SVRA Preview: Mid-Ohio Vintage GP

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association and its teams and drivers have arrived this week at the undulating 2.4-mile, 15-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course riding high on the crest of a wave of enthusiasm from their Brickyard Invitational last weekend in neighboring Indiana. The Mid-Ohio show promises to deliver its own punch with over 250 vintage racers joined by the 41st annual Shelby American Automobile Convention and the burgeoning International GT series with their Stuttgart and Maranello Cups.

Mid-Ohio's Vintage Grand Prix round also kicks off International GT's special "dash to NOLA," a contingency program that puts a total purse of $30,000 on the line for drivers accumulating the most points during the four-race stint of the series leading up to a season finale in New Orleans. The contingency awards will offer $8,000 for each of the three classifications (Porsche Cayman, Porsche GT-3 and Ferrari Challenge cars) as well as trophies. First place winners will be awarded $5,000 with second and third place receiving $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. Additional prizes will be distributed through three random drawings at each race. Three drawings for $500 and one for a set of Pirelli tires are planned for each weekend.

SAAC's annual convention locations rotate to cities with iconic tracks and high concentrations of car ownership. The SAAC convention program will include a vintage race for club members on Friday as well as car shows, displays and evening events. Among the cars entered is the 1965 Cobra of "Indy Legends" Charity Pro-Am champion Andre Ahrle, who shared driving duties with Indianapolis 500 veteran and Pikes Peak champion Robby Unser in last Saturday's Brickyard Invitational feature race.

Most celebrated of the SAAC cars are the Cobras and Shelby Mustangs from racing icon Carroll Shelby's era of design and production. Because those cars are relatively rare the group also welcomes a variety of Ford cars, including current vehicles that SAAC officials feel were inspired by the Shelby era of 1962 to 1970. These include Panteras, Boss Mustangs, new Ford GTs, Falcons, Galaxies, Mustangs, Tigers as well as Cobra, Shelby Mustang and Ford GT replicas.

A scan of the entry list reveals that some very talented racecar drivers in stout hotrods are gearing up for action. Professional Trans Am title contender Paul Fix will be making a rare appearance in SVRA Group 10. He will be at the wheel of his 2000 Jaguar XKR – the same machine he used to storm to a SVRA national championship at COTA in 2013. Doc Bundy, who won the 1982 24 Hours of Le Mans GTO class, is also entered and figures to be the favorite to take Group 5 honors with owner Paul Rego's strikingly blue Regogo Racing 1964 Lotus 23B (above).

Another entry sure to capture notice is Canadian TV personality and all-around car guy Peter Klutt, who has teamed with Al Unser Jr. at the "Indy Legends" Pro-Am twice, winning in 2014 and finishing third last weekend (above). Joey Selmants, one of hottest young stars of vintage racing at age 23, will be back in the mix of Sports 2000 competition in a 2001 Fox Lola.

Another tough competitor is Curt Vogt, who will be in his eye-catching bright blue 1970 Boss 302 Mustang driven at Indy by Max Papis (top). Curt has started driving in professional Trans Am's TA2 class and has also teamed with Indianapolis 500 veterans Max Papis and Lyn St. James in the "Indy Legends" Pro-Am.