SVRA Surges Forward with Record Number of Race Weekends
Southlake, TX (October 19, 2020) – Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) today announced a 17-race schedule for 2021, affirming its resilience in the face of the pandemic-produced global business challenges. SVRA’s vintage racing, contemporary sports cars, and other features present the most diverse and exciting array of race car design and engine sounds in the world and continues to generate growth in sponsorship and membership.
The 2021 schedule boasts 17 SpeedTour race weekends, a record number in SVRA’s 42-year history. New to the schedule are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Brainerd International Raceway, and Utah Motorsports Campus. The schedule also includes an unprecedented number of West Coast events starting with Auto Club Speedway in February. Also, West Coast weekends will include a return after a three-year hiatus to Sonoma Raceway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and Portland International Raceway. Most of the races will be live-streamed on the SVRA app.
Another feature of the schedule is its design to allow racers a single tow between tracks within the same region on successive weekends. The approach provides SVRA members with a convenient and economical way to plan a vacation road trip over two weekends. “Single Tow” weekends begin in February with Sebring International Raceway and Homestead, in March with Charlotte and Road Atlanta, and then again between Laguna Seca and Sonoma in April.
“I could not be more pleased with how my team has risen to the challenges of 2020,” said SVRA CEO Tony Parella. “We navigated a gauntlet, and we are determined to deliver a new season and return to normal weekends as much as possible. So many of our fans have contacted us about attending our SpeedTour races, and we look forward to the day we can welcome them back at every venue.”
Notably missing from the expanded schedule is the Brickyard Invitational held since 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Parella explains that he built the event around the Vintage Race of Champions (VROC), which is now on hold due to fan attendance uncertainty.
“We built the Brickyard Invitational around the Pro-Am racing,” says Parella. “Our first-ever Pro-Am occurred at IMS in 2014, and we need that element for the weekend to make sense. I will be regrouping with the IMS team in January to explore options in 2022.”
The SpeedTour formula is appealing to sponsors. Among the premier brands supporting SVRA are Jaguar, Land Rover, NetJets, Avis, Mazda Motorsports, Big Machine Vodka, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bell Helmets, Remington, TireRack.com, RACELOGIC, Cook Wealth Management, EAROS, Hawk Performance and Marathon Coach. SVRA’s nationwide platform is at the heart of the organization’s growth strategy. The national platform combines with the significant participation of legendary professional drivers and the high net worth demographic in the paddock to attract sponsors. This strategy provides three pillars for business expansion.
About SVRA: Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is the premier vintage racing organization in the United States. Founded in 1978, SVRA has grown steadily to 2,500 active members with a database of over 11,000 race cars. Race weekends take place at some of the finest racing venues in the United States, including Charlotte Speedway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Sebring International Raceway, Road America, Watkins Glen International, Michelin Road Atlanta Raceway, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Portland International Raceway, Auto Club Speedway, Lime Rock Park, Sonoma Raceway and Virginia International Raceway (VIR). In 2013, SVRA hosted the first U.S. Vintage Racing National Championships at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas—a tradition it continues today. Find additional information on SVRA, a complete annual schedule, and entry lists on the SVRA website. Be sure to check our Facebook page and YouTube channel, which currently boast a library of over 300 action-packed event videos, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
2021 SVRA Schedule
February 5-7 Auto Club Speedway
February 18-21 Sebring International
February 26-28 Homestead-Miami Speedway
March 18-21 Charlotte Motor Speedway
March 25-28 Michelin Road Atlanta
April 23-25 Sonoma Raceway
April 28-May 2 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
May 13-16 Road America
May 28-31 Lime Rock Park
June 24-27 Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course
July 15- 18 Brainerd International Raceway
July 23-25 Portland International Raceway
September 9- 12 Watkins Glen International
September 23-26 Virginia International Raceway
October 7-10 Utah Motorsports Campus
October 22-24 Savannah Speed Festival
November 4-7 Circuit of The Americas