Field Of 28 Drivers Set For SVRA’s March 30 Charity Pro-Am Presented By RACER Magazine
Southlake, TX (March 28, 2019) – Dorsey Schroeder’s entry today in Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s (SVRA) first-ever Vintage Race of Champions (VROC) Charity Pro-Am Presented By RACER Magazine at Road Atlanta sets the field for this Saturday’s event. The addition of Schroeder further strengthens a stout roster of champions that also includes Al Unser, Jr., Geoff Brabham, Davy Jones, Mike Skinner, Greg Biffle, and Willy T. Ribbs. Twenty-eight professional and amateur drivers will begin a six-month chase for the VROC series points championship. VROC charity pro-am races are also planned for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August, and Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in September. At stake are championship trophies for both amateur and professional racers.
“All of us at SVRA are thrilled to get this unique VROC series celebrating great champions and helping charity underway,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “It’s always an honor to work with and develop friendships among true legends, but what is truly special is to assist such great charities as Hope For the Warriors (HFTW) in their good works.”
The new Road Atlanta Charity Pro-Am will support HFTW, a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance to combat-wounded service members, their families, and families of those killed in action. The organization focuses on those involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and their families. The Road Atlanta Speed Tour race weekend will kick off HFTW’s Month of the Military Child.
Schroeder is an accomplished road racer with NASCAR credentials in both Cup and Trucks. He was Trans Am champion in his rookie year in 1989 with six race wins. One of the drivers to beat in the 1990s, he accumulated 11 more Trans Am victories for a career total of 17, ranking him among the sport’s elite in history. In 1990 he focused on the IMSA GT Championship and became GTO class champion with three wins. All that success earned him an invitation to compete in the exclusive IROC series in 1990 and 1991. Schroeder’s mastery was apparent from the beginning of his career when in 1971 at age 19 he became the first driver under 21 to be awarded an SCCA national license. After wrapping up his driving career he served for several years as a TV motorsports analyst for top-level professional American sports car racing. Until recently he was Race Director for the Pirelli World Challenge Series and currently serves as Chief Steward for the professional Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli.
The full list of drivers appears below.
1. Al Unser, Jr., Peter Klutt, AP /Corvette
2. Willy T. Ribbs, Edward Sevadjian, AP /Corvette
3. Lyn St. James, Craig Ross, BP/ Mustang
4. Davey Hamilton, George Delcanto, BP/ Mustang
5. Max Papis, John Cloud, BP/ Mustang
6. Davy Jones, Shannon Ivey, BP/Camaro
7. Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Debbie Cloud, BP/Camaro
8. Geoff Brabham, Jim Caudle, BP/ Corvette
9. Ron Fellows, Dave Roberts, BP/ Camaro
10. Mike Skinner, Sam LeComte, AP/ Camaro
11. Greg Biffle, Gary Moore, BP/Mustang
12. Dorsey Schroeder, John McCormick, BP/Cobra
13. Johnny Parsons Jr, Jim Heck, BP/Corvette
14. Chris Dyson, Alan Sevadjian, AP/Corvette
The combined experience of this elite field of drivers spans all the major categories of auto racing such as Formula One, Indy car, 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, the three major NASCAR series, World of Outlaws, and short track racing in general. Six of them received invitations to the elite IROC series. Collectively, they account for two Indianapolis 500 wins, two Indy car championships, 37 Indy car victories, and an overall win in the Le Mans 24. This group also has garnered five overall Daytona 24 victories and two in the 12 Hours of Sebring as well as two IROC championships. In NASCAR, this field represents 21 Cup wins, 24 in Xfinity, and 46 more in the Truck series. There are two Truck series championships and another in Xfinity represented. Two drivers scored wins at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. In Trans Am, which is also part of the Road Atlanta Speed Tour weekend, drivers in this field have amassed 50 Trans Am victories and two championships.
SVRA officials have set a goal of expanding the VROC series to five races with a television package and entitlement sponsor by 2020. As with previous pro-am races, the cars are 1963 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros, and Mustangs of SVRA “Group 6” A and B Production.
In addition to the new Pro-Am, the professional Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli will join SVRA at Road Atlanta. Trans Am and SVRA continue to leverage growth for both series by sharing the stage at top road courses across the country. International GT with its big fields of contemporary GT racers will also bring their fast-paced action to the weekend. This approach, called, “Speed Tour,” delivers a motorsports festival atmosphere. Fans can expect more of the Hagerty Insurance “Cars & Caffeine” car corrals and a marketplace of accessory, memorabilia, art, and apparel vendors. The event includes an entire weekend of racing with hundreds of vintage cars competing in a variety of classifications. A Porsche Reunion will also bring a strong gathering of outstanding Porsche race cars.