Photo: American Speed Festival Hall
This weekend three legendary race cars will take to the M1 race track at the inaugural American Speed Festival in Pontiac, MI. One of those machines, an example of the Chaparral 2 built by Jim Hall, burst on the motorsport scene during the 1960s and the slippery aerodynamic design was a revelation.
Lotus founder Colin Chapman and Hall led the charge to define the agenda for racing vehicles to come, and now the latter will be presented with the Master of Motorsports Award at the event as his cars take center stage at the celebration of auto racing this weekend.
The festival will showcase dozens of race cars set to include those from NASCAR and IndyCar, and fans will even get the opportunity to see those machines perform on the track.
Hall, now 86, says he came along when it was possible to make sweeping changes to cars. He says that pressures within the motorsport community have led to changes that – while they are meant to ensure competitive racing – have wiped out some of the innovation and wild spirit that pushed development ahead during the ‘60s. Hall also lamented the loss of that freedom that fueled the ideas of Chapman, Dan Gurney, and Bruce McLaren.
At the American Speed Festival in Pontiac, cars from all eras are set to turn hot laps around the M1 1.5-mile track.
The most famous of them, the Chevy V8 Chaparral 2, took motorsport by storm with its aviation-inspired profile which used fiberglass-reinforced plastic, featured a mid-engine layout and automatic transmission, and helped Hall take the checkered flag in a stunning series of 22 wins in 39 races. But it was the next generation of the Chaparral, 2E, which captured the attention of an adoring public. During the 1966 Can-Am series the high-wing profile of the 2E signaled a sea change. The driver actually used his foot to set the wing and generate downforce.
According to Hall, that innovation represented “everything we knew about aerodynamics” at the time and made the 2E his all-time favorite design.
The event is modeled after the Goodwood Festival of Speed and will operate as a showcase for great drivers such as David Hobbes and Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal. Rahal will be lapping in the 1966 Eagle-Ford V8 Indy car that brought him to glory.
“The American Speed Festival allows race fans to get close to some of the greatest performance and race cars in the world and learn more about some of the legends of the sport,” said Tim McGrane, CEO of M1.
The American Speed Festival kicked off Thursday and continues today and tomorrow with fast laps. Sunday offers the ASF Exposition, a judged event to determine the best cars in all classes. For more information, you can visit https://americanspeedfestival.com.
The festival will showcase dozens of race cars set to include those from NASCAR and IndyCar, and fans will even get the opportunity to see those machines perform on the track.
Hall, now 86, says he came along when it was possible to make sweeping changes to cars. He says that pressures within the motorsport community have led to changes that – while they are meant to ensure competitive racing – have wiped out some of the innovation and wild spirit that pushed development ahead during the ‘60s. Hall also lamented the loss of that freedom that fueled the ideas of Chapman, Dan Gurney, and Bruce McLaren.
At the American Speed Festival in Pontiac, cars from all eras are set to turn hot laps around the M1 1.5-mile track.
The most famous of them, the Chevy V8 Chaparral 2, took motorsport by storm with its aviation-inspired profile which used fiberglass-reinforced plastic, featured a mid-engine layout and automatic transmission, and helped Hall take the checkered flag in a stunning series of 22 wins in 39 races. But it was the next generation of the Chaparral, 2E, which captured the attention of an adoring public. During the 1966 Can-Am series the high-wing profile of the 2E signaled a sea change. The driver actually used his foot to set the wing and generate downforce.
According to Hall, that innovation represented “everything we knew about aerodynamics” at the time and made the 2E his all-time favorite design.
The event is modeled after the Goodwood Festival of Speed and will operate as a showcase for great drivers such as David Hobbes and Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal. Rahal will be lapping in the 1966 Eagle-Ford V8 Indy car that brought him to glory.
“The American Speed Festival allows race fans to get close to some of the greatest performance and race cars in the world and learn more about some of the legends of the sport,” said Tim McGrane, CEO of M1.
The American Speed Festival kicked off Thursday and continues today and tomorrow with fast laps. Sunday offers the ASF Exposition, a judged event to determine the best cars in all classes. For more information, you can visit https://americanspeedfestival.com.
Google News