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HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen debuts this weekend

Taking its rightful place alongside the “HSR Classics” races at Daytona International Speedway and Sebring International Raceway, the inaugural Historic Sportscar Racing Classic 6 Hours of The Glen debuts this weekend on the Grand Prix circuit at Watkins Glen International, June 9 -11. A vintage and historic tribute race to Watkins Glen’s longstanding and premier endurance race, which has run as the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen for the past 20 years, the Classic 6 Hours at The Glen completes the HSR Classics triple crown.

The HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour presented by IMSA debuted at DIS in 2014 and two years later the HSR Classic 12 Hours of Sebring, presented by the Alan Jay Automotive Network, followed on the legendary Sebring airport road course. The addition of the HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen now creates the perfect trifecta of HSR tribute races saluting America’s three oldest major sports car endurance races.

The featured on-track component of the HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen is the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen tribute race that takes place Saturday and Sunday. It begins with a symbolic six hours of non-stop competition Saturday before all three competing Run Groups contest a final round of races Sunday afternoon to bring the Classic 6 to a close.

The HSR Classic 6 Hours features three different Run Groups that are each home to specific generations of sports cars, some from more than 50 years ago and others retired from contemporary competition as recently as five years ago. Each Run Group takes to the 3.377-miles Watkins Glen three different times for a trio of nearly one-hour long races for each division over the course of Saturday and Sunday. The competitors covering the most combined distance in each Run Group will be crowned inaugural 2023 HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen champions and be awarded custom designed watches carrying the race’s logo from B.R.M. Chronographes.

HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen Run Groups:

Run Group A – Early Era: Pre-1978 – The oldest and perhaps most memory-stirring division, Group A features legendary and early FIA-era Prototypes and GT machines that raced in IMSA, Trans-Am and the Six Hours of The Glen when it was part of FIA international world championship competition in the late 1960s and ’70s. The group has attracted race cars such as the Lola T160, T165 and T70 Coupe and several Chevron B21/23, B26, B31 and B36 models. Entered production-based GT cars of the era include 1970’s BMW CSLs, a 1973 Ford Escort RS1600, a Porsche 914/6 GT and the always formidable contingent of late 1960s and ’70s era Porsche 911 S, RSR and IROC entries. British small-bore fans have a pair of the late 1960s TVR Vixens to follow while another entry to watch is the always quick GMT Racing 1962 No. 1 Lola 23b of Travis Engen. The Lotus is the oldest car competing in the inaugural HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen.

Run Group B – Historic Era: 1978 – 1993: The prime of the original GTP and Group C years is at the heart of this division along with the wide-body GTX, GTS, GTO and GTU machines that were a hallmark of the original IMSA Camel GT and later series. Former HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour winner Malcolm Ross brings his ex-Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) 1991 No. 2 Jaguar XJR-16 to The Glen as an early Group B favorite for the victory. Two-time HSR Classic Daytona winner Steve Cohen also seeks another “HRS Classics” win in the inaugural HSR Glen 6 Hours in his flame-throwing Sundry Racing 1995 No. 5 Oldsmobile Aurora GTS. A mass of Porsche 911 and 993 entries add to the mix as do some smaller but quick production based machines that raced in Speed Word Challenge, IMSA Firestone Firehawk and even the Canadian Rothmans Porsche Turbo Cup series. Several competitors in these classes could deliver some surprises and sneak onto the Group B podium in the Classic 6 Hours.

Run Group C – Modern Era: 1994 – 2018: Historic but familiar, Group C is home to a diverse and competitive mix of everything from mighty LMP1 and GTLM cars battling with mid-generation Daytona Prototypes, Oreca FLM-09 “PC” machines and early-production LMP3 prototypes. The battle royale for overall Group C honors will likely come down to the similar 2005 and 2004 Audi R8 LMP entries of Engen and Larry Connor and the 2009 Zytek GZ09SC/LMP1 of Keith Frieser. The Matador Motorsports 2016 No. 3 Corvette C7.R of Pierce Marshall leads the most diverse lineup of GT cars in the Classic 6, with Run Group C also featuring Ferrari F458s, a Lamborghini Super Trofeo and class-leading line up of Porsche 991 GT3 Cup and 981 Cayman GT4 Clubsports.

The Classic 6 Hours race weekend also features the HSR Watkins Glen Historics that are points-paying races for HSR’s various season-long championships. In addition to a doubleheader lineup of HSR WeatherTech Sprints for all Run Groups, the Glen Historics feature race lineup includes the HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT and Sasco Sports International/American Challenge sprints on Friday afternoon and twin B.R.M. Endurance Challenge one-hour races Sunday morning.

Detailed event information for the HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen, including weekend schedules and entry lists, is available at www.HSRRace.com.

Spectator tickets for the HSR Classic 6 Hours of The Glen are available exclusively at the Watkins Glen International website at https://www.theglen.com/.

Mitty wraps as one of the biggest runnings of HSR’s oldest race

The 45th Historic Sportscar Racing Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta went into the record books as one of the biggest editions of HSR’s oldest race after an exciting and competitive final day of racing on Sunday. A pair of overall weekend race winners finally hit the top step of the podium while another well-known competitor stepped up to win his second-straight Gene Felton Memorial Trophy Award after a podium finish in Sunday’s final NASCAR 75th Anniversary Historic Stock Cars race.

Early Sunday rain showers gave way to sunny skies by noon but not before a robust group of HSR Vintage and GT Classic competitors took to a wet and cloudy Road Atlanta road course for a one-hour B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge race.

After 60 minutes of outstanding car control in tricky conditions by some of HSR’s best drivers, Angus Rogers emerged for the overall and GTC win in his KMW Motorsports 1973 No. 15 Porsche 911 RSR.

Rogers shared the podium with Vintage class winner Colin Dougherty, who crossed the line second overall his 1988 No. 86 Porsche Turbo Cup series car prepared by DAS Sport. The win was Dougherty’s second feature race victory of the 45th Mitty weekend after finishing first in the Porsche class in Friday’s Sasco Sports B Race.

Peter Dolan closed out the overall top three and finished second in GTC in his Cobra Automotive 1965 No. 76 Mustang Shelby GT350.

Read the full story with more photos at VintageMotorsport.com.

HSR Mitty crowns first winners

Pristine weather with sunshine and temperatures in the 80s provided the perfect setting for the on-track competition Friday at the Historic Sportscar Racing 45th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta where back-to-back Sasco Sports …

Larry Ligas went a perfect two-for-two in Sasco Sports races this season with an International class victory Friday in Race A for larger displacement cars. Ligas followed up his win in the season-opening Sasco Sports race last month at Sebring International Raceway with another class and overall victory at Road Atlanta in his Predator Performance 1961 No. 61 Jaguar XKE.

The Sasco Sports International/American Challenge Race B overall victory for small-bore race cars went to Simon Foweather in his TPC Motorsports 2018 No. 61 Caterham Seven 420R. Foweather also scored Race B International class honors and — in addition to both winning with No. 61 on their cars — joined Ligas in a victorious repeat of his own. Foweather scored a B.R.M. Endurance Challenge overall race win in his Caterham at last September’s HSR Fall Historics and now has a two-race Michelin Raceway win streak.

Friday’s other Sasco Sports winners included Gary Moore in his Cobra Automotive 1966 No. 98 Mustang Shelby GT350, Robert Spence in the 1972 No. 63 Porsche 911 and Colin Dougherty in his 1988 No. 86 Porsche Turbo Cup series car prepared by DAS Sport.

Moore won Sasco Sports Race A in the American division and finished second overall behind Ligas. Spence scored Porsche-class honors in Race 1 while Dougherty topped an all Porsche 944 top-three with a victory in the Gold Crest class in Race B.

Peter Dolan completed the overall top three in Race A and finished second in the American division in his 1965 No. 76 Mustang Shelby GT350. A Mustang podium sweep was completed by Craig Ross who took third in American in Race A in his 1970 No. 72 Cross Ross Boss Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302.

The 944 sweep Dougherty anchored in the Porsche class in Race B included Joey Sullivan in second in his 1989 No. 141 Porsche 944 S2 and Ray Shaffer who crossed the line taking third in his DAS Sport 1988 No. 55 Porsche 944 Turbo.

Race B’s Porsche podium was completed by Angus Rogers in second place in his KMW Motorsports 1973 No. 15 Porsche 911 RSR and Aaron Nash in the Craig Sutherland-owned 1973 No. 41 Porsche 911 S/T in the third and final podium position.

Friday’s podium players also included Rob Albino in his Hudson Historics 2000 No. 99 BMW Z3 Coupe and Greg Ira in the 1973 No. 83 Datsun 240Z who placed second and third, respectively, behind Ligas in Race A International.

The highlight of tomorrow’s 45th HSR Mitty scheduled is the first NASCAR 75th Anniversary Gene Felton Memorial Challenge race that formally launches Saturday’s racing schedule with a 1pm ET green flag.

Saturday also features the arrival of the iconic Wood Brothers Racing family that presides over the weekend’s racing activity as the Grand Marshals of the 45th HSR Mitty. Eddie Wood and Len Wood will represent the family as the primary Grand Marshals and may be joined by their 88-year-old uncle, Leonard Wood.

45th HSR Mitty celebrates NASCAR 75 at Road Atlanta this weekend

A high-speed roll call of top Historic Sportscar Racing competitors and some of the most famous names in stock car racing history come together this weekend for the 45th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, which celebrates NASCAR’s 75th …

Founded in 1948, NASCAR marks its 75th season in 2023, and the HSR Mitty is just one part of the year-long NASCAR 75 celebration. Historic stock cars have been a major part the last few years of the HSR events at Michelin Raceway, but this weekend’s 75th NASCAR anniversary celebration raises the bar. The event has attracted an unprecedented HSR entry of nearly 60 historic and vintage stock cars that will both compete and make exhibition laps on the 2.54-mile road course north of Atlanta.

The Saturday and Sunday NASCAR 75 feature races also serve as the second annual Gene Felton Memorial Challenge, which honors the late road racing star and 2019 HSR Mitty Grand Marshal Gene Felton.

In addition to receiving a special race winner’s trophy, a plaque bearing the winning driver’s name is also placed on the hand-made Lanier Technical College Gene Felton Trophy. The one-of-a-kind award features actual pieces of Road Atlanta asphalt, decorative clear vials of the Georgia red clay that surrounds the circuit and a silver cup replicating one of Felton’s many racing trophies. The perpetual trophy commemorates Felton’s long association with nearby Lanier Technical College, where he helped interns in the Motorsports Vehicle Training program get hands-on racing experience.

Read the full story at VintageMotorsport.com.

Winners crowned as HSR concludes season-opening Sebring weekend

Five different Historic Sportscar Racing Run Group winners were crowned after a clean-and-green B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge one-hour race Sunday that was the feature event of the final day of competition of the season-opening HSR Spring …

The overall B.R.M. win was secured by the ageless Travis Engen who drove his equally timeless GMT Racing 2005 No. 2 Audi R8 LMP to yet another Sebring B.R.M. Endurance race overall and Prototype group win. Engen shared the overall top-three with the duo of Francesco Melandri and Nigel Greensall 2017 No. 24 Fransco Racing Ligier JS/P3 who co-drove to second both overall and in the Prototype division.

Third overall and first in GT Modern (GTM) went to Thomas Gruber in his TAG 2016 No. 991 Porsche 991 GT3. Gruber doubled-up on HSR feature race wins at the Spring Fling and also captured the victory in Friday night’s season-opening HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT race.

Read the full story at VintageMotorsport.com.

First five race winners crowned at HSR Spring Fling

The first official day of competition of the 2023 Historic Sportscar Racing season wrapped up with a rapid-fire run of three feature races at the HSR Spring Fling that produced the first five race winners of the year on the 3.74-mile Sebring …

Friday’s big winner was Fritz Seidel, who scored Porsche-class honors in Friday’s Sasco Sports International/American Challenge race and then followed it up with a victory in the HSR Classic RS Cup sprint. Seidel’s dominant day came at the wheel of the Ecurie Engineering 1974 No. 85 Porsche 911 IROC that he was racing for the first time in several seasons.

Seidel was Friday’s only repeat race winner but took the Sasco Sports checkered flag second overall behind Larry Ligas in his Predator Performance 1961 No. 61 Jaguar XKE. Ligas captured the International-class victory in addition to the overall Sasco Sports win.

Another overall victory Friday went to the TAG 2016 No. 991 Porsche 991 GT3 of Thomas Gruber who won the HSR Stoner Car Care Global GT sprint. Gruber also topped an overall field of competitors in the day’s final race that featured the Classic RS Cup opener sharing the track with the faster Stoner Car Care GT competitors.

The Sasco Sports American division victory went to Steve Piantieri, who rebounded from an early issue for a come-from-behind win in his 1965 No. 95 Ford Mustang 2+2.

Second in the Stoner Car Care race was secured by Bryan Collyer in his 2015 No. 9 Dodge Challenger GT1 with third going to debuting driver Bill Fenech in his 2018 No. 015 Porsche GT2 RS/CS. Fenech reached the podium in his first-ever race.

Second-place in RS Cup went to George Balbach in his 1966 No. 0 Porsche 911 while Lisa Hansen completed an all-Ecurie Engineering podium with a solid drive to third in her 1969 No. 110 Porsche 911 S.

Balbach also reached the Porsche podium in the Sasco Sports race in third, crossing the line just behind second-place finisher Josh Tuggle in the Heritage Motorsports 1969 No. 133 Porsche 911 RSR.

Other podium players on the day included Byron DeFoor, in the 1999 No. 129 Lotus Elise, and Hervey Parke in his 1965 No. 11 Ginetta G4, prepared by Michael’s Vintage Racing, who completed the Sasco Sports International podium in second and third, respectively.

Saturday’s HSR Spring Fling schedule is highlighted by final qualifying races for all groups followed that afternoon by the opening WeatherTech Sprint rounds. Sunday’s second and final rounds of WeatherTech Sprint races close out the HSR schedule from 11:20am ET through the final checkered flag of the weekend that afternoon around 3:20pm ET.