Neil Bonnett, Jackie Oliver, George Follmer, Eliott Forbes-Robinson, Lyn St. James, Darrell Derringer, Sam Posey, Peter Gregg, Swede Savage, and Jerry Grant are some of the drivers who once raced cars that were driven in anger this weekend. Even Charlie Merz’s National from the first Indianapolis 500 was stretching its legs.

Enzo Ferrari’s name was also frequently invoked. That was not just because some of the most magnificent examples of machines that were produced during his time at the helm of his company were here – including Tom Price’s stunning 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. It was also because some of the other cars near the top of the list of those deemed most precious were also on hand, such as several 1930s Alfa Romeos boasting the Scuderia Ferrari shield from Enzo’s days as a race team owner. Before he launched his car company he managed the Alfa Romeo factory race team effort.


The paddock was so laden with awesome history you could trip over it. Photographs, videos and words don’t do it justice – you had to be there to comprehend the scale. Not only were there cars of the legends, but also machines that had garnered some of racing’s highest accolades, such as victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Daytona 500, the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio. Others had won championships such as Can-Am and Trans Am or raced the 24-hour grinds of Le Mans and Daytona.
The reality is that more cars had a story than those that did not, such as the delightful surprise of coming across Phil Ribbs and his Team Lotus 1963 Formula Junior championship-winning entry. Then there was John Hildebrand, the father to Indianapolis 500 driver J.R. Hildebrand, who ended up one of the feature race winners of the weekend by taking first place overall in Group 12.
This isn’t just car country, this is collector car country – and that includes racing machines. SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella seized the opportunity to trumpet his Gold Medallion program to certify cars maintained to rigid standards of authenticity to their glory days. He was warmly embraced, collecting some 200 new requests for application to the certification. Aside from the Formula Fords, all the other run groups totaling nearly 300 cars this weekend were Gold Medallion certified or deemed candidates for that distinction. There was just no way to account for every great car – or even most of them. It was simply overwhelming.

 

SVRA: Historic Gold Medallion Weekend at Sonoma Monday, 06 June 2016

Mark Dill / Images by Mike Doran & Mark Dill

This past weekend's SVRA Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival was clearly the best venue of the 16-event series to talk about the burgeoning Gold Medallion program. The point of this SVRA certification is to recognize owners who have painstakingly preserved significant racecars to original condition and specifications. Such appreciation for history and authenticity is simply the culture and character of the Northern California car community.
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The reverence for the history of the cars these people possess is palpable. Many describe themselves as caretakers, not owners. For most of them the seriousness of the matter is understandable when you consider the market value of more than a few of the cars at Sonoma is not just millions of dollars, but tens of millions. You won't find an owner willing to talk specifics unless you are serious about negotiating in a private room.
Throughout the paddock are machines once driven by champions and massive talents such as Denny Hulme, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Fred Lorenzen and, well, the list goes on and on. Mentioning those names underscores the history, but the Gold Medallion program is more about the authentic preparation and maintenance of the machines. Once certified, the car's owner, or "caretaker," if they prefer, is issued a logbook. Here they record the history of ownership and details of construction. This includes such details as the serial number and events participated in as well as any tech inspector comments.
Modifications allowed to the cars are those done during their original lives as state-of-the-art racers. For example, a car built in the early 1930's might have been developed in the period with upgrades to hydraulic brakes from a previous generation set-up relying on cables. The owner is required to state to what point in time the car is restored. Performance modifications beyond that point are not allowed. To retain certification the owner must maintain the car to the specifications it had when certified - swapping set-ups for different events is not permitted.
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Tom Price topping 110mph in his 1932 Alfa Romeo 8c 2300.


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SVRA Gold Medallion classes are wholly different than the standard SVRA groups of vintage machines. This is one of the distinctions between cars that are of a certain vintage versus truly historic machines with records of accomplishment and faithful restoration. The SVRA has extensive regulations and application forms for the certification on their website and, for starters, requires membership as the first and most basic step for consideration.
While rules are stringent, there is some measure of latitude with respect to engines. They must at least closely resemble the original specs and performance of their racing days. Production car horsepower must be approximately within 20 percent of what was available when the car was produced. Modern upgrades such as titanium valves and rods are strictly prohibited. While the cockpit and interior of the car must remain period correct, gauges, switches and instruments can be added or exchanged. Wheels, too, are allowed a modicum of latitude but are still expected to be of the same type and size as used in the original era. A maximum increase of one half inch in rim width is permitted. Hard tire compounds are specified in the regulations.
The exterior of the car must be period correct. That means it's a no go on tribute cars as well as modern sponsorship decals. There is latitude on the removal of some features such as windshields and bumpers. Interest in the program was clearly evident among owners with significant cars in the Sonoma paddock. SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella reported that by Saturday afternoon he had received 150 new applications.
One such owner is Jimmy Franzone, who drives the 1965 Holman & Moody Ford Fred Lorenzen piloted to victory in that year's Daytona 500. His car is so revered NASCAR called on him to provide it to Lorenzen's Hall of Fame induction in 2015 and it stayed in their museum throughout last year. Franzone drove the car this weekend at Sonoma and plans to apply for a Gold Medallion.

 

SVRA: Choice Pre-War cars impress at Sonoma

Saturday, 04 June 2016

Mark Dill (words & images)
The recurrent theme at this weekend's Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival is its position as the SVRA series' largest gathering of historically authentic and significant racecars on their 16-race schedule. SVRA officials are intent on expanding what they call their "Gold Medallion" category. These cars are authentically restored, maintained and held to the highest standards for doing so. There is no better example of that than the event's Pre-War field where the paddock scuttlebutt places the collective value of the cars assembled as something north of $40 million.

Others dispute that number to say it significantly understates the value – but you won't find an owner who will talk specifics about his or her car. In this world everyone plays their cards close to the vest. That's because there are literally millions of dollars at stake in terms of property value.
"This area of the country has a tremendous concentration of collector cars," says Peter Giddings, who is running his 1932 Alfa Romeo Monza Grand Prix car this weekend. "Racecars are no exception. There are a great number of remarkable examples here."
Click on the thumbnails below for larger images.


Sandy Greene guns his 1925 Bugatti T35 down the straightaway at Sonoma during Friday practice.

One incredibly historic racecar is a 1934 Alfa Romeo Tipo B. Driver Erickson Shirley (his father, Jon, is the owner) offers extensive documentation to prove it is the car Italian legend Tazio Nuvolari drove to victory in his most famous Grand Prix accomplishment of a career that spanned three decades of big-time achievements. The race was the 1935 German GP, held amid Adolf Hitler's relentless aggression in Europe. Hitler poured a lot of his country's wealth into building the prowess of the Mercedes and Auto Union teams. The result was the legendary Silver Arrows racecars – easily the most advanced engineering of the era.
The 1935 race was at Germany's Nurburgring road course that was 14.2 miles with 174 turns at the time. An unexpected equalizer developed when rain soaked the track resulting in conditions that put a premium on driving talent. The race was chock full of challenges in general and for Nuvolari in particular but he prevailed to lead eight Silver Arrows at the finish (left, LAT archive photo). Historians rank the epic contest as one of the most dramatic upsets in all of motorsport – even to this day. Certainly for Hitler, losing his home country GP was massively disappointing. For those he blamed it may well have been much worse.
While Shirley is adamant about the car's history, he is equally enthusiastic about the experience he has driving it. He wrestles with the distinction between an historic racecar and a museum machine that may only rarely see a parade lap.
"This car is raced regularly and that means it must be maintained. There is a philosophy about what you replace on the racecar and stay true to its character and identity. It's important to preserve what it is, but still appreciate that it is a racecar and not a museum car," Shirley says. "If I take this car to Goodwood, for example, and it's raining, well, I have to think hard about the risk of damaging it. While I enjoy racing it and believe it should be raced, I have to weigh that against its value in high risk situations."
Shirley respects that he sits in a seat once occupied by the maestro, Nuvolari. At the same time, he simply relishes the pleasure of driving an amazing racecar at high speed. It's a sensory experience. He has touched speeds as high as 165mph on straights.
"When I talk to race drivers about driving a car, it's not so much about its history. They're like kids because they get excited about what it feels like. That's what I love about racers, their enthusiasm," Shirley continues. "Otherwise it's like describing a recipe but not letting someone eat the food."
Sharing paddock space with Shirley is fellow Alfa Romeo owner/driver Greg Whitten with his 1932 P3. Whitten reports that this machine not only won the 1934 Monaco Grand Prix with driver Guy Moll but also the 1935 Mille Miglia after undergoing a reconfiguration to touring car. It may be the only car ever to earn such a distinction. Whitten presents it in the configuration of the Mille Miglia winner.

 

[h=2]SVRA: Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival preview[/h] Thursday, 02 June 2016


Mark Dill (words and images)
This weekend's SportsCar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) Historic Motorsports Festival at Sonoma is labeled a "Gold Medallion" event for good reason. The designation is about rigid standards of authenticity for the restoration and maintenance of historic racecars and this region of the country boasts one of the greatest concentrations of such vehicles in America. The theme of the weekend is a tribute to the classic days of both Trans Am and Can Am.
The event grand marshal, appropriately enough, is George Follmer, the only driver to win the championship of both series in a single season. He "did the double" on the crowns in 1972, driving Roger Penske's Porsche 917/10 in Can Am and the AMC Javelin factory team led by Roy Woods for Trans Am.
Follmer, who won a second Trans Am title in 1976, will lead a weekend featuring the return of the Historic Trans Am organization full of car owners who celebrate the classic era of the sport from 1966 through 1972. They race several times each year with SVRA and last appeared at the March Sebring event where Follmer also attended.
The Historic Trans Am are the actual cars once driven by the legends of that era – Parnelli Jones, Mark Donohue, Dan Gurney, Swede Savage, Peter Gregg, Sam Posey and Peter Revson, plus Follmer himself. All the cars once raced in those early days. Those with greatest history have estimated values exceeding $1.5 million. While the group's members have a strict code about not banging into things or each other, make no mistake – they get up on the wheel.
Further evidence of the incredible machinery celebrated in the region is a pre-war field of 21 entries literally worth, collectively, over $40 million. Four 1930s grand prix Alfa Romeos head the list. Italian great Tazio Nuvolari raced one of the Alfas in the most remarkable drive of his career, the rainy 1935 German Grand Prix where he toppled the juggernaut home country Mercedes and Auto Union teams. It's a diverse field with the famous "Remus" ERA, an Indianapolis-built National from the first Indianapolis 500, a Bugatti T35, a Lagonda LG45 and a 1932 Miller-Scofield/Ford Champ Car among others joining the gathering. All will be at speed.
Some 280 of 300 entries across 12 of the 13 run groups for the weekend fit the Gold Medallion criteria for authenticity and care. Only the Formula Fords of Group 8 are outside the elite designation.
"Sonoma is in the heart of a region of the country where people understand the distinction between historic racecars and vintage racecars," SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella said. "The Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival can grow into the SVRA's premiere Gold Medallion event. A Gold Medallion weekend is where we showcase extremely valuable cars with no aftermarket alterations and especially highlight those with real history."
All the racers will charge around Sonoma's 12-turn, 2.5-mile road course. The layout, with its elevation changes and fast, sweeping turns, provides a spectacular hunting ground for photographers. Can Am Lolas, McLarens, Shadows and Porsches will be in the mix along with names exotic and familiar, such as Huffaker, Elva, Lotus, Brabham, Aston Martin, Merlyn, MG and Zink.
Series sponsor Jaguar is back with the SVRA again at Sonoma and provides one of the best deals for fans found at any racetrack – the offer to drive a supercar free of charge. In this case it is the Jaguar F-Type, the latest in performance engineering from a company with a deep, rich history in sportscar racing, including seven overall victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans dating back to 1951.
Davy Jones, who won at Le Mans in 1996, heads up Jaguar's team of professional drivers who coach customers and guests in the art of driving. Anyone with a valid driver's license can get behind the wheel of one of the impressive F-Types and get a feel for its capabilities on an autocross course Jones and his team put together.
The local community gets their chance to show off their finest wheels with another of the SVRA's "Shine & Show" cars shows on Saturday. That same evening the SVRA racers and crews will venture into the wine country town of Sonoma to do a lap around the town square and then park in the Plaza to display. That should be an attention-grabbing stunt even in a community steeped in collector car culture and with some of the finest examples in the world.

 

SVRA Peter Klutt


SVRA: Peter Klutt, Force from the North

Saturday, 25 June 2016


Mark Dill (words and images)
Peter Klutt, one of the clear favorites in Group 6 this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix, would be a terrific example of the classic self-made man living the "American Dream" except for one thing. This self-made man and ultimate "car guy" is Canadian. Klutt is one of those ultra-confident risk-takers who got in touch with his passion at an early age and never let go. The result is that he now owns one of the most respected vintage car restoration businesses you can find anywhere – Legendary Motor Car – as well as hosting a TV show on the Velocity Network by the same name.
Klutt's cars are winners. His garage prepared Andre Ahrle's 1965 Cobra that won last weekend's "Indy Legends" Pro-Am at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Brickyard Invitational – and finished on the podium in yesterday's Shelby American feature race. Klutt restores cars with a dedication to authenticity with one exception: safety. The biggest danger in vintage racing is that the cars lack today's safety technology.
"We restore and build cars to be as safe as can be," Klutt shares. "We build in safety with modern racing seats and harness for back and neck support as well as fuel cells and side impact protection. They will never be modern racecars and they shouldn't be, but we do everything we can to protect our drivers."
Klutt got his start with car restoration at just 15 years of age. At the time it wasn't so much about cars as making money.
"I bought a car, restored it and sold it," Klutt recalls. "It was a lot more lucrative than being a newspaper boy. But I quickly realized that I also enjoyed it. I wanted to keep doing more so I began buying and selling cars."
After graduating from Canada's University of Guelph in 1985 Klutt started a car restoration business operating out of a "car and a half" garage. The Toronto native soon expanded to a larger, 2,000 square foot space and a year later hired his first employee, Chris Simon, who still works for him.
Peter sees himself first and foremost as a "car guy," and then a racer. He did not even go to a racetrack until 1995 and that was a trip to Watkins Glen. He took a hot lap with a Cobra driver and was hooked. From there Klutt purchased a 1966 Shelby Hertz Mustang and set off for vintage racing. After a stint in driver's school his first event was at Mosport in 1995. He won – and did it in the rain.
"Honestly, I think I was just too stupid to know it was dangerous," Klutt quips. "Seriously, though, I think education is very important. I continue to go to driver's schools to this day, especially with Bob Bondurant and Ron Fellows."
He doesn't flaunt it, but the fact of the matter is that Peter Klutt is an outstanding vintage racer. He has fond memories of winning at The Glen in 1996 and winning the Group 6 national championship at COTA in 2014. His biggest moment in vintage racing, understandably, was winning the first "Indy Legends" Charity Pro-Am with co-driver Al Unser Jr. at the inaugural SVRA Brickyard Invitational in 2014.
"To do that with Al Jr. was huge," Klutt says. "Al is first-class. He's fabulous, he's fast but he is also very easy on equipment. Winning with him was definitely the highlight of my vintage racing."
If you detect a slight qualification in that statement it's because Klutt's fondest motorsports memories concern the success of his two sons, Gary and Ryan. Peter actually put his vintage racing on hold from 1999 until 2008 in order to guide his boys in racing karts – and race alongside them. His sons were good – very good – and the memory that ranks number one in Dad's mind is when Gary won the senior national championship and, on the same day, Ryan, one year younger, won the national championship for the junior division.
A dedicated father married to the same woman for 31 years, Klutt strikes a balance between his own racing and the burgeoning racing careers of his sons. Gary is most active as a regular competitor in the 12-race Pinty's NASCAR series presented at various tracks around Canada. Peter regularly spots for him. Gary picked off his first win in May 2015 and last month was named as one of 11 participants in the 2016-2017 "NASCAR Next" program, which is designed to raise the profile of young drivers among fans. They are drivers seen by series officials as most likely to graduate to the ranks of the Sprint Cup series. Gary and the other 10 drivers were selected through an evaluation process that included input from industry executives, Sprint Cup drivers and the media.
The recognition is clearly encouraging, but Peter knows the reality of the sport and wants his son to understand the challenge before him. It's not just about talent.
"I tell him, unfortunately, it's probably more important to learn how to attract sponsorship than to learn how to drive," Klutt says. "We are looking to move him into the truck series as a logical next step in learning and proving himself. Still, just to test for a day you are looking writing checks of tens of thousands of dollars."
The challenges of motorsports can be daunting. Then, again, there are those memories that are so rewarding, like in 2014 when Peter and his sons all raced together in the Canadian NASCAR series at Mosport. They want to do it again as soon as possible. For a car guy who discovered his passion as a teenager and leveraged it to not just an impressive career but also a tremendously enjoyable lifestyle, there is every reason to bet that Peter and his sons will find a way to reach whatever goals they set for themselves.

 

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