July 15, 2009
A summer sojourn of speed.
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
(Posted 7/13, 4:00pm) Detroit. Next weekend marks the annual vintage racing love in at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. Officially known as the Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman - presented by Ford - the mid-July automotive happening is now considered to be one of the premier events on the automotive enthusiast calendar. The bucolic setting of tiny Elkhart Lake combined with the majestic presence of Road America - for my money the most beautiful natural-terrain road racing circuit in the United States - makes for an intoxicating brew of speed, sound, color and automotive history that's simply hard to beat.
This year's event will showcase the Ford GT40, along with over 400 vintage racing car entries from around the country. The story of Ford's foray into international competition in the 60s resonates to this day as the sheer force of Henry Ford II's will - and significant corporate funds - pushed Ford and its racing GT40s (and Mark IIs and Mark IVs) to greatness at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in races around the world. Ford remains the only U.S. manufacturer to win the world's most prestigious road race, having won the 24 Hours of Le Mans four straight years in '66, '67, '68 and '69. To celebrate those glory days Road America has assembled an extraordinary group of historic GT40s, along with a reunion of designers, engineers and drivers who contributed to that era, including event host Brian Redman, David Hobbs, Lee Holman (of Holman and Moody fame) and Mose Nowland.
Ford is also going all out at Road America next weekend by providing a huge display as well as several special treats for the fans in attendance. On Saturday, drivers of Mustangs will be admitted to the event free of charge, and "Mustang Alley" parking will be available all weekend. A special Mustang-only parade lap will take place around the scenic 4.048-mile course late Saturday afternoon. Ford will also host test drives at the track's Briggs & Stratton Motorplex, hot-lap rides of Road America in high-performance Ford cars and ride-alongs with professional drift competitors, including Vaughn Gittin, Jr. Vintage Ford road-racing cars from the Jack Roush personal collection and museum will be on-site all weekend too.
Another major attraction of the weekend is the two-night Concours d’Elegance sponsored by Road & Track featuring more than 100 cars each night. On Friday night competitors make the short run over to downtown Elkhart Lake under police escort - with straight pipes blaring, of course - and then the cars are arrayed around the village streets so that people can swarm over them for a closer look. The cars' raucus return to the race track promptly at eight o'clock is one of the magic moments of the weekend. On Saturday evening the streets of Elkhart Lake are reserved for exotic and interesting street cars, and the crowds are just as thick.
Yes, there are other great vintage racing events over the course of the year - Monterey in August and Watkins Glen in September to name just two - but there's something special about Road America at the mid-point of the summer. Maybe it's the feeling you get in the picture-perfect postcard town of Elkhart Lake itself and the fact that road racing began on the streets there back in 1950. Or maybe it's the fact that the Road America track layout has been untouched since 1955, and the sounds of race engines at full song echoing through the deep forests in the beautiful Kettle Moraine country of Northern Wisconsin never gets old.
I do know one thing for sure about the big vintage weekend at Road America and Elkhart Lake - the summer sojourn of speed as we like to call it around here - it has now achieved that special status enjoyed by only a handful of automotive events around the country each calendar year. And that is it is one of those events you "must do" at least once if you call yourself a True Believer.
(Photo by C. Thomas, longtime Autoextremist reader)
One of two of our Autoextremist billboards at Road America.
See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" hosted by Autoline Detroit's John McElroy, with Peter De Lorenzo and friends this Thursday evening, July 16, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv. By the way, if you'd like to subscribe to the Autoline After Hours podcasts, click on the following links:
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(Ford Racing Archives)
Daytona Beach, Florida, 1966. Dan Gurney (No. 97 Ford GT MK II) leads two Ferraris in his Shelby American-entered Ford GT. The No. 98 Ken Miles/Lloyd Ruby Shelby American Ford GT team car would go on to win the 24 Hours that year.
(Ford Racing Archives)
Sebring, Florida, 1966. The winning Ford GT Mark II roadster driven by Ken Miles/Lloyd Ruby at speed in the 12 Hours of Sebring.
(Ford Racing Archives)
Daytona Beach, Florida, 1966. The supremely talented and lightning quick Ken Miles smiles for a photographer while sitting in pit lane in his Ford GT MK II waiting to go out for practice for the Daytona 24 Hours.