The Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada (VARAC) will hold its 34th annual Vintage Racing Festival, renamed for 2012 as the Canadian Historic Grand Prix at Mosport International Raceway, June 15-17, 2012. This 2.459 mile road course and former home to the Formula One Grand Prix, Can-Am, Trans-Am and Formula 5000 is only one hour from Toronto.
Corvette will be the featured marque for 2012. Corvette racing cars from across Canada and the United States will descend on the Toronto area track for the second major historic Corvette focus event following the successful Corvette World Tribute held at Road America in Wisconsin this past August.
In addition to Corvette racing, VARAC will make high performance driving and touring sessions on the Grand Prix track available to Corvette owners and there will also be lots of activities both on and off the track for Corvette Clubs and other enthusiasts including a Saturday rally/tour of the area.
To make the weekend even better for Corvette enthusiasts, Canadian racing driver and Corvette legend, Ron Fellows has tentatively agreed to act as Grand Marshall for the event.
There will be racing for six groups of cars including Monoposto (single seat open-wheel vintage & historic race cars), Small Bore Vintage & Historic Cars (under 1800cc), Big Bore Vintage & Historic Cars (over 1800cc), Wings & Slicks (very fast purpose-built racing cars running on slick tires), G70+ Cars (cars dating from 1973 to 1989 including Porsches, Mustangs, etc.) and of course Corvettes.
The weekend will also play host to the only Canadian round of the Small Bore Challenge Cup, an enduro series for small bore vintage & historic racing cars.
VARAC extends a special invitation to all drivers, crew, marshalls, volunteers and media involved with racing in past years to join in the Mosport Racer’s Reunion on Sunday. This will be a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and celebrate the history of Canadian racing. Former Canadian National Champion, Gary Magwood will host the “Legends of Mosport” driver’s reunion and many of Canada’s racing greats will be in attendance.
The 2012 VARAC Festival also has added a new event on Friday evening – the “Checkered Flag Charity Cruise”, which is open to all cruisers with proceeds going to the VARAC charity. The cruise will be held on the Start/Finish Straight of the famed racing circuit and will give participants and spectators alike a glimpse of the excitement surrounding this race weekend. The public is encouraged to come out for the cruise as well and join the party.
Other features of the weekend include Canada’s largest Mini gathering, Mini Meet North as well as the “Field of Dreams” car show that welcomes sports cars and hot-rods and car clubs from far and wide with Sunday noon parade laps on-track. Entry to the car show and parade laps is free.
For more information, visit www.canadianhistoricgrandprix.com.
[Source: VARAC]
Griffith 400 wins Silverstone Gentlemens Drivers race- September 2011.
The Griffith/TVR 400 of Sean and Michael McInerney beat all comers at Silverstone, and that included the fastest and winner of the SPA Francorchamps, May 2011- the Hans Hugenholtz/David Hart AC Cobra- the dark grey with the red stripe on the front fenders.
Here hoping that sportscardigest.com will ask for pictures of the light blue Griffith 400 of the McInerneys and their pictures. It was a bad day for the two thousand Jaguar owners and supporters
of the marque for even the lightweight Jaguars could not sustain their effort against the Cobras much less the Griffith 400 of the McInerneys.
To be fair, remember it was a lightweight E Class Jaguar that won the race at the SPA September 2011. That was the turquoise colored Jaguar with some black stripes.
My best and supporter of Griffith 400’s and Sportcardigest.com
Chuck Pineda
My hats off to the crowd who clapped for the winning Griffith 400. You can see the races on U-Tube. Just punch in Silverstone 2011