Chris Mulvihill
by Chris Mulvihill – 09/23/2022
The last days of summer produced sunny warm days for the 37th running of the Art on Wheels Vintage Weekend featuring the VSCDA (Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association). Over 300 cars from 26 states were broken into 11 racing classes for 1 full day of practice and 2 days of spirited racing. Spectator attendance was strong and there never was an issue getting an up-close view of the race cars in the open access pit areas.
Evan Hoobchaak of Barrington, IL zooms out of Turn 14 in his 1974 Morris Mini 100.
This year’s event honored the women of motorsports. Famous race driver Lyn St James with up-and-coming drivers Victoria Thomas, Sabre Cook, and others were on hand Friday afternoon to sign autographs. On Saturday after the lunch break, there was a ‘Race with Women in Motorsports’ featuring women drivers piloting race cars from Group 2 (vintage production 50’s to ’63) thru Group 10 (Formula Vee).
This 1965 Dodge Dart heads into turn 1 at speed. Running in Group 6-AS (American Sedan) driver Gary Davis of Minnetonka, MN pushed it to the limit.
For the general public who registered, late afternoon Saturday featured the Road Course Re-enactment Tour of the original Elkhart Lake race course. This was a police-escorted tour of the original (1950-1952) road race course which winds through the town of Elkhart Lake, WI. A few years ago I participated in this event driving my Shelby Mustang GT. It was hard to imagine how difficult it must have been in the early 1950s for race car drivers to navigate these public roads at speed.
Accelerating out of Turn 8, this 2005 Audi R8 was a 5-time 24 Hour of LeMans podium finisher. Driver Travis Engen of Weston, CT competed in Group 9 (Closed wheel competition modern production-post 1972).
The day concluded with a Concourse d’Elegance held in the Fan Walk Area, located just West of the track finish line. The event featured a wide variety of cars from the Brass Era through the early 2000s. As always, Road America provided an environment where one will have a most enjoyable day. It is hard to beat the variety of race cars/racing groups, fan-friendly access to the paddock area, hot grilled brats, and 640 beautiful WI acres steeped in racing history.
I’m already looking forward to the first Road America vintage race in May 2023.
Chris Mulvihill founded Classiccaradvisors.com in 2007. His passion for cars began as a young boy walking the service area of his grandfather’s Oldsmobile dealership. After graduating from Indiana University, his automobile knowledge expanded to the factory side as a Ford Motor Company Field Manager based in Los Angeles. During his time on the West Coast, he began attending vintage car events where he established deep-rooted friendships in the classic car industry. His interests are in the history of cars, restoration, and maximizing driving enjoyment.
