Racing great Tony “A2Z” Adamowicz was named Grand Marshal for the 2013 Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival, scheduled for September 21-22 at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California. Adamowicz was seen as an ideal choice for the position – a legendary racer with strong ties to the nation’s military.
Adamowicz’s renowned career includes winning the 1968 Trans-Am Championship in the Milestone Racing Porsche 911. Not coincidentally, Coronado Speed Festival is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Porsche 911, designating the car as the event’s marque. Adamowicz also won the 1969 Formula 5000 championship in his Gurney Eagle F5000, in which he made his Coronado Speed Festival racing debut in 2011.
Adamowicz is a long-time fan of the military-honoring event. “I am honored to be the Grand Marshal for this prestigious event. This is a great venue to introduce many people to the excitement of these vintage racecars – to see them firsthand, hear the sounds and really affect them as individuals,” he says. “I’ve always been a fan of Navy aircraft and carriers. My original dream was to be a Navy pilot, able to land on an aircraft carrier.”
While he never fulfilled that dream, he is a six-year veteran of the U.S. Army. Adamowicz served as a communication liaison expert at the White House under three presidents: Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. His son is currently a sailor with the Navy, stationed onboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman.
Produced and sanctioned by Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA), the 16th Annual Fleet Week Coronado Speed Festival is the only place to see live racing on an active U.S. Navy runway. Proceeds for the event benefit the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation and the Navy Morale, Welfare & Recreation program.
Tickets are now on sale for the “Race at the Base”. In advance, single-day tickets cost $25, or $35 for both days. Tickets will also be available at the venue ($35 one day and $45 for both days). Once again, all active duty, active reserve and their direct-depend military ID-holders will enjoy FREE admission to this year’s event. Admission is free for children 12 and under, both military and non-military.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit CoronadoSpeedFest.com.
[Source: HMSA]
