SEBRING, Fla. (February 23, 2025) – The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) community came together on Saturday evening to celebrate its 2024 champions while kicking off a new race season at Sebring International Raceway during the Sebring SpeedTour. The event honored all of SVRA’s 2024 Sprint and Endurance champions, while also recognizing a series of drivers and mechanics through a group of special awards, including the SVRA Driver of The Year.
Honorees were joined by Tony Parella, Founder of Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH), SVRA’s parent company, as well as Lee Giannone, who joined PMH as CEO earlier this month. SVRA’s Competition Director Alex Miller joined the program to host a conversation with Lyn St. James, who is serving as the Sebring SpeedTour Grand Marshal this weekend.
“What a special night gathering the SVRA community and celebrating our champions,” said Michael Printup, COO of Parella Motorsports Holdings and President of SVRA. “The camaraderie and sportsmanship among this group is second to none, and that’s just one of the reasons why SVRA continues to be the premiere vintage racing organization in the country. As we celebrate all of last year’s accomplishments, we’re thrilled to be back in Sebring to kick off another great season of racing.”
The highlight of the evening was honoring Scott Fraser as the 2024 SVRA Driver of The Year. The longtime SVRA competitor earned the honor after a vote by previous Driver of The Year honorees, which considers a driver’s skill, safety, sportsmanship and consistent performance. The 41st driver in SVRA history to receive the honor, Fraser was presented with a trophy, a painting of his Austin Healey Sprite and Dodge Charger, a special badge that denotes the year of the honor, and he will have his name added to the perpetual trophy that is on display at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Rene Tercilla was named the 2024 Most Improved Driver. Driving a 2017 Ford FP350S in Group 12A, Tercilla finished first overall in SVRA’s Sprint Series championship point standings and earned the Group 12A Sprint Series Championship after recording 16 wins during the 2024 season.
In SVRA’s overall Sprint Series standings, Rene Tercilla (2017 Ford FP350S) was honored as the champion with 338 points. John Nash (1961 Lotus Super Seven), the 2023 SVRA Driver of The Year, finished second with 233 points, and Todd Strong (1971 Titan Mk6) ranked third with 224 points.
Todd Strong (1971 Titan Mk6) also took home the trophy for the Group 2 championship, while John Nash(1961 Lotus Super Seven) won Group 3. Bill Schwacke (1955 Chevrolet Corvette) was first in Group 4 and Mark Clark (1990 Swift DB5) netted the Group 5A title. Eric Ritchie (1967 Chevrolet Corvette) won Group 6A, Scott Shadel (1969 Chevrolet Camaro) took Group 6B and Colby Hillman (1969 Chevrolet Corvette) earned the championship in Group 6GT. Mark Hannifin (2007 NuArt CanAm) finished first in Group 7, with Edmund Germaine (1973 BMW 2002) taking Group 8. Travis Engen (2001 Lola T97/20) was the Group 9 champion, while Group 10GT was won by Manuel Gil del Real (2023 Porsche GT3). Michael Leptuck (2008 Chevrolet Monte Carlo) took Group 10SC, and Garry Gray (2013 Radical Sr-8) won Group 11. In addition to winning the Sprint Series overall, Rene Tercilla (2017 Ford FP350S) was the Group 12A champion, while Ron Pawley (2004 Lexus IS300) took Group 12B.
In the SVRA Endurance Series, Larry Lunda (1970 Porsche 914) was honored as the overall champion with 78 points, as well as the Group 8 Champion. Jeffrey Butzer (1975 Porsche 914/4) earned the Group 3 title, and Travis Engen (2005 Audi R8 LMP) was named the Group 11 Champion. In addition, both drivers tied for second place in the overall Endurance Series point standings.
In addition to all the drivers that were honored throughout the evening, a pair of mechanics were also recognized for their dedication to the sport. Chad Raynal, a Historic Trans Am mechanic, was named the Professional Mechanic of the Year. Raynal, who owns a Historic Trans Am car himself, restores the celebrated cars to their period, presenting some of the most authentic cars in the paddock. Additionally, Scott Bowes was honored as the Amateur Mechanic of the Year. Bowes worked on Tercilla’s championship-winning effort, responsible for 16 wins and the Sprint Series Championship last season.
SVRA takes to the track for one last day of racing at the Sebring SpeedTour today. Several of the races will be live streamed on the SpeedTour TV YouTube channel. Next up on SVRA’s schedule is the Buttonwillow SpeedTour at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, March 14-16, followed by the Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, March 20-23. Registration for both events is open now at SVRA.com.