The West Coast of America has a new historic motorsport event, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. The Sonoma Speed Festival will take place on May 30 to June 2, 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Raceway. It will consist of ten invited race groups spanning the history of motorsports from pre-war to the modern age competing on track, and it mixes that with gourmet food and drink options rarely seen at race events. They include a craft beer garden and a wine pavilion featuring wine tastings and gourmet food pairings. Of the 220 cars promised, some of the confirmed highlights include Porsche 917K, Ferrari 250 GTO and a John Player Special Lotus 77 F1 car—the last call for entries is imminent, so get your applications in quickly if you want to race at this famously picturesque but challenging venue.
Because it’s the 50th anniversary of the Raceway, the Historic Trans-Am class will highlight the legendary Trans-American Championship race hosted at the track in 1969, promising plenty of action between the Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros and AMC Javelins.
Other race groups include: 1949 Sports Production Cars (Aston Martin DB3, Austin-Healey 100S, Cunningham, Ferrari 250MM, Jaguar C-type, Porsche 550 etc); 1954-59 Sports Production Cars (Ferrari 250TR, Jaguar D-type, Maserati Birdcage, Porsche RSK etc); 1959-65 Production/GT Cars up to 5-liter (Aston Martin DB4/GT, Bizzarrini, Cheetah, Ferrari 250 GTO, Cobra, Daytona Coupe, Jaguar E-type, Porsche 904 etc); Masters Historic Formula 1 USA (3-liter cars 1966-85); 1964-73 FIA Manufacturers Championship (Alfa Romeo T-33. Ferrari 250LM, Ford GT40, Lola T70 Mk3, Porsche 917 etc); 1965-69 Under-2.5-liter Production Cars (Alfa Romeo GTA, BMW 2002, Datsun 510, Lotus 26R, Porsche 911); 1932-52 Pre-War Grand Prix Cars; 1981-90 Prototypes, FIA Group C, IMSA GTP and Masters Endurance Legends USA (Daytona Prototypes, Porsche 962, Jaguar XJR, Peugeot 908, Audi R8 LMP, etc; and 1971-80 IMSA Camel GT (BMW CSL, Datsun 240Z, Porsche 911 RSR, Ferrari Daytona, De Tomaso Pantera etc).
So it’s quite a line-up, and the organizers are keen to ensure that “Race groups will be curated—similar cars/eras will be represented appropriately, so rest assured, you’ll be with appropriately-grouped cars and like-minded owners. We do not want cars that are modified. Only original, period-correct racing cars with pedigree and history will do.” Tickets will be available here soon.
Images courtesy of Sonoma Speed Festival
