The SVRA Vintage Racing 2022 Speed Tour starts at Sebring, the crucible of Corvette Racing
Action kicked off in late February under clear skies and 80-degree weather at the historic Sebring circuit consisting of runways once used at the former Hendricks Field WWII training base.
To no surprise, Scott Borchetta keeps beating everyone in SVRA Group 6.
Scott is not known to stand still. Check out the stunning new livery, just as his car appeared when its original owner, Pan Am pilot Curt Wetzel raced it overseas in Germany in the early 1970s.
This car was designed and built by the late Greg Seifert of Troy Promotions under the direction of Corvette HOF Tony DeLorenzo of the famed Owens Corning Team.
# 37 Clair Schwendeman, Duntov Motors “poster child” gets better and better taking 2nd with a stellar performance; # 4 Ray Zisa won group 12a; # 90 Jeff Bernatovich won his class in Group 10 and # 33 John Reisman Corvette DPi won group 11.
Call it unbridaled enthusiasm. We’re all humans. A racing weekend rarely goes by without incidents like the one in Group 6 race 1 that took out the beautiful fast # 61 E Jag of Larry Ligas by the equally beautiful fast # 66 Grand Sport of Walo Bertschinger who officials found at fault and was sent packing.
# 35 Louis Guerro, making his first start was back in the pack, kind of as expected, yet spotted slicing through the field in race 2. Instead it was Alan Sevadjian, Duntov Motors car builder, mentor and co-driver. Finished 4th, mystery solved, great fun.
Jim Heck’s # 64 race car and his 1963 Split Window fuelie coupe he drove over from Ft Myers were a rare feast to behold. Unfortunately, a broken tranny in his race car reduced him to a spectator for the weekend.
# 11 Jim Glass managed to get his 1965 roadster fixed and win his class in Group 6. # 33 Woody Smith in his 1969 roadster returned after time off to re-build his car keeping the “peas & Carrots” look.
# 11 Jon Miller’s 1990 World Challenge Corvette won his class in group 12b; and # 63 Patrick Sessions was a DNF in group 6.
Car Shows hosted by Hagerty on Saturday Feb 26 were a huge treat. The # 6 C2 & C3 FIA Daytona race cars from George Haddad (Fabulous Restorations), the # 9 1989 Corvette Challenge of Dan Barr and the # 99 1963 IMSA Fast Phil Currin SWC were among 100 or more beauties organized by Shawn Jones, Corvette Invasion that were displayed in the Corvette Corral by turn 17.
Across the way, an eye-popping # 75 Greenwood “fantasy driver” from Russ Stoiber, # 77 wide-body from Locke McCormick and a 1954 LS powered resto-mod stood out among 50 +/- Corvettes mingled among a larger group of marques.
RIP, William Hubbell, 53 of Miami, a fixture in vintage racing, a fun character and business success has left us all too soon. We owe him for good times. Shown above with Eric Curran, close friend and racing mentor, and followers.
Photos thanks to Rich Martin, Larry VanScoy, Chuck Anderson
