Tag Archive for: VARAC

2012 Canadian Historic Grand Prix – June 15 – 17, 2012

The Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada (VARAC) will hold its 33rd Annual Vintage Racing Festival , renamed for 2012 as the “Canadian Historic Grand Prix” at the world-renowned Mosport International Raceway, June 15 to 17, 2012. This technically demanding, very fast 2.459 mile track and former home to the Formula One Grand Prix, Can-Am, Trans-Am and Formula 5000 is just one hour northeast of Toronto.

Corvette will be the featured marque for 2012. Corvette racing cars from across Canada and the United States will descend on the Clarington track for the second major historic Corvette focus event following the very successful Corvette World Tribute held at Road America in Wisconsin this past August.

In addition to Corvette racing, VARAC will make High Performance Driving and Touring sessions on the Grand Prix track available to Corvette owners and there will also be lots of activities both on and off the track for Corvette Clubs and other enthusiasts including a Saturday rally/tour of the area.

To make the weekend even better for Corvette enthusiasts, Canadian racing driver and Corvette legend, Ron Fellows has tentatively agreed to act as Grand Marshall for this prestigious event.

There will be racing for six groups of cars including Monoposto (single seat open-wheel vintage & historic race cars), Small Bore Vintage & Historic Cars (under 1800cc), Big Bore Vintage & Historic Cars (over 1800cc), Wings & Slicks (very fast purpose-built racing cars running on slick tires), G70+ Cars (cars dating from 1973 to 1989 including Porsches, Mustangs, etc.) and of course Corvettes.

The weekend will also play host to the only Canadian round of the Small Bore Challenge Cup, an enduro series for small bore vintage & historic racing cars.

VARAC extends a special invitation to all drivers, crew, marshalls, volunteers and media involved with racing in past years to join in the Mosport Racer’s Reunion on Sunday. This will be a great opportunity to re-connect with old friends and celebrate the history of Canadian racing. Former Canadian National Champion, Gary Magwood will host the “Legends of Mosport” driver’s reunion and many of Canada’s racing greats will be in attendance.

The VARAC Festival is about more than racing. This year VARAC has added a new event on Friday evening – the “Checkered Flag Charity Cruise”, which is open to all criusers with proceeds going to the VARAC charity. The cruise will be held on the Start/Finish Straight of the famed racing circuit and will give participants and spectators alike a glimpse of the excitement surrounding this race weekend. The public is encouraged to come out for the cruise as well and join the party.

Other features of the weekend include Canada’s largest Mini gathering, Mini Meet North as well as the very popular “Field of Dreams” car show that welcomes sports cars and hot-rods and car clubs from far and wide with Sunday noon parade laps on-track. Entry to the car show and parade laps is free! That’s a lot of action and a super value!

Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the VARAC Canadian Historic Grand Prix where you are encouraged to take it all in. Walk through the paddock and get up close to the cars and drivers who will be happy to greet you. Youngsters will enjoy meeting the drivers and being photographed with the race cars. Enjoy free camping. Explore the booths of vendors of all types. Within the park you’ll also find good food and beverage and modern comfort facilities.

Vintage racer, cruiser, motorsport enthusiast, sports car or Corvette owner, you won’t want to miss this event! Be sure to put it on your calendar today, June 15,16,17, 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

October 2011 Pit Signals

The 2011 Pit Signals newsletter for VARAC members, and visitors to the VARAC website, was released today. Written primarily by members, it includes stories about Abarth gear problems, reviews of the CASC Celebration in October 2011, the Mont Tremblant Fall Festival as well as different perspectives of the Lime Rock Vintage Festival.

The full download is available here.

2011 BARC Labour Day Races

Vintage Racing – BARC – Labour Day Races 2011 – Mosport International Raceway

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”100″ gal_title=”2011 BARC Labour Day Races”]

NOTE: The Photographs in this Gallery were provided free of charge to VARAC by many talented photographers who follow our sport. In particular, we thank Bob Harrington, Vic Henderson, Peter Viccary and Radu Repanovici for their outstanding generosity in supplying these photographs for non commercial use

July 2011 Vintage Racer

July 2011 Vintage Racer

The post 2011 Festival edition of the Vintage Racer was released today, 6th July 2011.

In this feature packed edition, Jeremy Sale, our Editor, brings us stories from the 2011 Festival and some of the cars that were there, as well as an interesting article on Racing 50 years ago.

Finally, there’s an article on VARAC Member, and Indy Racer, James Hinchcliff, who is racing at the Toronto Indy this coming weekend.

You can download your copy HERE.

2011 VARAC Vintage Racing Festival

Vintage Racing Festival 2011 – Mosport International Raceway

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”90″ gal_title=”2011 VARAC Vintage Festival – Radu”]

NOTE: The Photographs in this Gallery were provided free of charge to VARAC by many talented photographers who follow our sport. In particular, we thank Bob Harrington, Vic Henderson, Peter Viccary and Radu Repanovici for their outstanding generosity in supplying these photographs for non commercial use

VARAC has added a new event-Checkered Flag Charity Cruise

June 9, 2011 – The Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada (VARAC) will hold its 33rd Annual Vintage Racing Festival at world-renowned Mosport International Raceway, June 17, 18, 19, 2011. This technically demanding, very fast 2.459 mile track is just one hour northeast of Toronto. This year’s Vintage Festival features the “Cars of Italy” and “Those Amazing Porsches”.

This summer VARAC joins with Mosport to celebrate the tracks 50th year of hosting world-class racing including Formula One, Indy cars, USAC, Can-Am and Trans-Am and more recently the North American Le Mans Series. In June 1961 the track opened the gates for its first major race, the Player’s 200 for sports cars. The race attracted over 40,000 spectators and was won by Stirling Moss in his 2.5 litre Coventry Climax-powered Lotus 19. In the following years a small selection of the famous drivers who competed at Mosport would include; A.J. Foyt, Denny Hulme, Bruce McLaren, John Surtees, Mark Donohue, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Bobby Unser, Roger Penske, Dan Gurney, Jackie Ickx, Jackie Stewart and many, many others, including of course the great Gilles Villeneuve, who made what would turn out to be his last appearance at the track, as he drove a Ferrari in the 1977 Labatt Grand Prix won by Jody Scheckter in the Canadian Wolf. Even the great World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio drove at Mosport, in a bizarre celebrity Mini race.

 

In addition to the “Cars of Italy” and “Those Amazing Porsches” there will be plenty of other classes and cars to see from the golden era of racing; Jaguars, Fiats, Triumphs, Daimlers, Alfas, Minis, Lotus, Austin-Healeys, Sadlers, Sunbeams and many, many more including formula cars and sports racing cars. The 2011 VARAC Vintage Racing Festival celebrates the glory days of grassroots sports car racing with three full days of spectacular on-track action. Hundreds of cars and drivers from all over Canada and the US will contend with this challenging race track as it rises and falls through the beautiful park setting, competing just for the thrill, the fun and bragging rights, in true amateur fashion.

The VARAC Festival is about more than racing. This year VARAC has added a new event on Friday evening – the “Checkered Flag Charity Cruise”, which is open to anyone for a two dollar donation per car to the VARAC charity.  The cruise will be held on the Start/Finish Straight of the famed racing circuit and will give participants and spectators alike a glimpse of the excitement surrounding this race weekend.  The public is encouraged to come out for the cruise as well and join the party with admission being only the donation to the charity.

Other features of the weekend include largest Mini gathering, Mini Meet North as well as the “Field of Dreams” car show that welcomes sports cars and hot-rods and car clubs from far and wide with Sunday noon parade laps on-track. Entry to the car show and parade laps is free! That’s a lot of action and a super value!

Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the VARAC Vintage Racing Festival where you are encouraged to take it all in. Walk through the paddock and get up close to the cars and drivers who will be happy to greet you. Youngsters will enjoy meeting the drivers and being photographed with the race cars. Enjoy free camping. Explore the booths of vendors of all types. Within the park you’ll also find good food and beverage and modern comfort facilities.

Vintage racer, motorsport enthusiast or sports car owner, you won’t want to miss this event! Be sure to put it on your calendar today, June 17, 18, 19, 2011. For more information see our Festival section.

Attached, please find a vintage racing photo.

 

For more info, contact Bob DeShane, Promotions Director, VARAC 705-878-5422 days or 705-878-3940 evenings – email: [email protected]

Mosport 50th Anniversary

MOSPORT 50th ANNIVERSARY

By Jeremy Sale.

The 32nd VARAC Festival is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the

opening of Mosport by featuring “The Cars of Italy” and “Porsches”.

Some great Vintage, Historic and Group 70+ cars will be on track and

believe it or not, some of the drivers who raced here in 1961 are

racing with us at the Festival!

 

The drivers who competed here “in the day” are perhaps a little more

vintage than the cars they are driving but their great enthusiasm for

racing is still present. So today some are racing, some working, some

spectating, but all are celebrating this 50th anniversary. So please

come along to welcome back Walt MacKay, Frank Mount, Jack

Boxstrom, John Greenwood, Oliver Clubine, Al Pease, Gord Green, Phil

Lamont, Tony Simms and all of those who were here in 1961.

 

We salute all the drivers in vintage racing, but as they say “The cars are the stars!”

So at the Festival, you’ll be able to take a walk around the paddock for

a close-up look at all the cars and chat to the drivers. They are always

more than pleased to tell you the stories behind these great vintage

racecars or have the kids get their picture taken behind the wheel.

 

We hope you’ll enjoy your visit – if you do, why  not join us?

VARAC membership is open to anyone who shares our desire to preserve,

restore, race… or just watch historically important cars. Ask any

VARAC member or check us out on the membership tab.