Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival_Quiet Sonoma Valley Roars with Cool Vintage Cars

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Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival Starts Tomorrow

 

Quiet Sonoma Valley Roars with Cool Vintage Cars

 

SONOMA, CALIF.  (June 4, 2010) - California's serene Sonoma Valley,
typically reserved for sip-and-savor winery tours, has come alive with the
roar of vintage race cars.  Today, 375 entries in the Sonoma Historic
Motorsports Festival <http://www.sonomahistorics.com/>  practiced and
prepared for this weekend's racing at Infineon Raceway
<http://www.infineonraceway.com/> , certain to be a treat for connoisseurs
of everything sophisticated and fine.  

 

"We have hosted an historic event in the wine country for 24 years," said
Steve Earle of General Racing, which organizes the historic races, "but this
is a new event.  It's bigger and better."

 

Bigger means an increase in number of cars by more than 30%, which in and of
itself takes the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival to a whole new level,
adding more color, more excitement as 13 competition groups--identified by
era dating from pre-World War I to the 1990s--take to Infineon Raceway's
2.52 mile road course.  In addition to watching the cars in motion and
getting up-close-and-personal with drivers and their cars in the paddock
area, spectators will enjoy a rare opportunity to preview three
extraordinary cars delivered by the event's hospitality sponsor Gooding
<http://www.goodingco.com/>  & Company, the internationally celebrated
automotive auction house.  The cars--a winning 1956 Maserati 200 SI raced by
Sir Stirling Moss; an award-winning 1951 Ferrari 340 America from the estate
of devoted enthusiast Mr. Gil Nickel; and a stunning 1949 Talbot-Lago T-26
Racing Monoplace that won the 1950 Paris Grand Prix-- will be auctioned at
Gooding & Company's Pebble Beach Auctions in August. 

 

A Gentleman and a Driver

Though the cars are the stars, on many occasion a star arrives in the form
of a driver.  One such driver at this year's Sonoma Historic Motorsports
Festival is John Morton from El Segundo, Calif.  Morton's love for
motorsports began as a teen when he and his father attended his first road
race at Road America in 1957. His impression from that weekend was such that
he resolved to race cars one day.  In 1963, he purchased a Lotus Super 7,
followed by a Lotus 23SR the following year. He went on to join Peter
Brock's Datsun team, which won the Trans-Am 2.5 liter Championship in 1971
and 1972.  His early success in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing led
to impressive drives in Formula 5000, Can-Am and IMSA GTP, and after nine
attempts at Le Mans, John snagged victory in 1994.

 

"I have a real affection for the history of racing and at these vintage
races," said Morton when asked what it's like to get into these old cars
after having such a distinguished professional career in motor sports.  "I
get to participate in history. " 

For the next couple of days he will be one busy guy racing not one but three
vintage race cars in three different race groups.  On Saturday June 5th he
will drive the 1964 Lotus 23SR now owned by Tom Griffiths.  This is the very
car John bought in 1964 and raced in SCCA until 1968.  On Sunday he will
drive the beautiful 1958 Scarab SR that John saw Lance Reventlow and Chuck
Day race that year and is now entered by Miles C. Collier for John to drive.
He'll then rush to the next race group to drive the 1964 Sunbeam Tiger
entered by Buck Trippel.   

 

"Racing here at Infineon Raceway with General Racing is always one of our
favorite events of the year," said Morton.  "It's a fun event and always so
well organized.  I think Infineon Raceway is the most demanding race course
in the country.  I don't see how those NASCAR guys can drive on a hot day
that long on this track.  This is the toughest track for driver fatigue; you
are always busy, and there is just no rest."

 

The Car that Never Was

Sometimes great concepts are conceived but not completed for decades, like
Dick DeLuna's 1917 Hall-Scott, which he will race here.  In 1917, a certain
Colonel Hall planned to build his Hall-Scott racer for that year's
Vanderbilt Cup Race, but because the United States entered World War I that
year, the factory had to turn all its efforts to building engines for
military bi-planes, thus the car was never built.  

 

"This car was created based on original plans and drawings that we were able
to get hold of," said DeLuna, adding that it is based on a 1917 REO frame
with an inner frame that drops the engine down so the driver can see.  "All
the running gear is 1917 REO with a 1 to 1 ratio rear end.  With a 125
horsepower engine at 1200 rpm and a three-speed transmission we have had
this car up to 89 mph.  It has a steel frame and all-aluminum body.  The
brakes are only at the rear with the emergency brake on the drive shaft,
which aids in stopping."  

 

When asked how his Hall-Scott handled the turns at Infineon Raceway, DeLuna
said, "It's a bit like driving a big truck out there, so when I come in my
shoulders hurt.  Also, because it operates at such a low rpm it's hard to
hear, and if you don't watch your rpm gauge and speedometer, it can easily
get away from you.  It takes a lot to turn this car and after five or six
laps the brakes start to go away, so you have to start using the emergency
brakes.  It's a real fun car; I have taken it to the Goodwood Festival of
Speed in England, and it was a real crowd pleaser there."  

 

Like a fine wine that needs to be aged, the 1917 Hall-Scott was finished in
1999 and took 82 plus years to come of age.

"I think the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival is great," said DeLuna.
"Steve (Earle) does a fantastic job and will turn the Sonoma Historic
Motorsports Festival into one of the premier events of its type in the
country."

 

Highlights for Fans:  Among the other attractions for fans at the Sonoma
<http://www.sonomahistorics.com/>  Historic Motorsports Festival will be a
special Celebrate Sonoma Day on Saturday, chat sessions with drivers and
organizers, and the Wine Country Pavilion, which will feature some of the
best food and wine Sonoma and Napa have to offer, with noted Bay Area chef
Victor Scargle headlining.  

Another highlight of the weekend will be the Sonoma Valley Race Car Festival
on Saturday evening, which will feature 30 of the event's vintage vehicles
on public display during a wine and food tasting at the Foley Family
(formerly Sebastiani) winery at 389 Fourth St. E., from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00
p.m. The cars will have created a separate spectacle on their parade from
Infineon Raceway to the venue.  The event benefits the Speedway
<http://www.infineonraceway.com/raceway/community/speedway_childrens_chariti
es/>  Children's Charities, and tickets ($35) can be obtained from Infineon
Raceway or at Sonoma Plaza on the evening of the event.

For tickets, visit www.infineonraceway.com or call 1-800-870-RACE.   For
additional information on the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, visit
http://www.sonomahistorics.com/.

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