Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival 2014 Prologue

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Images© and story by Michael Rockich, Contact Photographer For Information on Photos of this Event

Note: The Images on this page are from earlier events

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The Sonoma Raceway will host the Sonoma Historic Motorsport Festival May 17-18. Hundreds of historic racecars will compete on Sonoma Raceway's road course. The cars come from just about every period in automotive history including the virtually unconstrained Can-Am race cars and Formulas.

Can Am ready to roll
Contestants are expected to include race cars from pre-1941 through 1991 from the following classes: Production/GT Cars, Formula Cars, Sports Racing Cars, Grand National Stock, Historic IMSA GTO/SCCA T-A, Historic Trans-Am Cars, Historic Can-Am Cars, and FIA Sports Racing Cars. At this festival in the past as many as 400 historic racecars took to the track.

Porsche 935 K3 sn-9306700163 1976
Sonoma Raceway provides a challenging road course. The track has long straight up-grades as well as steep up-grades yielding over the160 feet of elevation changes with numerous curves. There are 12 turns over the 2.52 miles of its length including a hairpin. Numerous viewing positions are strategically placed around the track with a great variety of perspective.
Walk the paddocks and see the cars being prepared to race up close. Occasionally a mechanic or owner is available for questions.

Porsche 917-10 sn-917.10.003 1972 Can Am car
Car corrals of various marques are expected to show off their vintage and new cars. In past years marque specific corrals included one for Porsches, another for Corvettes, also for Mustangs, and I remember once a row of Ford GTs.

McLaren MP4-12C
Can Am vintage race cars usually take to the track at this festival. With virtually no rules limiting them, they are stellar performers with unlimited horsepower and some engines exceeding 500 cubic inches displacement. Vintage Formula 1 cars are also expected. They contrast with the Can Am cars like a ballerina contrasts with a weight lifter. Both types will demonstrate how incredibly quickly the race course can be negotiated while making some of the best engine notes in all of motorsports.

Loud engines

Launch time

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