Track Facts:
Circuit: World Wide Technology Raceway
Length: 1.6 miles / eight-turn road course
Race Direction: Counter-clockwise
Spectator Gates:
Friday, September 22 – 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 23 – 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Action-Packed Weekend of Family Fun
The Gateway SpeedTour brings the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) and Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli to World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), September 22-23. Featuring on-track action from some of the top road racing series in America, the event will feature even more cars in the Hagerty Cars and Caffeine Car Show, which will include a 70th birthday celebration for Corvette. The family-friendly event offers free admission for kids ages 12 and under with a paid adult, as well as countless activities for the family to do together—watching the races, roaming through the open paddocks, touching the cars, meeting the drivers, participating in the fan walks, collecting autographs, admiring cars at the car show, enjoying the food trucks, vendor row and more.
SVRA’s First Stop at Gateway
While car culture has strong roots in St. Louis, the 2023 Gateway SpeedTour will mark SVRA’s first race in the region. Six decades of automotive history will be featured on the track with two days of on-track action.
Celebrating Corvette
Join us to celebrate the 70th birthday of Corvette in its birthplace! For 27 years, as it became an American icon, Corvettes were made in St. Louis, Mo., just 10 miles from where World Wide Technology Raceway stands today. Corvette will be the featured marque of the Gateway SpeedTour, and the model will also be highlighted throughout Saturday’s Hagerty Cars and Caffeine Car Show. A special Corvette-only ticket offer will provide owners with a $50 car show entry, including two adult weekend tickets, premium parking in the car show location on Saturday, along with parade laps on the World Wide Technology Raceway circuit.
Trans Am Returns to St. Louis
It’s been 38 years since the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli last visited the St. Louis area, having raced at the St. Louis International Raceway in 1985, which was a different circuit situated on the same property as today’s World Wide Technology Raceway. Two-time Trans Am Champion Wally Dallenbach Jr. visited victory lane that day.
The St. Louis region also holds a historically significant place in Trans Am’s history. In 1966, for just the second-ever Trans Am race, the series visited Mid-America Raceway in Wentzville, Mo., located just 45 minutes west of St. Louis. Tom Yeager and Bob Johnson teamed up to win the Over 2.0-Liter class in that event, while Horst Kwech and Gus Audrey won the Under 2.0-Liter category.
Local Celebrity Returns
St. Louis native Ben Cissell stands out as a star among the SpeedTour staff, but back in his hometown of St. Louis, he’s a star of the Walk of Fame. Cissell grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Parkway West High School before taking the world by storm. In 1995, after spending one year studying music at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, he joined the Christian rock band Audio Adrenaline as the lead drummer and went on to travel the world. Regular performers at the annual Creation Festival, Spirit West Coast Festival, Agape Music Festival and Alive Festival, Cissell was with the band as they recorded six studio albums, sold over four million albums, received five Grammy nominations and two Grammy wins, and were awarded six GMA Dove Awards. He remained a member of Audio Adrenaline until the group disbanded in 2006. In 1999, Cissell was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame; he is also an honoree in the Parkway Hall of Fame.
About SpeedTour: SpeedTour hosts motorsports festivals encompassing America’s top road racing series at the most prestigious race tracks in North America. Competition includes the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli (Trans Am), Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), Formula Regional Americas Powered by Honda (FR Americas), Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda (F4 U.S.), Prototype Sprint Series Association (PSSA), International GT (IGT) and more. Trans Am, FR Americas and F4 U.S. are all sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, which is also related to the SpeedTour through a long-term agreement to the commercial rights to brand and operate SCCA Pro Racing. With 21 events on the 2023 schedule, SpeedTour will exceed 5,500 entries. Between racing, concerts and car shows, SpeedTour events often attract more than 25,000 spectators. Additional marketing and promotional opportunities for SpeedTour are available through SpeedTour Quarterly, a magazine delivered in both print and digital formats, and on SpeedTour TV, a live streaming platform. Learn more about SpeedTour by visiting SpeedTour.net.