EVENT // SPEEDFEST @ CLASSIC MOTORSPORTS MITTY 2010

Automotive A.D.D: A condition in which the individual becomes bored, restless and uninterested very quickly with a car, race series or event and seeks new stimulation on a frequently recurring basis. New events are always exciting. You can read the website, previous coverage and watch youtube videos till you’re blue in the face. But the sites, sounds, smells and experience of something new a just can’t be beat... [read more]

The Mitty is a historic motorsports weekend, that features a different make each year along with a personality or company associated to the world of motorsports. Presented by the HSR (Historic Sportscar Racing Ltd.) and Classic Motorsports Magazine it is a class act event. This year saw Lotus as the featured mark with Peter Brock and Brock Racing Enterprises, or B.R.E, as the co-feature. I expected to be over run with Lotai of all shapes and sizes. There were more lotus in the Lotus Factory Display tent then anywhere else all weekend. What a bummer.

Now the B.R.E/Brock feature….this blew my mind. As we pulled into our camp site we were surrounded by BRE replicas & Datsuns of all shapes sizes and conditions. Across the street from us was the Cobra pit, more Factory Five replicas in one spot then I’d ever seen…my head was already spinning and nothing had taken to the track yet! 

As the sun rose through the mist and fog hanging in the trees, shafts of sunlight beamed their way onto the cold track. Slowly but surely the sound of motors filled the air, and anticipation grew…..what was up first? As they glided over the crest of turn 2 and into the soft morning rays of turns 3 and 4 Porsches, Austin-Healeys, Jaguars, Lotus and MGs in every color imaginable flew past in a display of color and sound that words cannot do justice. For the next half hour we were sent back to the 50’s as the sun rose higher and the day warmed up.

What followed on that hot, sunny, Friday of practice left me in awe and quickly made this a new favorite event. Cars I’d only dreamed of as a kid roared past in all their open header glory. GT-40s, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupes, Duntov Corvettes, Carrera RSRs, BMW 3.0 CSLs, Open wheel big bore monsters including Gurney Eagles, Formula 5000 cars, ex-F1 cars, Group C cars and so on and so on…..Really every session left me snapping away and some times just standing there slack jawed. Did I mention this was just the first day?

Later in the day we roamed vendor alley and explored the fantastic Lotus Tent. The famous John Player special F1 car on display amongst Lotus 7s, Elans and Evoras. Factory Five and all of their latest and greatest kits were on display, supported by their dedicated and devoted builders.

Mercedes was on hand to provide the lucky few with AMG test drives and the chance to ogle and poke the newest Teutonic super sedans. Barber Motorsports and Kumho teamed up to provide free autocross runs in new Miatas which is always fun to do. After an exhausting first day drew to a close with sunburns and awe I could only wonder what was next?

Well, at 8 am the next day we found out what was next. There is nothing quite like waking up to the sounds of Historic Productions cars all sporting engines over 5 liters roaring through the still air, where oh were can I get an alarm clock that sounds like a Daytona Coupe wound out? Add Porsche Caymans decked out in vintage schemes to the mix as they race side by side and it is quite a feast for the senses. To be honest it’s a bit overwhelming.

More new classes and cars took to the track, Vintage Stock Cars, the Playboy Cup in their Miatas and so on. Compared to Friday, Saturday was humid and overcast and was a welcome respite for the sunburns. It also meant that as the B.O.S.S. Series cars came screaming down the back straight that some cars were leaving vortices off their rear wings! I’d seen it on F1 coverage before, but to be standing 5 feet from the track as they scream past you leaving vapor trails is just too damn cool…..and a bit scary.

The Caymans Inter-series ran its own race which was filled with close action and great driving. I must admit I love the vintage schemes on these new cars, well done Porsche. Amongst all the 4 wheel action there were a handful of Motorcycles that ran throughout the weekend. Everything from Harleys to Ducatis were seen on track draggin’ knee pads around Road Atlanta. I only wish there had been more of them.

When the track action stops, the night life really kicks in. Hella and Classis Motorsports Magazine teamed up to throw the “Day Into Night Party”, not only was there live music, Hella lighting displays by Suquehanna Motorsports, a slot car track and free copies of the magazine….they also provided free beer, water and soda to all who came! Much fun was had by all and the road in front of the tent was a site to be hold with vintage corvettes, outlaw 356 Porsches and Cobras.

Thank you to both Susquehanna Motorsports/Hella and Classic Motorsports for a great party!

Day three… yes three days (actually 4 if you come down on Thursday) of what I’m going to call an endurance spectating event. Each day is like attending 8 different events with their own excitement, sounds and features.

We had seen the threat of rain all weekend and it had sprinkled from time to time but nothing had really come down. Well, it came down during the Feature race of the Vic Elford trophy. This series comprised WSC cars, Group C cars, IMSA GTP and GTPL along with Can Am cars from the 60s through the 90s. Diverse and fun to watch the rain really had them tap dancing on their wide slicks and huge power as the slick track did its best to throw them onto the grass.

Road Atlanta is unique in the fact that on Sundays it has a required quiet time where no race motors are to be run for 2 hours. This is a great time to eat breakfast, socialize, take a track tour and even break camp like we did.

To bring a dramatic end to the quiet time, the B.O.S.S Series was up first and shattered the silence with screaming V8s inhaling through Tall Velocity stacks and spewing their music through open 180 degree headers…truly an amazing sound that I still hear in my sleep. Although its vintage racing, it’s still racing. Paint was swapped and a few off course excursions happened, to me it’s a bit more dramatic when the cars are irreplaceable.

The day raced on with every class present having a feature race and even a few 1 hour enduro’s thrown in for good measure. Was it harder on the cars & drivers or the spectators to keep up with it all?

Exhausted we drove home and found ourselves in the torrential rains that devastated Nashville that weekend, even causing the highways we were on to close. The detours provided an insight into the massive damage and loss of property the Music City and its surrounding counties suffered.

If you’re like me and my friends and find yourself craving something different then the “normal” race weekend of a few classes of newer cars. Then go to the Mitty, it offers diversity, action and memories that can’t be found readily.

I mean come on, when was the last time you saw an ex-Le Mans Audi duking it out with a Can Am car, or a Cobra Daytona Coupe racing wheel to wheel with a Porsche Cayman?


I can’t wait till next year, I’m already itching for my next fix.

Photo/Editorial: Shawn Manny