SVRA / Image by Robert Adams
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today revised its 14-race weekend schedule for 2018 to accommodate a recent opportunity to join the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Road Atlanta, widely considered one of the greatest road racing venues in the United States. The event will begin with qualifying on Thursday, March 29 with racing on Friday and Saturday, March 30-31.
“This is all kind of sudden, but it is just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Since the first day I stepped into my role at SVRA, our racers have been asking for a Road Atlanta date,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella, who also is majority owner of the Trans Am Series. “Being able to again leverage the assets of Trans Am with SVRA is the right recipe for our growth strategy. Add to that the significance of Road Atlanta as one of the most revered sports car racing venues, it’s a winning combination.”
Road Atlanta opened in 1970 and in subsequent decades hosted top level American road racing including the original Can-Am and Trans Am series, as well as Formula 5000, Indy Lights and even NASCAR during the days of the Busch Series. Road Atlanta hosted the SCCA annual national runoffs from 1970 to 1993. Today it is the site of the highly regarded and climatic IMSA race weekend known as Petit Le Mans.
The addition of Road Atlanta to the schedule brings the total of shared weekends with the Trans Am Series to nine. SVRA officials note that the event will take place Easter Weekend and made the decision not to race on Sunday, putting the competition on Thursday, Friday and Saturday in order to give race teams the opportunity to travel home for the holiday. The move forces the cancellation of the Amelia Island Gran Prix, also originally scheduled for March.
“When we looked at our schedule and the business and logistics considerations of trying to race so much in March, we just thought to maintain our standards of operations excellence, something had to give,” Parella added.
The rest of the schedule, including the new Pro-Am for NASCAR legends, called the “American Racing Legends Charity Pro-Am,” at Virginia International Raceway on September 22 will move forward as previously announced. Proceeds from the Pro-Am will benefit IGNITE – the Autism Society of North Carolina’s community center for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome. IGNITE was founded by The Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation – a nonprofit established by legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham and his family.
2018 SVRA Schedule
February 16-18 | Bob Williams Heritage Cup Races & Driving School, Roebling Road, GA
March 1-4 | Sebring Vintage Classic, Sebring Intl Raceway, FL, with Trans Am
March 23-25 | High Desert Challenge, Willow Springs, CA, with VARA
March 28-31 | Road Atlanta Grand Prix, Road Atlanta Raceway, with Trans Am
April 27-29 | SoCal Historic Sports Car Festival, Auto Club Speedway, CA, with Trans Am
May 17-20 | Spring Vintage Festival, Road America, WI
May 31-June 3 | Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, Sonoma Raceway, CA, with Trans Am
June 13-17 | Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IN, with Trans Am and SVRA “Indy Legends” Charity Pro-Am
June 21-24 | Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, OH – Featured Marque – Volvo
July 26-29 | Portland Vintage Racing Festival, Portland Intl Raceway, OR, with Trans Am
September 6-9 | U.S. Vintage Grand Prix, Watkins Glen Intl, NY, Featuring Collier Cup MG Race, with Trans Am – Featured Marque – Mini Cooper
September 20-23 | Heacock Classic Gold Cup, Virginia Intl Raceway, VA, with Trans Am, and “American Legends” Pro-Am with NASCAR Legends – Featured Marque – Chevrolet Corvair
October 5-7 | Slaying the Dragon Hill Climb, Robbinsville, NC (pending venue approval)
November 1-4 | US Vintage National Championship, Circuits of The Americas, TX, with Trans Am