The SVRA’s Entire Father’s Day Weekend At IMS Streamed Live By FloRacing.com
Thirty-three Indianapolis 500 veterans and NASCAR super star Bill Elliott have been paired with some of the top drivers and car owners of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) for this Saturday’s fourth annual Indy Legends Charity Pro Am at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Saturday, June 17 feature event will be covered live through video streaming on FloRacing.com – as will the SVRA’s entire Brickyard Invitational weekend, June 16-18.
“Last year when I heard Paul Tracy step out of Gary Moore’s ’65 Mustang and say, ’These guys are serious as a heart attack,’ I was so proud,” said Tony Parella, SVRA president and CEO. “With so many champion drivers throwing in with us like Al Unser, a four-time Indy 500 winner, I know fans recognize this event has grown into a mainstream date on the American motorsports calendar.”
In addition to Unser, Elliott, and Tracy the Indy Legends Pro-Am field includes big marquee names such as Jimmy Vasser, Geoff Brabham, Roberto Guerrero, Davy Jones, Willy T. Ribbs, Sarah Fisher and Lyn St. James. A full-field list of all drivers and cars is attached. Elliott will share driving duties with legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham in a Carlus Gann owned and prepared 1970 Mustang – red, with the number, “9.”
The field is a deck stacked with champions as every driver has won at some level of motorsport. They represent six Indianapolis 500 victories, seven Indy Car championships, 122 Indy Car race wins, three IROC championships, two overall Le Mans 24 wins, six overall Daytona 24 victories, 23 Trans Am wins and 12 Pikes Peak Hill Climb triumphs. Elliott adds his 1988 NASCAR Cup championship, 44 Cup-level race wins, two Daytona 500s and a win at the Brickyard 400 to the mix. Collectively, the 33 Indy 500 veterans account for 230 starts in the iconic race.
Previous winners of the Indy Legends Pro-Am include Al Unser Jr. and Peter Klutt (2014), Bob Lazier and Jim Caudle (2015), Paul Tracy and Gary Moore (2016) as well as Robby Unser and Andre Ahrle, who also won in 2016. Last year as with this year, the 2016 race was organized into A Production and B Production classifications. Unser and Ahrle won A Production, while Tracy and Moore took home the B Production awards.
The Pro-Am feature is a 45-minute race on the Speedway’s 2.43-mile Grand Prix road course. The cars are racing machines from the “Group 6” SVRA class. As in previous years that will include 1963 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros, Cobras, and Mustangs but also this year Davy Jones and Larry Ligas will share a 1961 Jaguar XKE. As in the previous three years, the professionals and amateur drivers will split stints at the wheel at their discretion.
In addition to the Pro-Am, there will be a festival of other activities including the Motostalgia car auction, the Hagerty Insurance “shine and show” car corral, a motorcycle homage with vintage motorcycle racing and displays, and hundreds of vintage racers ranging over 100 years of automotive history racing in SVRA Groups 1 through 12. Harley-Davidson will formally unveil as the “Official Motorcycle of the SVRA.” In addition, an oval exhibition featuring a racecar show of judged competition for the A.J. Watson and Sir Jack Brabham trophies led by track historian Donald Davidson will take place. Also, for the first time ever, the 51-year-old professional Trans Am series will compete as the Sunday afternoon feature race. Heading the pack will be series champion Amy Ruman who has won the crown the last two years.
Entry List – 2017 Brickyard Invitational Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am
00 A.J. Foyt IV/Chuck Bentley 1967 Camaro Z28 Silver
05 Al Unser/Tony Parella 1972 Corvette Red/White
2 Alex Lloyd/Dave Roberts 1969 Camaro Yellow
3 Sarah Fisher/Kirk Blaha 1969 Corvette Black
3 Jaques Lazier/Sam LeComte 1969 Camaro Red
6 Ricky Treadway/Chris Stillwell 1968 Mustang White
7 Johnny Unser/Shannon Ivey 1967 Camaro SS White
9 Bill Elliott/Ray Evernham 1970 Mustang Boss 302 Red/Black
11 Donnie Beechler/Matt Euson 1965 Shelby GT350 White/Blue
16 Johnny Parsons Jr./Steve Cole 1969 Corvette Black
17 Jimmy Kite/Mark Rife 1969 Corvette Roadster White/Red
18B Pete Halsmer/Alain Vinson 1966 Shelby GT350 White/Blue
23 Max Papis/Curt Vogt 1970 Mustang Boss 302 Blue
27 Ana Biatriz/Phil Mulacek 1966 AC Cobra Blue
27 Bob Lazier/Jim Caudle 1969 Corvette Silver
28 Robby Unser/John McCormick 1965 Cobra Comp R Red
33 Josele Garza/Bob Lima 1969 Corvette White
33 Davey Hamilton/George Del Canto 1969 Mustang Black
36 Willy T. Ribbs/Edwarad Sevadjian 1969 Corvette Gray/White
37 Richie Hearn/Clair Schwendeman 1968 Corvette Roadster Red/White
42 Al Unser Jr./Peter Klutt 1969 Corvette Blue/White
46 Roberto Guerrero/Jody O’Donnell 1969 Corvette Black
61 Davy Jones/Larry Ligas 1961 Jaguar XKE Blue/Red
63 Geoff Brabham /Mike Donohue 1963 Corvette Roadster White
63 Darren Manning/Robert Korzen 1966 Mustang White/Black
64 Dick Simon/James Heck 1964 Corvette Black
73 Cory Witherill /Clark Howey 1966 Corvette Yellow
76 Dennis Firestone/Scott Brady 1969 Corvette White
98 Paul Tracy/Gary Moore 1965 Shelby GT350 White/Blue
125 Jimmy Vasser/Matt Parent 1969 Corvette Roadster Red/Yellow
200 John Martin/Patrick Sessions 1966 Shelby GT350 Green/White
317 Mark Dismore/Scott Hackenson 1967 Mustang Yellow/Black
622 Lyn St. James/Debbie Cloud 1966 Shelby GT350 Green/White
777 Scott Harrington/Doug Oberneyer 1968 Mustang Green