Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) presented the 2016 Daytona Historics at the 3.57-mile Daytona International Speedway road course on November 10-13. Slightly over 100 cars entered the event. The TransAm series was also at the speedway, as nearly 60 cars showed up for their season-ending races.
The weather was close to perfect. There were five racing groups for the seven classes, plus the Bob Woodman Tires International/American Challenge, two night enduros and two one-hour enduros.
There were several dominant performances at the 2016 HSR Daytona Historics. Toni Seiler came from Switzerland with his 1969 Lola T70 and won both feature races and both enduros. That Daytona is the site of the Lola T70’s only major triumph made Seiler’s wins more special. Sean Brown and his very quick 1975 Ford Escort won both feature races in Group Two and Three. The Reismans did likewise in Group six with their Corvette-powered Coyote Daytona Prototype.
Niek Hommersom was blindingly fast in his Maserati MC12 GT, lapping over four seconds faster than anyone else in Group Eight and Nine, but the Maserati was a non starter for the heat races. Perennial Group Ten winner Juan Lopez-Santini hadn’t raced since the Mitty at Road Atlanta this April, but he picked up where he left off, winning a feature race and two enduros. Transmission problems kept him from starting the other feature and the Global GT Series race.
Interesting cars included two Lola T70s, a lovely Ginetta GR4, an interesting and very fast Ford Falcon-bodied car, Hammerson’s Maserati MC12 GT, a Buick-powered Alba GTP and Porsche 906 and Ford GT40 replicas. But the most interesting car there had to be Robert Rawe’s 1963 Aston Martin DP214 replica. There were only two of these prototypes built in period, with one destroyed after a fatal accident. Rawe painstakingly built his replica at a cost of over one million dollars and it’s a stunning piece of machinery.
And of course, there is the Daytona International Speedway itself. It’s big, fast, loud and full of history. The weather is usually good this time of year. It’s not the prettiest place, nor is the course particularly challenging, but the Speedway has a special air about itself that is unique in the racing world.
2016 HSR Daytona Historics – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)
Juan Lopez-Santini, 08 Porsche 997 Cup, braking hard.
Richard Carlino, 96 Riley & Scott Mk lll
Don Ondrejcak, 07 Porsche 997 Cup racing under the lights.
Eric Cote, 12 Ford Boss 302R
Richard Carlino, 96 Riley & Scott Mk lll
Brad Blum, 06 Porsche 997 Cup
To the victors go the spoils.
Brian and Brenda Johnson enjoying his win.
A temple to speed.
Legs, legs and more legs.
A busy garage.
Ted Giovanis/Guy Cosmo, 16 Porsche Cayman GT4/CS
Pre-grid at Daytona
Aristotle Balogh, Porsche Cayman, and Don Ondrejcak, Porsche 997 Cup dueling on the front straight.
Jonathon Ziegelman, 08 Porsche 997 Cup
Donnie Gould, 92 Ford Thunderbird
Ray Snowdon, 92 Olds Aurora GTS
Juan Lopez-Santini, 08 Porsche 997 Cup
Paul/John Reisman, 09 Porsche 997 Cup
Niek Hommerson, 04 Maserati MC12 GT1
Pit stops
Niek Hommerson, 04 Maserati MC12 GT1
Arthur Valentine, 04 Panoz GTS
John/Paul Reisman, 10 Coyote/Corvette DP
Richard Carlino, 96 Riley & Scott Mk lll
Butch Leitzinger, 09 Oreca FLM09
Eric Curran, 09 Coyote/Corvette DP and Butch Leitzinger, 09 Oreca FLM09 racing to turn one.
Ross Thompson, 09 Oreca FLM09
Richard Stuart Milne, 73 Porsche RSR
Mike Moss, 69 Lola T70 Mklllb
Chip Chesbro, 97 BMW E36/M3
Georg Nolte, 66 Ford GT40
Richard Stuart Milne, 73 Porsche RSR
Todd Treffert, Porsche 911 and Georg Nolte, Ford GT40 racing through turn 4.
Georg Nolte’s GT40 showing some battle damage.
Stefano Rosina, 86 Buick/Alba GTP.
Richard Carlino, 96 Riley & Scott Mk lllday6
Stefano Rosina, 86 Buick Alba GTP
Robert Rawe, 63 Aston Martin DP214
Mark Ashworth, 73 MGB
John Hasty, 59 Triumph TR3A
Guy Laporte/Marie Gagne, 86 Porsche 944
Helen Elstrop, 67 Alfa Romeo GT jr.
Damon DeSantis/Bob Bechtol, 66 BMW 2000CS
Craig Conway, 69 Alfa Romeo Spider
Shea Brown having fun in his 74 Fiat 128.
Helen Elstrop, 67 Alfa Romeo GT Jr.
Bob Owen, 73 MG Midget
Brenda Johnson, 70 Porsche 914/6 and the DeSantis/Bechtol BMW 2000CS race side by side coming out of turn 3.
Roger Cassin, 64 Elva Mk VIIs-BMW
Ceasar Cone,67 Alfa Romeo Duetto
Dean Desantis / Colin Elstrop, 76 BMW 2002
Helen Elstrop, 67 Alfa Romeo GT Jr.
Bob Owens, 73 MG Midget
Tommy Archer’s brightly colored Trans Am Camaro exits turn 3.
Shane Lewis in a Chevy Camaro won the Trans Am 2 race.
