at the Savannah Speed Classic
- Successful Savannah Speed Classic Weekend Produces Nine Different Multiple Race Winners- Hunter Harris Puts Lotus on the Global GT Podium for the First Time- Grand Marshal Bill Auberlen Presides All Weekend Over Full Paddock and Great CrowdThe 2016 edition of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Savannah Speed Classic presented by Mingledorff's went down this past weekend, October 27 - 30, as one of the most successful runnings on record of the race, which is held on the Grand Prize Circuit on Hutchinson Island just across the river from downtown Savannah.
Perfect weather and even better racing made for a great show for the enthusiastic crowd of spectators that saw nearly 140 different HSR race cars in action all weekend.
The weekend concluded Sunday afternoon with the featured sprint races for the HSR Global GT and HSR Classic RS Cup racing series.
Global GT points leader Jonathon Ziegelman extended his already large championship lead with yet another series victory on the Savannah road course in his 2008 No. 911 Porsche GT3 Cup prepared by KMW Motorsports.
The Global GT victory capped a great weekend for Ziegelman who started Sunday on the right foot with a class and overall victory in the B.R.M. Chronographes GT Enduro, co-driving with teammate Linden Burnstein in his KMW Motorsports No. 917 2007 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup. Ziegelman also won Saturday's WeatherTech Sprint Group 10 race in his own No. 911 Porsche.
Burnstein finished second in Global GT in the No. 917 while Hunter Harris put a Lotus on the Global GT podium for the first time, racing to a third-place finish in the 2011 No. 61 Lotus Exige-S. The Savannah Speed Classic drew a season-high 21 Global GT entries.
In the Classic RS Cup feature event, Catesby Jones rebounded from a transmission issue in Sunday morning's B.R.M. GT Enduro to win his first RS Cup series race. Jones' team used the hours between the Sunday races to change the gearbox in his 1974 No. 19 Porsche 911 IROC.
The repaired Porsche didn't miss a beat in the RS Cup feature, carrying Jones to his third race victory of the weekend after scoring overall and International-class honors Friday in the Bob Woodman Tire International/American Challenge race and a Saturday Group 5 WeatherTech Sprint victory.
Jones shared the RS Cup podium with series points leader Mike Banz, who finished second in his 1974 No. 13 Porsche 911 RSR prepared by Heritage Motorsports. Third-place went to Stuart Milne in the 901 Shop 1973 No. 11 Porsche 911 RSR.
Jacek Mucha pulled off a double-sweep in both Group 4 and Group 6, winning each of the four WeatherTech sprints he started on Saturday and Sunday in his pair of nearly identical Swift JMS-016Ps.
Another driver to sweep both of his WeatherTech sprints was John Harrold who won both Group 7 races in his 1979 No. 94 Chevron B23/33 that KMW Motorsports helps prepare on race weekends. Harrold also drove the Chevron to a class victory in Friday's B.R.M. Historic/Prototype Enduro.
Other competitors winning both Saturday and Sunday to double-up on WeatherTech sprint wins included Richard Howe (Group 9), Brian Norman (Group 8), Josip Baltic (Group 2) and Sean Brown (Group 3).
Howe races his 1989 No. 19 Whistler Ford Mustang, Norman runs a 2006 No. 9 NASCAR Dodge Charger, Baltic and his brother Dalibor Baltic race a sneaky-fast 1975 No. 45 Volkswagen Rabbit and Brown competes in his equally quick B-G Racing 1975 No. 85 Ford Escort RS.
Other Sunday WeatherTech sprint Group winners included Burnstein in Group 10 in his No. 917 Porsche and Banz in Group 5 in his No. 13 Porsche.
Next up for HSR is the Daytona Historics at Daytona International Speedway, November 10 - 13, which features HSR Global GT, HSR RS Cup, Friday's Bob Woodman Tire International/American Challenge, two-days of B.R.M. Enduros and WeatherTech Sprints and special Saturday night races under the lights. Masters Historic Racing is also joining HSR at Daytona for what promises to be a full and competitive weekend of on-track action.
Noteworthy
- Leading BMW race car driver Bill Auberlen served as the Savannah Speed Classic Grand Marshal and was on-hand for all three days of the Hutchinson Island event. Auberlen addressed the competitors at Saturday's drivers meeting and was a full participant in the weekend's hot lap program, wheeling several historic BMWs throughout the Savannah Speed Classic. Auberlen has won six sports car racing championships, four behind the wheel of a BMW, and currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Team BMW RLL.
- Several special awards were presented during the weekend, including the Savannah Spirit Award that was presented to David Bondon, who was competing in his immaculate Morgan 4/4. Bondon's award was presented by Bud Mingledorff, Chairman of event sponsor Mingledorff's, as well as HSR President David Hinton. Previous Savannah Spirit Award winners were also part of the presentation, including last year's co-winners Serena Stephenson and Amber Stephenson, from the Girl Racers team, and inaugural recipient Miles Whitlock.
- Always fan favorites, the popular group of Corvair and Yenko Stinger racers in Savannah were presented with the Grand Marshal's Award, which was accepted by competitors Rick Norris, Michael Leveque and Jeff Rapp. Scott Hughes and his wife Fran Hughes accepted the President's Award in recognition of their 2006 No. 1 BMW 320i that Randy Pobst raced in the original Dixie Crystals Grand Prix of Savannah in 1997 in the North American Touring Car Championship. Harris, and his twin brother Hamilton Harris, were presented with the Chairman's Award for their pair of Lotus Exige-S race cars.
- Although the Savannah Speed Classic was running on its traditional Halloween Weekend date, the HSR community proved to be in full Christmas spirit, strongly supporting a local Toys for Tots campaign in the paddock on Saturday. Supported by several members of the iconic program's ever-present Marine Reserves, Santa Claus himself picked up hundreds of toys from generous racers that will be used as gifts for children in need this Christmas.
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