by Chris Mulvihill - 09/27/2021
The last racing event of the 2021 season at historic Road America was greeted with a beautiful sunny 80-degree weekend. There were over 320 entrants broken into 10 racing groups. The entrants originated from 30 states which provided a diverse field. For the 13th year in a row ‘Cup Races’ was also featured. These races allow the cars to be placed on the starting grid based solely on qualifying time, not your racing class. This is a nod to the original Cup Races held from 1950-1952 on the public roads of Elkhart Lake, WI. It also provided some interesting racing as cars that usually do not race against each other are competing to the win.
Ed Russ of Lake Forest, IL gets ready to head out in his ’53 MG TD/C Mark II-Racing Group 1-for an early Saturday morning practice session.
Originally raced in the Pacific Northwest in ’74-’75, this 1974 Datsun 510 has been sitting in a warehouse since the early 2000s. New owner Bob Clucas of Atascadero, CA has brought it back to its’ racing roots.
This year’s honored guest was car designer and entrepreneur Peter Brock. Starting as a car designer for GM in the late 1950’s, he was very influential in the 1963 Corvette design. Hired away from GM by Carroll Shelby in the early 1960s to run the ’Carroll Shelby School of High-Performance Driving,’ Peter’s other skills were quickly put to use in the design of the Mustang GT350 and the Daytona Cobra Coupe. After Leaving Shelby American, Brock founded BRE (Brock Racing Enterprises) and very successfully raced the Datsun 510 Coupe on the track as well as modifying other Datsun vehicles for Baja, Mexico races. Today Peter manufactures his Aerovault car trailer in NV and enjoys attending vintage car events.
Coming out of turn 8 the right front tire lifts as Robert Cowen of Mequon, WI accelerates his ’72 Alfa Romeo GTV.
After the racing on Saturday, many folks attended the “Gathering on the Green” Concourse held on the grounds of the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. With over 140 cars on display, this free-to-the-public event is a fantastic way to end a day of vintage racing. The quality and variety of the cars is impressive with something for every taste.
Honoree Peter Brock autographs the nose of a Shelby Cobra Cobra 427 at the Gathering on the Green Concourse at The Osthoff Resort.
The vintage festival is always a great way to end the racing season. There were many more spectators as well as entrants this year and hopefully this is a good sign vintage racing is back to ‘normal.’ The great weather, wide variety of racing, and smell of grilled brats made this racing weekend one for the record books.
About the author: Chris Mulvihill is the owner of Classic Car Advisors which offer a number of services to owners of classic cars from inspections and evaluations to locating collectors and car assisting with Concourse d'Elegance placement.
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