The Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d'Elegance
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Location: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Tickets: Tickets will go on sale Summer 2012
Savannah Speed Classic
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 pm
Tickets
General admission tickets for the Speed Classic (daily and weekend passes) will be available online (Summer 2012) with discounts available through mid-October. Tickets will also be sold at the gate during the event.
Parking
Parking (including designated space for handicap parking) is available in the Grand Prize of America Track Infield for $5 per car.
Location, Directions & Transportation
The Grand Prize of America Track is located next to the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort & Spa's The Club at Savannah Harbor at 2 Resort Drive, Savannah, GA 31421. Situated on Savannah’s Hutchinson Island, the venue overlooks the Savannah River and the city’s famed River Street in the historic district. For directions to the Grand Prize of America, click here.
Want to cross the river? The Savannah Belles Ferry system is the newest member of the Savannah maritime family. The ferry system offers a unique alternative to the Tallmadge Bride as a link between Savannah and Hutchinson Island. The ferry, with landing locations at the City Hall Landing (River Walk at City Hall, adjacent to Hyatt Hotel), the Waving Girl Landing (River Walk, adjacent to Marriott Hotel) and the Trade Center Landing on Hutchinson island (between Trade Center and Westin Hotel), offers a scenic two-minute ride on the Savannah River. The ferry system operates 7 days a week, 362 days a year with departures and arrivals every 15–20 minutes from 7:30 AM until 10:30 PM (subject to weather and river traffic conditions). The regular fare for round trip ferry service is $1.00 with children under 10 and anyone with an official pass (hotel key from the Downtown Convention District) riding free.
Register
Interested in participating as a driver at the 2012 Speed Classic? Click here for more information from Historic Sportscar Racing, Ltd. (HSR), our race management partner.
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Location: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Tickets: Tickets will go on sale Summer 2012
Savannah’s Racing Heritage
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 pm
Savannah, GA, thought of by most for its Southern charm, storied past and relaxing pace, is not typically linked to fast cars. American auto racing today is synonymous with cities such as Indianapolis and Daytona. However, unknown to most, the unlikely city of Savannah, GA is, in actuality, the birthplace of Grand Prix racing in America. Imagine back to 1908 - the unpaved city streets of Savannah filled with hundreds of thousands of spectators from across the United States; over 1,500 soldiers serving as human barricades to protect those watching from the racing cars zooming past; people traveling by train and steamship to be a part of the historic occasion; downtown hotels opening their ballrooms to serve as campgrounds for visitors; the greatest names from Louis Chevrolet to Henry Ford to the Vanderbilts all in attendance. All of this to be a part of the American Grand Prize.
From 1908 to 1911, four major automobile races were hosted in Savannah, Georgia in which automobile drivers from around the world participated in a grand prix auto racing on a twenty-five mile race course laid out southwest of the city proper.
The four Savannah races included:
-Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America (November 26, 1908)- Won by Louis Wagner in a FIAT
-American Grand Prize (November 12, 1910)- Won by David Bruce-Brown in a Benz
-Vanderbilt Cup Race (November 27, 1911)- Won by Ralph Mulford in a Lozier
-American Grand Prize (November 30,1911)- Won by David Bruce-Brown in a FIATIn 2008, racing was finally brought back to the city of Savannah. The Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance reopened the track at Hutchinson Island with the Savannah Speed Classic. The 2011 Motoring Festival will kick off with a parade of historic racecars tracing the city streets of Savannah much like the automobile processions during the original races where they would form in the morning and drive to their positions.
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Location: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Tickets: Tickets will go on sale Summer 2012
About the Track
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 pm
The Grand Prize of America Track debuted in 1997 with the Indy Lights Dixie Crystals Grand Prix. That was the only Indy Lights race to be held on the Hutchinson Island road course, a wide, 1.965 mile circuit with 10 turns in Savannah, GA. Helio Castroneves was the winner of the inaugural Dixie Crystal Grand Prix.
According to Mauricio Gugelmin and Mark Blundell who ran on this track during a private PacWest test back in ‘97, cars can reach up to 190 miles per hour at the end of the straights. Turn 1 is like an oval — you enter at about 190, drop a gear, and get on it. It is good for passing because, since it's like an oval, you can set somebody up high or low into the following esses – a characteristic reminiscent of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
“As a drivers track, it's good," said Blundell after his time on the course. "It's quite demanding and really physical. It's a fun circuit to drive, and there are at least two and possibly three spots for overtaking. It doesn't have a street course feel — it's more of a road course feel. From a spectator viewpoint, there are plenty of great vantage points."
Click here for to see a layout of the Grand Prize of America Track.
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Location: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Tickets: Tickets will go on sale Summer 2012
Up Close & Personal
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 pm
Unlike many auto racing events, the Savannah Speed Classic offers a unique, up close and personal perspective. From access to the pit/paddock to actual time on the track, spectators will get the real feel for the life of a racecar driver. It’s an experience unlike no other!
Special features include:
Hot Lap Rides – Ride as the passenger with a professional driver at racing speeds around the 1.965 mile circuit with 10 turns. Hot laps are available in a manufacturer vehicle or in a racecar. Tickets can be purchased on-site at the event. You must be 18 years old with a valid ID to participate in the Hot Lap rides.
Click here for a video preview.
Parade/Touring Laps – Test the track in your own car! Parade laps are designed to allow you to tour the track at controlled speeds. Touring laps are offered each day at lunch time and can be purchased on-site at the event. You must be 16 years old with a valid ID to participate in the Parade/Touring Laps.
Test Drives – Automotive sponsors of the Motoring Festival will be offering the opportunity to test drive their latest vehicles. Go for a spin around Savannah on a route designed by the sponsor or take out one of the sport activity vehicles on the off road course in Hutchinson Island’s Grand Prize Park. There is no fee to test drive a vehicle. You must have a driver's licence to participate in the test drives.
For a preview of the off-road course on Hutchinson Island, click here.Pit/Paddock – Access to the highly active pit/paddock area is included with your ticket. Tour the cars participating in the Speed Classic and mingle with the drivers as you enjoy the event!