Four Feature Races on Opening Day of Mitty
After a safe and successful track test day on Thursday, the 40th Classic Motorsports Mitty presented by Hagerty and sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) officially kicks-off today with a full schedule highlighted by four different feature races.
The HSR Global GT and HSR Classic RS Cup series will each make their Mitty debuts, while the popular Bob Woodman Tires International/American Challenge series race will be split into a doubleheader format in response the flood of 300-entries that HSR received for this weekend's 40th Classic Motorsports Mitty.
A head-to-head showcase of classic international sports cars competing against iconic American iron, the Bob Woodman challenge races will be divided into a pair of period-specific groups.
Race A will be for 1960s and '70s era big-bore race cars that make up the majority of Group 5 at The Mitty. A field currently at more than 60 entries and growing includes Z/28s and other Camaros, Boss 302, 2+2 and Shelby Mustangs, Corvette roadsters and coupes, BMWs, Jaguars and an armada of nearly every type of Porsche 911 RS/RSR and IROC model from the '70s.
Bob Woodman Race B will gives competitors in small-bore cars from the U.S. and overseas a chance to step into the feature race spotlight at The Mitty. Already at the 75-car field limit, with 30 more hopefuls on the standby list, Race B will include Group two and three vintage and historic cars from the 1960s through the 1990s. Everything from Morgans to Sunbeam Tigers, Corvettes and Mustangs, and even Elva, Lotus and Royale sports racers will be in action.
Porsche - the Featured Marque of the 40th Classic Motorsports Mitty - will also have its typically strong presence in Bob Woodman Race B. Porsches of all types, from 356s, 911s and 914s on up to 944s and even 1990's era Boxsters, are eligible for the race.
Debuting along with the HSR Classic RS Cup last Memorial Day Weekend in the WISKO Grand Prix at VIRginia International Raceway, HSR Global GT is home to modern but recently retired GT-specification race cars from the last 10 to 15 years. Among the popular and eligible models for competition are Porsche 996 and 997 GT3 Cup cars, Porsche Cayman S and R models, Ferrari F430 and F458 challenge cars, the Panoz GTS, Audi R8 LMS and similarly classified models from Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, BMW, Maserati, Lamborghini and many more.
Inaugural HSR Global GT Champion Jonathon Ziegelman is among the 50-plus competitors eligible for today’s race in his 2008 No. 911 Porsche 997 prepared by KMW Motorsports.
Russell Wittenberg finished third in the 2017 Global GT season-opening race at Sebring in February in his 2009 No. 33 Porsche Cayman S and is looking forward to even stronger competition on Friday.
The HSR Classic RS Cup is open to all competitors with race-prepared and period-correct Porsche RS race cars from the 1970s. Specific 911-based Porsches approved for the Classic RS Cup include original IROC Porsches and Porsche 911 Carrera RS and RSR models ranging from 2.7 to 3 liters in displacement.
The Classic RS Cup series was established in part to recreate the golden era of the "All-Star" IROC series - an acronym for International Race of Champions - which is generally regarded as the first season of competition in 1974. That year featured the world's best drivers of the time competing in identical Porsche 911 Carrera RSRs, some of which are still raced today in HSR competition.
Mike Banz won the inaugural HSR Classic RS Cup title last year in his 1974 No. 13 Porsche 911 RSR and moved his title defense off to a strong start with a win in the 2017 Sebring opener.
He shared the Sebring podium with runner-up Todd Treffert and third-place finisher Fred Schulte. Treffert, who battled with Banz throughout last season, will renew the challenge again in tomorrow's race in his 1974 No. 141 Porsche 911 IROC. Schulte will be in action in his 1973 No. 31 Porsche 911 IROC.
Bob Woodman Race A is schedule to start Friday at 2:45 p.m. EDT and will be immediately followed by Race B at 3:10 p.m. EDT.
The HSR Classic RS Cup race goes green at 5 p.m. EDT and sets the stage for the HSR Global GT race at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
