In racing, as in business, the curves come at you fast and hard. How well you finish often comes down to how skillfully you’ve navigated those curves.
Fortunately, David Hinton, President of Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), knows the right moves to get through the corners cleanly.
Since he became president of HSR in 2012, the organization has grown from a handful of track events to bringing the adrenaline-packed excitement of vintage sports car racing to some of the most prestigious road courses across the United States.
HSR events can now attract over 300 entrants and tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators. These weekend events feature race cars competing from 1950s-era production and sports cars to former IMSA and Trans-Am racers, NASCAR stock cars, and current production Porsches.
We first spoke to David as he was preparing for the HSR Sebring Spring Fling event in Flordia. The first part of the discussion can be found here: David Hinton Is Driving HSR To The Winner’s Circle.
Following is an edited transcript of the remainder of our conversation with David before the Spring’s Mitty race weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Enjoy!
HSR From The Driver’s Seat
Rod Worley – Editor – From a racer’s perspective, what separates Historic Sportscar Racing from other event opportunities?
Can you briefly touch on the various competition classes and the importance of a pre-race inspection for authenticity?
David Hinton – HSR Racing – What separates us from some of the other groups is often the amount of track time we offer.
We strive to come up with unique opportunities to give our drivers more time on the road course competiting. The Sasco International Challenge on Friday afternoon is a prime example.
It’s an eight-lap race for production cars of the 1960s and early 70s. Few organizations will even offer a race on Friday.
As far as classes and groups go, we cover the whole spectrum.
There’s a good chance you’ll see your favorite sportscar racing at an HSR event if it’s ever been on a road course before.
The cars are grouped into classes based on vintage and engine displacement to provide extremely close competition. The groups vary from open-wheel formula cars, early 60’s vintage GT racers & more modern GT cars.
For example, we have a modern prototype group where a retired Daytona or LeMans prototype from five years ago has a home at HSR.
Pre-race inspection is critical to keep the playing field fair and level. We do allow for safety improvements, but always, we strive to keep the cars all equal, all the time.
An example would be the popular Porsches in our Group Five. These Porsches have the same brakes, same size engine, and same gearbox.
We’ve got a great team headed by Chip Wright, our tech chief, and Jack Woehrle, our technical director. They make sure the racing field is level.
A Fan’s Perspective
Rod Worley – Editor – What does an HSR weekend look like from a spectator’s perspective? What can they expect?
Is the emphasis on road course performance or getting the opportunity to see these historic sportscars up close?
David Hinton – HSR Racing – To be honest, it’s 50/50. They’re going to love watching the close track action with a considerable array of historic cars.
What they’re going to enjoy equally as much is then being able to walk into the paddock and see these incredible sports cars up close.
They also have the opportunity to talk with the car’s owner, driver, and mechanics. You get to know more about these cars you’ve just watched compete on the track.
They have great stories about their cars. Many of them are reliving childhood dreams of racing these vintage cars themselves.
This unprecedented access separates vintage racing from modern professional racing, especially Indy-style sports car racing. Our drivers welcome the fan interaction and enjoy sharing their passion for the cars.
Sanctioning Body For Monterey
Rod Worley – Editor – The big news from last Fall was HSR’s selection to be the sanctioning body of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and Monterey Pre-Reunion. Congratulations on this prestigious selection!
How do you see events like Monterey and HSR evolving to capture the hearts and imaginations of younger generations?
David Hinton – HSR Racing – Rod, the biggest hurdle we face in vintage racing is engaging the younger generation.
Many of the younger generations are not into vintage BMW CSLs or 356 Porsches. They want to see Acura, Toyotas, Hondas, or Mustangs on the track.
In many ways, that’s understandable because those are the cars from their childhood.
For Historic Sportscar Racing, we have to keep coming up with groups and classes to bring more of these modern cars into the fold. We have to engage these people and hopefully get them to race with us.
As far as Monterey goes, the emphasis is on preserving the history of these cars. Monterey’s vintage sports cars are the most authentic cars racing in the country, if not in the world.
They’re all restored to completely original specifications, even down to period spec tires. Monterey is simply the best historic sportscars in the world today.
And thank you, it is such a huge honor for us to be selected as the sanctioning body for the prestigious Monterey event.
Sponsorship Partners
Rod Worley – Editor – Corporate sponsorship is vital in so many ways to Historic Sportscar Racing’s continued growth.
Who are some of the corporate sponsors that have helped usher in HSR’s success?
David Hinton – HSR Racing – We are fortunate to have great vendor partners for HSR. Weather Tech has been one of our sponsors since I became President in 2012.
They have continually supported our event efforts. In recent years, they’ve stepped up to be our Sprint Series sponsor.
We’re doing a lot more with Hagerty Classic Car insurance. They’ve become an HSR partner of ours through their Hagerty driving school.
Hagerty has considerable reach in our industry, and we’re very excited about the new partnership.
Stand 21 racewear has been with us for years. They do our custom driver’s racing gear with the HSR or Classic 24 on it.
BRM wristwatch manufacturer from France is another strong sponsor. They give us timepieces every year to hand out to some of our champions.
SpeedCom Communications specializes in racing radios and communication technology. They provide our radios for the staff and also discounts for our drivers.
Sunoco Race Fuels is another of our valued corporate sponsors. They’re probably the most prominent race fuel distributor in the country.
Stoner Car Care joined our family of sponsors about two years ago. They have a history of supporting racing efforts such as ISMA and now HSR.
We are fortunate to have these valuable corporate partners with us as we move forward with vintage racing in the years ahead.
Corvette Is Marquee
Rod Worley – Editor – David, we’ve covered a lot of ground today, but is there one question I should have asked you but didn’t.
David Hinton – HSR Racing – Rod, I think the biggest question for your readers would be, “Why someone should come to The Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in 2021.”
I believe race fans are eager to get out and enjoy the quality vintage racing The Mitty has delivered for years. The fresh air and open spaces the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta facility provides are tailor-made for social distancing precautions.
Special significance to your readers is that Corvette is our featured marquee for The 2021 Mitty Challenge.
We’ve got some of the ex-factory Corvettes racecars coming in that weekend. We will also have some beautiful Corvettes from the 60s and 70s racing there.
Legends of the sport like Bill Elliot and Ray Evernham will also be there. So it all adds up to an excellent weekend for vintage sports car enthusiasts.
An Experience Of Sight & Sound
The experience itself is at the center of HSR race weekends, both for the drivers and their multitudes of race fans. Every aspect of an event weekend is designed to deepen fans’ and drivers’ connection to these thrilling racing time machines of sight and sound.
Historic Sportscar Racing recaptures an era of motorsports when the cars were simple, and the drivers were visible.
It’s clear David Hinton knows the right moves to get through the corners cleanly and provide a winning experience for both driver and fan alike.
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