Velocity Invitational, the three-day motorsports and lifestyle event at Sonoma Raceway, produced a magical weekend for its fifth edition across last weekend.
Situated at the famed Californian racetrack in the heart of wine country, this growing gathering is becoming North America’s equivalent to the United Kingdom’s fabled and long-established Goodwood events, which bring some of the most amazing historic and vintage racing cars together for an amazing race meeting that carries fierce action on the circuit but a uniquely laid-back and enjoyable festival-like vibe off the track.
It hosted an all-star lineup of cars and stars, featuring an amazing collection of the rarest cars in the world in the paddock and on the track, including a celebration of 70 years of the Jaguar D-Type, historic NASCAR stock cars, iconic open-wheel cars and some sensational modern hypercars.
Breaking out all the stops
“We wanted to break out all the stops for our fifth annual Velocity Invitational and I’m delighted with the exceptional caliber of cars, drivers and sponsors that came together this weekend,” said Jeff O’Neill, founder of Velocity Invitational. “This event is unlike anything else in North America and I hope our guests enjoyed the exceptional variety of cars, drivers, entertainment, food and wine.”
Attendees enjoyed a number of new elements during this year’s event, including the Velocity Invitational Hill Climb on Saturday. Former F1 racer Scott Speed claimed victory in the inaugural event behind the wheel of Subaru Motorsports USA’s WRX: Project Midnight. Eleven competitors tackled more than 10 stories of elevation change on the challenging counter-course circuit from Sonoma Raceway’s start/finish line up to Turn 4. The field featured stars including ex-F1 star Romain Grosjean, and former IndyCar racers JR Hildebrand and Tony Kanaan – piloting a diverse field of cars ranging from a McLaren Senna to a classic NASCAR stock car and a 1963 Ford Falcon GT1.
Jenson Button stars in classic trio of epic cars
2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button piloted three different cars throughout the weekend, including his own ex-Juan Manuel Fangio 1952 Jaguar C-Type, a stunning Ferrari 250 Testarossa and an Alfa Romeo GTA. Kanaan and Grosjean were joined by fellow IndyCar aces Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, who hit the track in a variety of historic race cars, including the ‘Red Roof’ 1978 M24, a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 originally driven by Parnelli Jones and the 1976 John Player Special Lotus 77 Formula 1 car driven by Mario Andretti.
DirtFish joined the weekend with a lineup of Group B rally cars rocketing around the road course, including a 1985 Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2, a 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Corsa and the no. C206 1986 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, while rally-tuned Subaru BRZs hosted ridealongs and demonstration laps on a complete gravel rally stage built on the grounds at Sonoma Raceway.
Professional drift drivers, including Travis Pastrana and Ryan Tuerck, delighted fans with smoky and sideways demonstrations throughout the weekend. Pastrana slid the 1983 Subaru GL Family Huckster and Tuerck showed off his skills in his 650-horsepower 1966 Toyota Stout.
Women in Motorsports event highlights off-track activities
The off-track activity lineup included cooking demonstrations and autograph sessions with celebrated chef and Food Network TV star Tyler Florence, a lowrider parade and display, as well as a series of Women in Motorsport events presented by Mobil. Trailblazing women in motorsports, including IndyCar Series and sports car driver Pippa Mann, Trans-Am driver Michelle Abbate, professional driver and mechanical engineer Sabré Cook, Porsche Sprint Challenge North America racer Ashley Freiberg and Josie Rimmer, head of strategy and women in motorsport coordinator at DirtFish, took part in panel discussions, autograph sessions, on-camera interviews and special meet and greets.
Next year, the 6th annual Velocity Invitational returns to Sonoma, but moved up to a new date of June 6-8, 2025. O’Neill added: “We’re excited to come back to Sonoma Raceway next summer to celebrate with our friends in wine country.”
