The fourth annual Chattanooga Motorcar Festival is gearing up for a stronger-than-ever event!
For road course fans, for 2023, the Millennium-sponsored Festival features an updated purpose-built race track known as the Pace Grand Prix at The Bend featuring Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six high-speed track action on Friday and Saturday.
Also returning this year are the fan-favorite Canossa Fall Rally and the highly anticipated Concours d’Elegance.
The informative panel discussions and other entertainment on the Main Stage throughout the weekend are not to be missed. The J. Willard Marriott Club will display historic Ferraris for those whose taste runs towards great sportscars.
Also of note is the Gathering of the Greats – Porsche Edition plus the Luftgekühlt Brian Redman Heritage Gathering on Friday night And did we mention the exciting Mecum auction happening this weekend?
The Friday night concert with The B-52s will keep the festive mood high. The Torque Show with Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall once more brings insights and analysis throughout the weekend.
Also, panel discussions will be included all weekend, covering such subjects as Barn Finds, The Voices of the Pixar Cars Movies, 70th anniversary of NASCAR, the 75th anniversary of Porsche, Hot Rods and Stutz and Mercer.
As always, the Westin Hotel will serve as the host hotel, meaning the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival activities are walkable from the main event. This makes the Festival perfect for families of every age to enjoy.
Luigi Chinetti Jr – Grand Marshal
The Chattanooga Motorcar Festival has announced its selection for Grand Marshall of the 2023 event.
Bryon DeFoor, founder of the event, said, “We at the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival are honored to have Luigi Chinetti Jr. as Grand Marshal of our fourth annual Festival.”
“He is a great ambassador to the sport, with a great history with Ferrari as a driver, businessman, and designer. His racing achievements and contributions to the sport are recognized around the world.”
“Chinetti, Jr. has distinguished himself both as a driver and designer. He has been connected with extraordinary automobiles and the often special people surrounding them most of his life,” DeFoor went on to say.
Chinetti, Jr. has always had ambitions of racing and designing automobiles. Over his career, he has done both.
In 1971, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he finished fifth overall and first in the GT category in a Ferrari Daytona, as well as winning his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona twice.
He did it once in a Ferrari 312P in 1971, with a body he designed himself, and again in 1973 in a Ferrari Daytona.
Luigi Chinetti Jr. established several world records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1974 with a Ferrari 512M and a 365 Daytona, along with Graham Hill and Paul Newman.
He is the fourth Grand Marshal for the event sponsored by Millennium Bank. Previous Grand Marshals include Brian Redman, Corky Coker, and Lyn St. James.
Grand Prix At The Bend
For the third year, the Festival will host high-speed track action on its purpose-built race track known as the Pace Grand Prix at The Bend. The course name honors the late Jim Pace, one of the event’s first organizers.
Jim Pace passed away in 2020. Brian Redman’s Targa Sixty Six will present this year’s on-track activities.
They will feature historic and modern sports and race cars running full tilt on the newly revamped and resurfaced circuit located on private industrial property.
The Bend is known locally as “a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable community connected to the Tennessee River.” Certain sections of the approximately two-mile course, with 15 turns, including the now famous “Alley of the Greats,” have been modified.
Despite the changes, the track maintains its integrity as a circuit reminiscent of the iconic European tracks of the past and present and the historic road and newer street courses of the United States.
Grand Prix Track Changes
The Festival’s Grand Ambassador, Brian Redman, has raced on nearly every circuit worldwide since he began competing in 1959. His most famous street-course victory came in 1975 at the inaugural Long Beach, California Grand Prix, driving a Lola T332 in the Formula 5000 Series
For 2023, there were several questions about the course layout; chief among those posed to Brian was, “What do you know about this year’s Pace Grand Prix at The Bend race track, and what makes it different from last year?”
Brian Redman – Grand Ambassador – “I can tell you that this track will definitely honor the spirit of the cars we used to race, evoking memories from the past, and is a true street circuit.
It will be quite different this year because they’ve cut out the public roads, which were a source of some difficulties the last couple of years. There will be areas that are a bit like the old tracks.
Another question of note was, “Can you compare the Pace GP course to any other course in this country?
Brian Redman – Grand Ambassador – The Pace GP track today is approximately two miles long, so it’s a reasonable length for good racing.
Of course, you can race and demonstrate cars on shorter tracks, but this is a good distance, giving all competitors ample track time during the Targa Sixty Six high-speed track action at the Festival, and it gives the spectators something to watch.
A Weekend Of Events
- Targa Sixty Six high-speed track action for historic and modern sports and race cars at the Pace Grand Prix at The Bend
- Canossa Fall Rally Chattanooga
- Mecum Auctions
- Concours d’Elegance
- Luftgekühlt’s celebration of Brian Redman
- Car Club gatherings
- Saturday evening fundraiser, “Unlock My Brain” (separate/additional ticket required)
- Friday night concert with The B-52s
- Torque Show with Justin Bell and Tommy Kendall
- Panel discussions and other entertainment on the Main Stage throughout the weekend
- J. Willard Marriott Club display of historic Ferraris
- Gathering of the Greats – Porsche Edition
Festival Ticket Prices
- Three-Day Festival Ticket – $120.00
- Friday All-Day Festival Ticket – $89.00
- Friday Festival Day Ticket – $44.00
- Friday Evening Festival Ticket – $65.00
- Saturday Festival Ticket – $65.00
- Sunday Festival Ticket – $65.00
Chattanooga Is A Family Destination
The good news is that all the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival activities are walkable from the main event and the host hotel, The Westin. This makes it perfect for families of every age to enjoy.
Event tickets allow access to all the Festival events, including the Concours d’Elegance and the awards ceremony on Sunday, the Mecum Auctions on Friday and Saturday at the Convention Center
The event tickets also provide access to the high-speed track action at the Pace Grand Prix at The Bend, and other events in West Village and nearby locations.
As you can see, the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival is clearly gearing up for a strong 2023 weekend. See you there!
Ticket / Registration Information
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