Monterey Historics founder Steve Earle’s influence continues to be felt on the West Coast historic motor racing scene as Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), which merged with Earle’s General Racing earlier this year, has announced it has been awarded the opportunity to run next year’s Coronado Speed Festival, scheduled for September 19-20, 2015 at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California.
In addition to Coronado, SVRA has also picked up the Portland Vintage Festival and the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, all originally General Racing events. Other than the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, East Coast-based SVRA now manages all of the major West Coast vintage racing events.
This Fleet Week San Diego event is a one-of-a-kind, the only race car and military tribute event in the United States. Since 1997, vintage race cars have been competing on the runways and taxiways at Naval Air Station North Island on the specially-created 1.7-mile track for the Coronado Speed Festival. The Speed Festival features vintage car racing, motorcycle and truck performance exhibitions, a military pit crew challenge, Navy ship tours, military displays and more. The Speed Festival is the signature event of the annual Fleet Week San Diego activities. (See 2014 Coronado Speed Festival)
“We are honored for the opportunity to work with the Foundation,” said SVRA President and CEO, Tony Parella. “We are confident that we can grow this event in prominence and stature in the vintage racing, military and local communities. SVRA will designate the Coronado Speed Festival as an Invitational event and implement the General Racing/SVRA Gold Medallion car specification rules ensuring premiere vintage race cars, prepared and raced as they were presented in the period in which they were originally raced. We look forward to working collaboratively with the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation, civic and military organizations and the U.S. Navy to help fulfill their objectives, and to benefit, honor, celebrate and salute the men and women of the military and their families.”
Founded in 1981 by Ford Heacock III, SVRA has 2,000 members. It currently sanctions 14 events at some of the finest racing venues in the United States, including: Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Sebring; Road America; Watkins Glen; Auto Club Speedway; Road Atlanta; Pocono Raceway; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; Sonoma Raceway; Portland International Raceway and Virginia International Raceway. The organization also hosted the first U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships in 2013 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
[Source: SVRA; photo: Victor Varela]
