The inaugural US Vintage Racing National Championship featured some 500 vintage race cars from locales worldwide.
Were you in Austin, Texas this past weekend? If so, perhaps you were lucky enough to witness an historic event – the inaugural United States Vintage Racing National Championship at the Circuit of the Americas. The three-day event featured upwards of 500 vintage race cars from throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe competing in 12 classes over three days.
Among the vintage beauties raced was a 1974 Jorgensen Eagle that had been piloted by James Hunt, the Formula One great whose fiery relationship with friend and rival Niki Lauda is the subject of director Ron Howard’s new film, Rush; three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser; and 1898 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan. Also on the competitive track was the Maserati 250F had been by two racing legends, Sir Stirling Moss and Juan Manual Fangio.
The event was held in cooperation with the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, the oldest and largest of the vintage racing organizations in the US. And races took place on the nation’s first purpose-built Grand Prix facility. The newly built Circuit of the Americas (COTA) will host some of the world’s most prestigious racing events including the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. It boasts a state-of-the-art 3.4-mile circuit track capable of hosting 120,000 fans and an elevation change of 133 feet; a private Motorsports Driving Club and a Karting Track; research, medical and conference/media facilities; driving academies and areas for fire, rescue and law enforcement vehicle training.
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