SVRA Amelia Island GP: Race summaries & gallery

The SportsCar Vintage Racing Association's Amelia Island Gran Prix played to a welcoming community during three cloudy days of fits of rain this past weekend, March 18-20. The wet stuff was never quite enough to shut down the triumphant revival of sportscar racing on the makeshift Fernandina Municipal Airport course that had not hosted motorsport since 1974.

With their world-renowned Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance the previous weekend the locals in the vicinity of Jacksonville had a week bookended by celebrations of historic cars, many of them racing machines. This is a community with a high-end car culture that "gets it," as evidenced by the images of sportscar racing, its drivers and historic automobiles in store fronts, eateries and hotel lobbies.

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Some of the racers were of the two-wheel variety as Historic Moto GP joined the SVRA for the first time ever. Combined with a display of vintage military aircraft, the vintage racers created a revival theme that showed promise for future years. The airport was a venue for racing sportscars and bikes for a dozen years during the 1960s and '70s and all parties involved in this revival have made it clear they will return next year.

Simon Gregg, a resident of nearby Ponte Verde, Fla., delivered star power to the event as the 2012 Trans Am champion and his Jim Derhaag Motorsports team from that professional series qualify to compete in SVRA Group 10 because their Corvette C7 was constructed in 2008. SVRA rules allow for cars five years or older to compete in that class. Gregg, the son of legendary racer Peter, swept both his races with the International GT Cup Porsches on Saturday and Sunday. His dad raced on the Fernandina airport circuit in 1964 in a race called the "Golden Crown Prix." He finished second after leading early but faded with overheated brakes.

Other "sweepers" of the weekend included former IMSA Camel GT driver Dave Nicholas, who dominated Group 1 with his "Honeybee" MGA, and 24-year-old Theo Bean who won Group 4 both Saturday and Sunday with his 1959 Aston Martin DB4 (LEFT) – a car constructed 33 years before he was born. Larry Ligas (1961 Daimler SP250), Dennis Olthoff (1965 Cobra) and Denis Bigioni (1948 Talbot-Lago) each won both their Saturday and Sunday feature races. In fact, the entire podium repeated both days in Groups 3, 6 and Pre-War.

Click on the thumbnail photos below for larger images, and view the podium results for all of the SVRA races at Amelia Island below the gallery.

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Saturday Groups 1 & 4

1) Theo Bean, 1959 Aston Martin DB4

2) Phil Mulacek, 1964 AC Cobra

3) Tony Parella, 1958 Corvette

Saturday Groups 1 & 4

1) Theo Bean, 1959 Aston Martin DB4

2) Phil Mulacek, 1964 AC Cobra

3) John Higgins 1959 Porsche 718 RSK

Saturday Group 3

1) Larry Ligas, 1961 Daimler SP250

2) Vic Skirmants, 1961 Porsche 356

3) Tim Baker, 1962 Porsche 356

Sunday Group 3

1) Larry Ligas, 1961 Daimler SP250

2) Vic Skirmants, 1961 Porsche 356

3) Tim Baker, 1962 Porsche 356

Sunday Group 2

1) Peter Hardsteen, 1968 Lotus 51

2) Duke Waldrop, 1982 Van Dieman VDB2

3) Bruce Domeck, 1976 Lola T342

Saturday Groups 5 & 7

1) Lawrence Huang, 1970 Lola T210

2) Jim Lenehan, 1982 Swift DB2

3) Andrew Lewis, 1983 March 83S

Sunday Groups 5 & 7

1) Jim Lenehan, 1982 Swift DB2

2) Lawrence Huang, 1970 Lola T210

3) Andrew Lewis, 1983 March 83S

Saturday Group 6

1) Dennis Olthoff, 1965 SPF Cobra

2) Mike Rife, 1969 Corvette

3) Charles Jones, 1966 Shelby GT-350

Sunday Group 6

1) Dennis Olthoff, 1965 SPF Cobra

2) Mike Rife, 1969 Corvette

3) Charles Jones, 1966 Shelby GT-350

Saturday Group 8

1) Mark Brummond, 1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6

2) Davis Jones, 1972 Porsche 911

3) Tom Briest, 1970 Porsche 914

Sunday Group 8

1) Davis Jones, 1972 Porsche 911

2) Bill Riddell, 1970 Porsche 914

3) Tom Briest, 1970 Porsche 914

Saturday IGT & Group 10

1) Simon Gregg, 2008 Corvette C7

2) Shane Lewis, 2014 Porsche Cayman

3) John Higgins, 2004 Porsche GT3 Cup

Sunday IGT & Group 10

1) Simon Gregg, 2008 Corvette C7

2) Mac McGehee, 2008 Porsche 997

3) Shane Lewis, 2014 Porsche Cayman

Saturday Pre-War

1) Denis Bigioni, 1948 Talbot-Lago

2) Daniel Leonard, 1949 MG TC

3) George Pardee, 1954 MG TF

Sunday Pre-War

1) Denis Bigioni, 1948 Talbot-Lago

2) Daniel Leonard, 1949 MG TC

3) George Pardee, 1954 MG TF