The inaugural Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) United States Vintage Racing National Championship was held October 25-27, 2013 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The 20-turn, 3.4 mile road course welcomed over 500 entries to run in 12 groups and two enduros.
The facility itself was a big part of the story of the event. It opened last year, hosting the United States Grand Prix. Big, modern and impressive, it is designed to meet 21st century needs and the major requirements of Formula 1. The track itself is very technical with diverse curves and elevation changes that reward driving talent.
The SVRA U.S Vintage Racing Nationals was an equally impressive event. The quality of cars was very good and the diversity broad enough to fit any automotive taste. The prize for the winners was a Bell Helmet painted gold with black horizontal stripes. With the large number of participants, the track had to add two more paddock areas to the well-sized permanent one. An interesting peek into the world of Formula 1 was seeing part of the permanent paddock fenced off as construction was underway to build the hospitality structures for the F1 teams that will be there in a few weeks.
Perhaps the most interesting car at the event was Brian Blain’s 1911 National Indy. This centenarian vehicle actually participated in the first Indy 500 race. The car was a real crowd pleaser, and when pre-gridded it was surrounded by a large number of people just to watch it start. SVRA even posted a video of this scene.
Among other cars of interest included Paddins Dowling’s 1939 Maserati 4CL, two pre-war Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Prix cars, Jim Stranberg’s 1925 Bugatti Type 35, two Morgan 3-wheelers and Tom Malloy’s lovely 1935 Miller-Ford Indy car. For those with a taste for the more modern cars were the team Regogo Lotus 79; Randy Johnson’s Ford GT40; Cameron Healy’s Cooper Porsche “Pooper” and Porsche 908/3; Stephen Steers’ beautiful Echidna; John Furlow’s Kurtis 500KK; Christian Zugel’s 2006 Porsche RS Spyder; Craig Bennett’s 1974 Shadow DN4 Can-Am and many more.
The closest margin of victory was in group 7 where Lee Brahin in a Ralt beat Howard Katz in his Toj by 0.316 seconds. The fastest lap of the weekend was turned in by George Robinson in his 2007 Lola B07/18, averaging almost 103 mph.
The last race of the weekend encapsulates what it was all about. It was the group 5 race. The cars included a GT40, Chevron B16, Lola T70, Porsche 908/3, Genie Mk10, Brabham BT-8 and several Lotus 23s. Doc Bundy in a Lotus 23B started from pole and lead after lap one with Gray Gregory right on his tail in his Chevron B16. Cameron Healy started poorly in his Porsche 908/3, but after a few laps had used his car’s superior speed to work his way to the the lead and win. Bundy and Gregory continued their fight, now for second. Both gave everything they and their cars had. Bundy drifting through turn 18. Gregory tenaciously on his tail, but never able to make the pass. It was a great show. Meanwhile, Graham Adelman in a Lotus 23B finished lap one solidly in last place. He methodically worked his way through the field to finish a respectable 6th. When all is said and done, that is what the first SVRA U.S. Vintage Racing National Championship was all about.
Photographer David Ferguson documented SVRA’s debut United States Vintage Racing National Championship, offering the following picture gallery that highlights the strong field of entrants and the Circuit of the Americas road course. We split up David’s 220 pictures into two galleries. The first gallery starting below features our favorite images, all displayed in the full-width view of Sports Car Digest, while the second gallery and race winners can be found on the last page of the article and gives a comprehensive view of all the photographs.
SVRA US Vintage Racing National Championship 2013 – Featured Photo Gallery
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Group One Feature Race
1. Pat Ryan, 1967 Triumph Spitfire
2. Thomas Tuttle, 1972 MG Midget
3. Greg Wold, 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S
Group Two Feature Race
1. Derek Jones, 1970 Chevron B17
2. Travis Engen, 1970 Chevron B17B
3. Bobby Brown, 1971 Brabham BT-35
Group Three / Four Feature Race
1. Stephen Seers, 1958 Echidn Roadster
2. Denny Wilson, 1962 Lotus Super 7
3. Robert Bodin, 1957 Devin Ryan Special
Group Five Feature Race
1. Cameron Healy, 1970 Porsche 908/3
2. Doc Bundy, 1964 Lotus 23B
3. Gray Gregory, 1969 Chevron B16
Group Six Feature Race
1. Fritz Seidel, 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR IROC
2. Jody O’Donnell, 1969 Chevrolet Corvette
3. Mike Donohue, 1963 Chevrolet Corvette
Group Seven Feature Race
1. Lee Brahin, 1996 Ralt RT41 SR
2. Howard Katz, 1975 Toj 205C
3. Randy Johnson, 1975 Lola T296
Group Eight Feature Race
1. Todd Treffert, 1973 Porsche 911
2. Juan Lopez-Santini, 1969 Porsche 911S
3. Joe Huffaker, 1972 Jensen Healey
Group Nine Feature Race
1. Chris Bender, 1982 March 821 Formula 1
2. Doc Bundy, 1978 Lotus 79 Formula 1
3. Michel Gensini, 1991 Dallara F1 BMS-191
Group Ten Feature Race
1. Craig Bennett, 1974 Shadow DN4 Can-Am
2. Jim Stengel, 1972 McLaren M8F
3. Don Noe, 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass
Group Eleven Feature Race
1. George Robinson, 2007 Lola B0718
2. Christian Zugel, 2006 Porsche RS Spyder
3. Mark Brannon, 2000 Riley-Scott MkIIC
Group Formula Junior Feature Race
1. Art Hebert, 1963 Lola Mk5A
2. Robert Hoemke, 1962 Cooper T59
3. Ed Moore, 1962 Cooper T59
Group Pre-War Feature Race
1. Paddins Dowling, 1939 Maserati 4CL
2. Luca Maciucescu, 1957 Cooper T43
3. David Duthu, 1939/49 Talbot-Lago T26C Grand Prix
Keenan Motors Historic GT/GTP Enduro
1. Christian Zugel, 2006 Porsche RS Spyder
2. Joel Quadracci, 1997 Lola T97/20
3. Don Soenen, 1995 Ford Mustang TransAm
Keenan Motors Vintage/Classic Enduro
1. Gray Gregory, 1969 Chevron B16
2. Frank Beck, 1972 Porsche 914/6
3. Todd Treffert, 1973 Porsche 911
For complete results, visit SVRA.com.
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[Source: David Ferguson]
