Coronado Speed Festival

[DOUGS73E]

The fun began on Saturday morning and went to Sunday afternoon . . .

[DOUGS73E]

More pics from CSF . . .

[Chuck Miller]

Great pics Doug..... and great seeing you ...

Have a bunch of pics as well ... but will have to wait till after Track Day / Treffen...

Cheers

[ErichW]

It would be great to see pictures of 62 on the track!

thanks,

Erich

[DOUGS73E]

Sorry, no track pics of 62.

[DOUGS73E]

356's gettin' ready . . .

[Gburner]

Nice event, extra fun if you are a PCA member.
See ya next year.

A day at the Coronado Vintage races.
Fleet week in San Diego is a series of several events showcasing San Diego’s proud men and women that voluntarily serve in the Navy and Marines. Events to name a few include the Blue Angel air show, tours of Navy ships in the San Diego Bay and the Coronado Vintage races.

The Coronado vintage races are held on a temporary race circuit located on the runways and taxiways of the Navy North Island Airport. Adjacent to the track on the expansive concrete ramp you’ll find the racer’s pit area, several huge grandstands and a tent city with automotive industry vendors of all types. The calliope of vintage race sounds draws you to the track as you pruise the wares, from silk screen t-shirts to new cars, and fancy car accessories to VIP week long driving schools. Added to this is a huge car corral that encourages car buffs to display their pride and joys beside similar makes in neatly organized areas.

With views of Pt. Loma and downtown San Diego, the San Diego Bay placed perfectly as an extraordinary moat surrounds the event as tall masted sail boats continually circled our location.

PCA members have been attending this event since it’s inception nearly 10 years ago. Years ago, encouraged by the growing number of members in attendance, the club leaders/volunteers began to host various events to make the occasion even more special for Porsche owners. Every year the club’s involvement and member participation has grown.

Once again this year, the club secured the prime car corral parking area. Over a hundred Porsches lined the front straight fence. A couple of car widths away, vintage race car drivers grabbed gears as cars screamed past into triple digits. The Porsche car corral’s main meeting place was a large hospitality tent, ample tables and chairs, soft carpet and refreshments available all day. I arrived Sunday morning and entered the PCA hospitality area meeting several friends as we shared the complimentary Starbucks and breakfast fair. The SDR PCA is fortunate to have many Uber volunteers and it was this exceptional group that impressed us all with our own first class hospitality area, it was a VIP tent for Porsche owners!

Soon it was time to explore the pit area and see all the vintage cars up close. The morning fog lifted late providing a welcomed relief from the inland heat wave. The pits were full of historically significant race cars, my favorites include the mid 30s Alfa Romeo Grand Prix cars, Chevrons with the high winding Cosworth engines and of course all the Porsches. Vintage race events play by different rules. At this event there is no trophy for winning, it is meant to be a roaring exhibition of fine machinery where car to car contact is strictly forbidden. Awards for Sportsmanship encourage cooperation and safety throughout the race program. These are very valuable vintage race cars and many were built without the benefit of today’s modern structural safety designs. The strict event guidelines provided close and clean racing all weekend.

After our pit walk we watched a race or two and soon it was lunch time so we headed back to the PCA hospitality area. The PCA had coordinated a catered lunch for 200 members. It was filled to capacity with club members, an astonishing turn - out of Porsche owners, the likes of which I have not witnessed since last year’s Porsche parade.

A full banquet buffet staffed by local Porsche race drivers with serving spoons at the ready. Surrounded by Porsche friends, good food and roaring race machines whizzing by in the wink of an eye. All this combined created a uniquely San Diego atmosphere in some ways similar to a trackside bistro at Le Mans or Monte Carlo. Yes this is a must attend event.

The racing continued and so did the club socializing. During the fun visits and conversations more than once someone would suggest that maybe we should actually watch another race. So it was off to the grand stands with a great view of the track, warm sun and fast cars all encircled by the San Diego bay.

All too soon it was time for the final race, a 50 car field of vintage Tran Am racers. As the race wound down we said our good-byes . We followed the procession of car buffs departing the base, all of us already enthusiastic with expectations of next year’s event.

Here are a few more shots form this past weekend:
Photos from PCA member Greg P.

Coronado Speed Festival '08 Paddock
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9070201...7607591465224/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/9070201...7607591789742/