PORTLAND, Ore. (July 27, 2021) – For the second time in as many months, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) once again returned to the Pacific Northwest. This time, drivers had the opportunity to compete on Portland International Raceway, July 22-25. The Portland SpeedTour proved to be a spectacular weekend of racing with beautiful cars and excellent weather. It was certainly a weekend for the memory books with a big crowd, a huge car show, large vintage race groups, racing from the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship, as well as several formula groups that joined SVRA. SVRA also welcomed the 19th Kastner Cup as the featured marque with a large contingency of Triumphs.
Throughout the course of the weekend, 19 different drivers climbed atop the podium after the checkered flag waved.
The weekend saw six drivers sweep their group’s feature races. Peter McKean swept the competition in Group 3 driving his 1967 Alfa Romeo GTV, while Jason Perkins led the way in Group 5A driving his 1987 Swift DB2. In Group 6, it was Erik Dolson driving his 1969 Chevrolet Corvette to victory, while in Group 9 Geir Ramleth led the way in his 1982 Ralt RT4. Group 10 was swept by Ernie Spada in a 1999 Porsche 911 Cup, while Wade Carter led the field in his 1997 Riley-Scott WSC in Group 11.
In Group 7, Richard Duncan took the win driving his 1966 Leonheart Special, whereas John Murray drove his 1990 Mercedes 190 to victory in Group 12B.
William Greenman led Steven Smith to win Group 1’s first feature, but by the time the checkered flag waved on the group’s second feature, it was Steven Smith who took the win. In Group 2 competition, John Hill led the way in the group’s first feature, while John Greeven took the checkered flag to win the group’s second feature. In Group 4, Thor Johnson took the win for feature race 1, while John Rankin, who was third in the first feature, went on to win the group’s second feature race. In Group 5b, Geir Ramleth, who also swept Group 9 competition, drove to victory in the group’s first feature, but by the second feature, it was Jeffrey Newman who was atop the podium. Group 8 had Josh Moriarty trailing Marc Nichols to the checkered flag in the group’s first feature, but by the second feature, Moriarty was able to cross the line first.
With a field full of Triumphs, the Kastner Cup had everything from TR3s to TR4s, TR6s, TR7s, Spitfires and Triumph-powered Devins. The star of the Kastner Cup, however, was the black and white No. 11 1979 Triumph TR7. An SVRA Gold Medallion car, this particular car was the very first TR7 imported into the United States. Owner Curt Johnson drove the car to victory in the first Kastner Cup feature race before handing the wheel over to Joe Huffaker, who drove the car to victory in the Kastner Cup’s second feature race.
For a full list of SVRA’s podium finishers at the Portland SpeedTour, visit SVRA.com.
SVRA heads to Watkins Glen International for the Watkins Glen SpeedTour, the U.S. Vintage Grand Prix, September 8-12, 2021. Joined by the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, the event will be streamed live to SpeedTour Plus+ Pass subscribers on the SVRA App, which is available for download, here: https://nagrasports.app.link/YHkRxfOxq7.
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 Motor 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 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. Most SVRA races will be live-streamed on the SVRA app.