2022 Watkins Glen International - Sportscar Vintage Racing Association

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is the largest and one of the oldest Vintage racing organizations in the United States. The association has evolved since it was founded in 1978 by Ford Heacock III. It was originally called the Southeast Vintage Racing Association with a membership of approximately 25 drivers and supporters. Today, the organization host events for over 2,500 licensed competitors.

Race weekends are held throughout North America. The SVRA visits Sebring International Raceway, Road Atlanta, Charlotte Motor Speedway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Portland International Raceway, Utah Motorsports Campus, Circuit of the Americas, Road America, The Ridge Motorsports Park, Sonoma Raceway, Watkins Glen International, NOLA Motorsports Park, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Auto Club Speedway and Virginia International Raceway. But their best-subscribed event is at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

To accommodate the wide range of vehicles owned by members of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Assocation, there are twelve race groups.

Group 1 – is for small displacement production sports cars and sedans such as the Mini Cooper and MG Midget.
Group 2 – this group is for pre-1973 Formula cars conforming to the association’s classic formula car rules.
Group 3 - sports cars and sedans manufactured prior to 1972 compete in this class.
Group 4 – sports cars built before 1960, such as ‘specials’ and sports cars with a limited production run, participate in this group.
Group 5 – this category was created for small-bore World Sports Car Championship and prototypes that were raced between 1960 and 1972 but also includes Sports 2000 cars, Spec Racer Fords and World Sports Racers.
Group 6 – Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs and other selected big-bore production sports cars and sedans built up to and including 1972 are in Group 6.
Group 7 – this class accommodates a wide range of cars referred to as sports racers - World Championship of Makes sports cars on slicks, under 2 Liter sports cars as raced after 1972, Can Am cars as raced after 1967 and center-seat Can Am cars. Also, cars that competed in the Sports Car Club of America’s A and B Sports Racer classes are eligible.
Group 8 - Sports cars and sedans manufactured before 1979 are placed in this division.
Group 9 – this group is for the quickest open-wheel cars. It includes Indy Lights, Formula 1, Formula 5000, Formula Atlantic and Super Vees.
Group 10 – this is an exciting category that includes everything from NASCAR Cup and Busch Series stock cars to Trans-Am and production-based cars that raced from 1999 to 5 years from today’s date.
Group 11 – in this class are sports racer machinery that raced from 1981 to 5-years from today’s date. The cars are very quick and previously competed in GTP/Group C, American Le Mans Series, Professional Sports Car Racing, World Sports Car and Grand Am prototype classes.
Group 12 – this division accepts GT sports cars and sedans raced between 1973 and 5 years before today’s date. These are Production-based cars such as Motorola Cup or any other stock / prepared racing series.

Across these very different race groups, the objective is to provide – safe, fair and fun competition for drivers, crews and fans.

The fifteenth race weekend of the 2022 SVRA season was conducted at Watkins Glen International and called the Watkins Glen SpeedTour. The weekend included two races for each SVRA group, as well as International GT, Trans Am Historic, Trans Am, F5000 Drivers Association and the Governor's Cup Bugatti Races.

This 1964 Pontiac Tempest made its Trans Am debut in 1971 at Lime Rock Park and almost beat the factory teams. The car was built by GM suspension engineer Herb Adams and fellow engineers Tom Nell and Joe Brady. The Pontiac was originally Adams’ wife’s daily driver. The Tempest was raced by Bob Tullius, who started last at Lime Rock and was running in second place when the head gasket failed.

One of the seven Formula 5000 cars entered was the No. 12 Lola T-192 of Sebastian Coppola. The T-192 raced by Coppola was designed by Eric Broadley and is chassis number HU29. The car's original owner was Jack Eiteljorg, who drove the Lola for the first time in Seattle in 1971. He participated in several subsequent events. Coppola, the F5DA President, won Class A at Watkins Glen International.

As a treat, there were two races for Bugattis – the second was held in the rain. The models on hand were the T-22, T-35, T-37, T-51 and T-59. The most successful entry was the No. 32 Bugatti Type 51 driven by Canadian Brad Baker, who won both contests. The Type 51 appeared in 1931. The double overhead camshaft engine produced 160 horsepower. Approximately forty examples of the Type 51 and 51A were made.

The No. 7 Lola T-294 was an evolution of the T-290 and T-292 models. The car has an aluminum monocoque, with outboard disc brakes and independent suspension on the front and rear. The engine bay can accommodate motors from several different manufacturers. The most common choice was the 2.0-liter four-cylinder Cosworth FVC engine. At Watkins Glen, this car was driven by Jim Bouzaglou.

The No. 98A Shelby GT350 was driven by Gary Moore. Ford contracted Carroll Shelby to build a car that could be the competition to grow the Mustang's popularity. The goal was to make 100 Shelby GT350 Mustangs available for racing in the SCCA's B Production class. The cars were equipped with a high-performance 289-cu.in. engine producing 306 horsepower, a bigger radiator and 4-speed transmission.

The No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 was campaigned by Jerry Thompson in the 1970 Trans Am series with backing from Owens Corning Fiberglass. The car received many upgrades for competition, including Corvette J56 brakes and an L88 aluminum radiator. The Camaro also had a 12-bolt rear-end and a 302-cu.in. engine. At Watkins Glen, the Z28 was driven by Mike Joy, who finished second in class.

The Dallara IPS was used initially in the Firestone Indy Lights Championship. The open-wheel, single-seat racer has a ground-effect underbody and outboard wings front and rear. The monocoque chassis is constructed using carbon fiber and composites. The Dallara has a minimum weight of 1,430 pounds. The No. 2 was initially campaigned by Jeff Simmons and is now driven by Scott Dick.

Several series joined the SVRA at Watkins Glen International. One of them was the Formula 5000 Drivers Association (F5DA). There were three titles on the line – Class A (post-1971), Class B (pre-1972) and an overall champion. Securing the Class B and overall championship was F5DA Vice President Charles Parsons. He drove the ex-Brian Redman No. 1 Boraxo-sponsored Lola T-332.

The No. 91 1969 TVR Vixen S2 was piloted by Mark Brown. The TVR Vixen was a hand-built British sports car from 1967 to 1973. The fiberglass body is mounted on a tube frame chassis. The suspension is a double wishbone design on both the front and rear. Stopping the Vixen are disc brakes on the front and drum on the back. The car is powered by a 1599-cc Ford Kent engine used in the Ford Cortina GT.

Mitchell Eitel was one of the few drivers to brave the wet conditions on Sunday at Watkins Glen International. Eitel raced a 1975 Chevron B31. The B31 was designed by company principal Derek Bennett for the FIA Group 6 category. It competed in the European 2-Liter Championship and found a home in the Can-Am Series. Most of the B31 used the two-liter, four-cylinder Hart 420R engine.

The No. 10 Sun Trust Racing Riley MK XI was campaigned initially by Max Angelelli and team principal Wayne Taylor from 2004 to early 2008. The duo captured the 2005 Grand Am Daytona Prototype Championship. The Pontiac-powered car was penned by Bill Riley of Riley Technologies. During the SVRA event at Watkins Glen International, the Riley was driven by David Huber in Group 5a 7 11.

There were two Brabham BT-8s entered at Watkins Glen International. The No. 61A model was driven by Joe Blacker. 1959, 1960 and 1966 Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham was a successful driver and a constructor. There were twelve Braham BT-8s constructed from 1964 to 1966. The body was designed by Ron Tauranc. The BT-8 is powered by a four-cylinder 2.5-liter Coventry Climax engine.

This 1970 Dodge Challenger was raced initially by Sam Posey. Posey entered with the Trans AM series with primarily an open-wheel background. The Dodge chassis was built by Dan Gurney’s AARs and completed Autodynamics. The Challenger is powered by a destroked 340-cu.in. engine to meet the 5.0-liter displacement limit set by the series. The car was driven by Richard Goldsmith, who could not start the final race.

Doc Bundy drove the No. 124 1964 Lotus 23B in Group 1, 3, 4 and 5b. Bundy has a lengthy racing career beginning with Brumos Racing and then moving on to Holbert Racing, where he won the 1980 Sports Car Club of America National E Production Championship in a Porsche 924. After his amateur career, Bundy competed in various International Motor Sports Association categories and won the 1992 Supercar title.

Topping the 10SCD category on Saturday and Sunday was Joe Nemechek. Nemechek drove the No. 8B Toyota Camry. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving a Toyota Supra. Nemechek won the 1992 NASCAR Busch Championship and moved to the Cup series the following year. He earned the nickname ‘Front-Row Joe’ for his successful qualifying ability. Nemechek won four Cup races during his career.

Warren Agor acquired the No. 13 Chevrolet Camaro in 1972 from Marshall Robbins. 1973 was Agor’s best season as he collected several podiums, including wins at Sanair and Road America. Agor, an independent, formed his own team after working for Penske Racing. The Camaro was one of three ‘bodies in white’ delivered initially by General Motors to Jim Hall’s Chaparral Team. It is currently raced by Dennis Singleton.

The No. 70 Elva MK VI was driven by JoeyBojalad, who competed in Groups 1, 3, 4 and 5b. The Elva sports car and sports racer company was founded in 1955 by Frank Nichols. The early models were constructed using components from manufacturers such as Ford. The MK VI sports racer debuted at Brands Hatch in 1961, finishing second. The early models were powered by an 1100-cc Coventry Climax.

The Lola B2K/40 was one of the first cars constructed by Lola Cars International for the new LMP675 category. The B2K/40 shares some components with the B2K/10, which was designed to compete in LMP900 class. The B2K/40 was built to accommodate a Nissan 3.0-liter V6 engine. However, some teams used a Mazda Rotary and a turbocharged four-cylinder Ford. David Neidell raced the No. 56 Lola.

The No. 15 Ford Thunderbird was entered in the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series by Bud Moore Engineering and driven by Ricky Rudd. Moore opened his first shop in 1961, with the team winning in its debut. He became synonymous with racing Ford Motor products. 1n 1987, Rudd and Moore would collect victories at Atlanta and Delaware. At Watkins Glen International, the Thunderbird was driven by Carlus Gann.

The No. 14 Burien Lincoln Mercury-sponsored Mercury Cougar was built by Dave Tatum with support from Kar Kraft and Ford competition specialists such as Jack Roush, Lee Dykstra and Fran Hernandez. Tatum shared the car with Bill Pendleton. The 1967 Cougar was raced at Kent and Crows Landing. In the 1970s and 80s, the Mercury competed in SCCA events. Ike Keeler currently owns the car.

The No. 4 McKeeMk12C, driven by Paul Dudiak, was entered in the Formula 5000 Class B for cars produced before 1971. The McKee was constructed initially by Bob McKee for Nappi Racing in 1969. The Mk12C is equipped with a 5.0-liter engine and Hewland LG600 gearbox. The car was driven by Kurt Reinhold, who the Central Division Championship. The current owner, Dudiak, won this year's Class B title.

Australian Frank Matich was responsible for a line of Formula 5000 cars bearing his name. After a two-year absence at Watkins Glen International, Philip Lewis entered the No. 25 Matich A50. Matich built cars competed in the early 1970s Tasman Series and the American L&M Championship. Lewis suffered through a series of issues during practice and qualifying. However, he finished second in the Class B division.

Chevron racing cars was formed in 1965 by Derek Bennett, who was responsible for designing and building the vehicles. Bennett's 1971 Chevron B19 was a popular car based on the B16 model. The B19 was powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Cosworth FVC engine. It proved to be successful in the hands of drivers such as Niki Lauda and Brian Redman. The No. 33 B19 was driven by David Jacobs.

A healthy entry of International GT competitors was on hand at Watkins Glen International. The series offers three different championships – The Stuttgart Cup for Porsche Caymans, the Mission Foods Cup Trophy for Porsche GT3 Cup cars and the Maranello Cup, which includes the Ferrari 360, 430 and 458 Challenge cars. The overall winner of the second feature race was Tom Pank, who drove the No. 42 Porsche GT3 Cup.

The No. 2 AMC Javelin was built by Penske Racing as the American Motors (AMC) factory effort for the 1970 Trans Am Championship. Mark Donohue and Peter Revson were the team’s drivers, with Donohue finishing second in the final point standings. At the end of the season, the No. 2 Javelin was sold to Roy Woods Racing, who inherited the AMC sponsorship. The car is currently driven by Ken Epsman in the Historic Trans Am series.

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