1965 Alfa Romeo GTA driven by Jack Perkins late Sunday afternoon in turn two.

HMSA Spring Club Event (2012) – Recap & Photo Gallery

Report and photos by Dennis Gray

Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA) held its Spring Club Event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on March 17-18, 2012. The March club event featured approximately 50 historic race cars circling the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course in Monterey, California.

HMSA events feature historic production cars built through 1966 and purpose-built Formula, Sports Racing and IMSA cars built through 1984.According to the HMSA website, club event weekends are, “semi-competitive with nothing to be won except great experiences, plenty of track time and the camaraderie of fellow members.” Additionally, “Run groups are arranged by speed potential and age of the cars entered for a particular event. Although wheel-to-wheel racing is common, drivers are encouraged to respect the historic value of the machines.”

Similar to the 2011 event, the race weekend (and car count) was hampered by poor weather, with heavy, near hail-like rainy conditions on Saturday and Sunday. While upwards of 150 historic race cars were registered for the event, the near-monsoon conditions kept a fair amount of them on the trailers for the weekend.

Although the rainy conditions kept many cars on the sidelines for the 2012 HMSA Spring Club Event, several entrants did brave the weather. Notable entrants included the Costin-bodied Lister Jaguar of Erickson Shirley; Fred della Noce’s Alfa Romeo GTAm; Porsche 911 RSR IROC of Chip Connor; Nick Colonna’s Lister Chevrolet; the always-sideways Jaguar XK120 of Bill Rooklidge; plus an interesting selection of H-Modified entrants like Arthur Cook’s 1959 Deutsch Bonnet and the Nardi Crosley of Don Baldocchi.

HMSA Spring Club Event 2012 – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)

Joseph Rossi’s 1964 Porsche 356C in Saturday morning’s wet pits.
Bruce Revennaugh’s Lotus 18.
Prepping Erickson Shirley’s 1969 Costin Lister Chevrolet.
Arthur Cook’s rare 1959 Deutsch Bonnet.
Arthur Cook in his 1959 Deutsch Bonnet.
Jamie Cleary’s 1963 Triumph Herald.
Saturday morning, Arthur Cook’s 1959 Deutsch Bonnet.
Cook takes his Deutsch Bonnet through turn eleven in Saturday morning’s monsoon.
Robert Dustan’s 1959 Devin Renault Special.
Mark Sange in his wonderful, exotic BMW 750cc Avia Streamliner.
Paul Perry’s Saab 96.
Jamie Cleary’s 1963 Triumph Herald between ten and eleven.
Dennis Racine’s 1966 Mini Cooper S, Najeeb Khan’s 1966 Mini Cooper S lead out Group 2 Saturday morning.
Arthur Cook’s Lotus Eleven, Nick Colonna’s Lister Chevrolet, Bill Rooklidge’s Jaguar XK120, and driver coach Mark Hamilton Peters.
Bill Rooklidge in his XK120 Jaguar.
Erickson Shirley’s 1959 Costin Lister Chevrolet.
Dennis Racine’s 1966 Mini Cooper S between ten and eleven Saturday morning.
Njaeeb Khan in his 1966 Mini Cooper S.
John Breslow’s 1967 Mini Cooper S.
Arthur Cook’s Lotus Eleven in turn eleven Saturday monring.
Bill Rooklidge in his XK120 Jaguar in Saturday morning’s monsoon.
Erickson Shirley’s 1959 Costin Lister Chevrolet in eleven.
Dale Marcellini’s 1963 Autodynamics FV in eleven.
Elva Courier – not listed
Joseph Rossi – 1964 Porsche 356C
Bill Rooklidge drifts his XK120 Jaguar during Saturday morning’s monsoon.
Jaguar XK120

Danny Baker in his Lotus 27 Saturday morning.

John Delane – Brabham BT 18
John Delane – Brabham BT 18
Dean Meiling in his 1967 Brabham BT 21A.
John Delane in his Brabham BT 18 into eleven.
Chip Connor in his Porsche 911 RSR IROC.

David Swig.
David Alvarado’s 1968 Porsche 911T.
Fred Della Noce in his Alfa Romeo GTAm.
Lotus Elan 26R
David Swig drifts out of eleven in Saturday’s rain.

1959 Costin Lister Chevrolet – Erickson Shirley

Nick Colonna’s Lister Chevrolet
Don Baldocchi in his 1954 Nardi Crosley.
Crosley-Fiat Special

Paul Perry’s SAAB 96.

Nick Colonna’s Lister Chevrolet

Butch Gilbert in his Elva MK4T.
Danny Baker.
Bruce Revennaugh in his Lotus 18.
Bob Baker in his Lola Mk6.
Dalmo De Vasconcelos in his 1968 Brabham BT21C.
Jim Brown in his Lotus 20. That’s hail not rain.
Danny Baker just as the hail start to fall. Lotus 27.
David Alvarado’s 1968 Porsche 911T in Sunday’s hail storm.
David Swig in his 1964 Mercury Comet during one of Sunday morning’s hail storms.
H Modifieds put on a good show.
Henry Morrison in the Bunce Buck Renault Special in turn two Sunday afternoon.
Mark Sange in his 750cc BMW
Avia streamliner.
Najeeb Khan’s Mini Cooper S leads the Mini Cooper S of Julie Racine in turn two Sunday afternoon.
Jim Weissenborn’s 1959 MG in turn two Sunday afternoon.
Tom Morgan’s 1956 Morgan 4/4 leads the Mini Coopper S driven by John Breslow.
Steven Anderes in his Lotus Eleven Sunday afternoon.
Bruce Revennaugh in his Lotus 18.
Lorne Leibel in a 1964 Cobra. Turn two late Sunday afternoon.
Lorne Leibel in a 1964 Cobra. Turn two late Sunday afternoon.
Fords at play. Turn two Sunday afternoon.
David Swig in his 1964 Mercury Comet, turn two, Sunday afternoon.
John Burman’s 1967 Austin Mini Cooper in two Sunday afternoon.
David Swig in his 1964 Mercury Comet, turn two, Sunday afternoon.
Turn two, Dan Verstuyft in his 2001 Ford Taurus.
Bud Byrnes in his Elva Courier, turn two Sunday afternoon.
The early laps of Sunday’s afternoon race made for tight quarters. Steve Beck’s Ford T Bird outside Gilbert Hakim’s 911 Porsche through two.
Dalmo De Vasconcelos in his 1965 Lotus Elan.
Jeni Yeakel-Swanson in her 1964 Chevrolet Corvette into turn two Sunday afternoon.
Jeni Yeakel-Swanson in her 1964 Chevrolet Corvette leads the 1964 Mercury Comet driven by david Swig in turn two.
1965 Alfa Romeo GTA driven by Jack Perkins late Sunday afternoon in turn two.
Lara Andre’s Lotus 26R leads Dan Verstuyft’s 2001 Ford Taurus.
1964 Ford falcon driven by Jonathan Long in turn two, Sunday afernoon.
Steve Beck’s 1993 T Bird leans into turn two.
Gilbert Hakim’s 1967 Porsche 911 in turn two Sunday afternoon.

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