SOUTHLAKE, Texas (December 21, 2020) – Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) crowned its 2020 Sprint Series, Enduro Series and Miata Heritage Cup champions after a successful season. With an unprecedented year of travel restrictions and safety regulations, SVRA wrote and re-wrote its schedule to successfully host eight event weekends across the country, each offering two feature races for every race group. Hosting events at Auto Club Speedway, Roebling Road Raceway, Sebring International Raceway, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Virginia International Raceway (“VIR”), Circuit of The Americas (“COTA”) and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, SVRA crossed the country giving competitors the opportunity to race their prized vintage race cars from coast to coast.
“I want to congratulate all of this season’s champions,” said Tony Parella, CEO of SVRA. “I’m thankful that we were able to have eight full events during such a challenging time, and that we had the support of our racers, staff and partners to make it such a successful year. Honestly, anyone who joined us to race during these uncertain times is a champion in my eyes. Despite the pandemic, we were able to put together a season of safe, socially distant, competitive racing. It’s an exciting time to be a part of vintage racing and I can’t wait to see what next year holds.”
With over 2,400 racers taking the green flag this season, it all came down to points for the winners of the Sprint Series Championships. To compete for the championship, drivers were required to race in a minimum of three events and complete at least 50% of the race’s total laps. Points were awarded to first through 10th place in every race that included at least three drivers per class.
In the true vintage racing spirit, SVRA recognized the podium finishers for the overall Sprint Series championship with the three drivers that accumulated the most points throughout the entire 2020 season.
Scott Fraser, a Group 1 competitor driving a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite was awarded the overall Sprint Series Championship. Having competed in 12 feature races, he finished on the podium in all but one race. With seven wins and four runner-up finishes, Fraser took home his first-ever SVRA Sprint Series championship.
Finishing second overall was Skott Burkland, SVRA’s 2019 Driver of the Year. Racing his 1969 Porsche 911 in Group 8, Burkland was on the podium in each of his 12 races with six wins, four runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes.
In his third year of SVRA competition, Scott Borchetta never had to step down from the top step of the podium in his Group 6A races. In nine starts, Borchetta recorded nine wins in an impressive year racing his 1972 Chevrolet Corvette.
Additionally, the driver securing the most cumulative points at the end of the season was named the Group champion in each of SVRA’s 12 race groups. The following were our 2020 Sprint Series Group Champions:
Group 1: Scott Fraser, 1958 Austin Healey Sprite
Group 2: Eric Inkrott, 1979 Crossle Formula Ford 35F
Group 3: John Nash, 1962 Lotus Super Seven
Group 5: Brent Knoll, 1983 Tiga SC83
Group 6a: Scott Borchetta, 1972 Chevrolet Corvette
Group 6b: Gary Moore, 1968 Mercury Cougar
Group 7: James Farley, 1978 Lola 298
Group 8: Skott Burkland, 1969 Porsche 911
Group 9: James Johnston, 2004 Swift O14 Atlantic
Group 10: Bruce Raymond, 1985 Pontiac Firebird
Group 11: Travis Engen, 2005 Audi R8 LMP
Group 12a: Jerry Robinson, 2010 Dodge Viper
Group 12b: Ron Pawley, 2004 Lexus IS300
The SVRA Endurance Series also crowned its champions after hosting events at Sebring, Road America, Mid-Ohio, VIR, COTA and Road Atlanta. The Endurance Series featured longer races, set for either a specific time duration or distance. Championship contenders were required to compete in a minimum of three events, with points awarded to the first 10 competitors completing a minimum of 50% of the laps.
Skott Burkland competed in all six Enduro weekends and finished five of them to secure the overall Enduro Championship in his 1969 Porsche 911. Co-drivers Jerry Robinson and Bobby Archer finished second in their 2010 Dodge Viper after competing in four Enduro weekends. Finishing third was Doug Radix in his 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, who competed in half of the 2020 Enduro weekends.
Additionally, the driver(s) securing the most cumulative points at the end of the season was named the group champion in each of the race groups, although not all groups were eligible. The following were our 2020 Endurance Series Group Champions:
Group 1: Doug Radix (vintage enduro), 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL
Group 6b: Scott Borchetta/Jade Buford (vintage enduro), 1969 Chevrolet Corvette
Group 8: Skott Burkland (vintage enduro), 1969 Porsche 911
Group 12a: Jerry Robinson/Bobby Archer (historic enduro), 2010 Dodge Viper
The Miata Heritage Cup joined SVRA for events at Roebling Road, Road America, Mid-Ohio, VIR and Road Atlanta. With double-headers at each event, champions were crowned for the Miata Heritage Cup after the 10-race series. Anthony Fornetti took the top honors in the NA Class driving his 1990 Mazda Miata after winning six races, and Michael Bond led the way in the NB Class driving his 1999 Mazda Miata with two victories during the 2020 season.
SVRA would typically announce the winners of the 2020 Driver of the Year, 2020 Mechanic of the Year, and the Spirit of SVRA awards at this time. However, given to the prestige of these awards, we have decided to wait to announce the winners until we are able to gather as a vintage racing community when it is finally safe and practical to do so with the Covid-19 pandemic.
SVRA has a record 17 events planned for the 2021 season, adding several new facilities and regions to the schedule, as well as returning to some of our competitor’s favorite venues. Several of the race weekends will be part of a SpeedTour event, featuring racing action from other series such as the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, Formula Regional Americas and F4 U.S. Championship. Car owners interested in joining SVRA can visit our website, SVRA.com, for additional information about membership and specifications. Fans can follow the action from our 2021 events on our social media channels, @SVRAlife on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, as well as by downloading the SVRA App where we will offer live streaming of several of our events. The SVRA App is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or by clicking here.
A video version of this release is available, here.
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.