SVRA & Trans-Am Thunders In To The Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

Finally, the SVRA/Trans-Am weekend of March 26th through 28th, 2021 is almost here.

Due to the global pandemic, several races had to be cut from the 2020 race season. In some cases, class championships were decided on this 2.54 mile Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta course last November.

You can imagine just how tight that made the competition all weekend long and how much fun it was to watch as a spectator.

The upcoming March event will have SVRA & Trans-Am action plus the exciting addition of FR Americas, and F4 U.S. racing as well.

To guide us through this weekend of wheel-to-wheel racing, we’ve asked Toni Strollo, the Vice President of Marketing for the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) to share some of her insights with us.

What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation with Toni. Enjoy!

And for those looking for racing action, we recommend our series: From the Paddock: The Roar of Corvette & Vintage Racing.

March 26th – March 28th

Rod Worley – Editor – You’ve recently started the exciting new SVRA / Trans-Am racing season. The Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta event is coming up on Friday, March 26th, through Sunday, March 28th, 2021. 

What can spectators look forward to during this family-friendly racing weekend?

Toni Strollo – VP of Marketing at SVRA – Exciting wheel-to-wheel racing is what SVRA and the Trans-Am series are known for, and we’ll have plenty of that on tap. 

The Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta event is part of the national Trans-Am championship series, so naturally, they’ll be driving hard for the win.

We’ll have about 200 vintage race cars on track in various classes, which is always a fan favorite and fun to watch.   

Also, we’ll have the International GT (IGT) racing series at this event. For those not as familiar, IGT is a North American racing series that includes three different championships for late model Porsche and Ferrari competitors.  

We’ll have a huge car show on the hill overlooking the front straightaway. It will be open to all classic, vintage, and exotic cars. 

Admission to the car show also grants you access to the popular “Last Lap” tour around the road course.

Access To Drivers

Rod Worley – Editor – Toni, for many fans, part of what makes SVRA & Trans-Am racing so popular is the access you provide to the paddock area to talk to drivers.  

Can you tell us more about getting autographs from your favorite drivers on Saturday? And, can you shed some light on “Walking the Grid” on Sunday?

Toni Strollo – VP of Marketing at SVRA – You’re right, Rod, having access to the paddock area on Saturday to talk with the drivers is a significant perk for our fans. As passionate race fans ourselves, it’s one that we’re thrilled to provide.

On Saturday, everybody is welcome to go into the paddock area to look at these beautiful race cars, talk to drivers and get autographs. Our drivers are excited to meet their fans and pose for photos.

Many times I’ve seen them put little kids in their race cars for photographs. The excited smile on the child’s face is truly priceless.

I’m glad you mentioned, “Walking the Grid” on Sunday. We’ve done this for three years now, and it’s another unique fan experience.  

On Sunday before the Trans-Am race, we bring all the Trans-Am cars out and put them on the starting grid with the drivers. We then let the fans walk around the race cars, take photos and talk with their favorite drivers.

It gives fans a chance to see all the Trans-Am cars and drivers in one place. We then have the fans leave the grid area, and we fire up the engines for Sunday’s race. 

Mobile App Keeps You Connected

Rod Worley – Editor – SVRA / Trans-Am does a great job of using the latest technology to enhance the fan experience every step of the way. 

Can you tell us more about where to find the SVRA mobile app? Will you also be live streaming the upcoming race? 

Toni Strollo – VP of Marketing at SVRA – Yes, we will be live-streaming the action on the track. We’re excited to have Green Light Productions from Alpharetta, Georgia, providing the race’s live stream coverage on Saturday and Sunday.

You can certainly tell they are a talented team of top-level producers and directors with backgrounds in film, commercial, documentary, and live television.

Our hub for all the latest updates, race results and live streams is our free SVRA mobile app.  

For Apple iPhone or iPad tablets, download from the Apple App Store. For Android phones and tablets, download from Google Play. 

The following link will quickly help you access the right app for your mobile device: Download the SVRA App.

There is a nominal fee to live stream the weekend coverage. We’ll have some cameras mounted in cars and around the track to give you an immersive behind-the-wheel experience.

Buying Tickets

Rod Worley – Editor – Toni, it sounds like you’ve got another full weekend of racing and fan interaction planned. 

If people wanted more information about the upcoming race or about SVRA, where should they go?

Toni Strollo – VP of Marketing at SVRA – Well, Rod, to learn more about the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), you can go to our SVRA website, SVRA.com.  

For tickets and specific event information, you can go to Speed Tour.net. You can also head over to GoTransAm.com for the latest Trans-Am news and coverage.  

You can also follow us on Facebook to find all the latest news and updates. While you’re there, we hope you’ll hit the “Like” button.

The Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta weekend will be a fun family experience filled with competitive racing. You’re welcome to bring a picnic and sit on the hill and enjoy. As a reminder, there is camping available. 

Fan-Centered Racing

Few sport or entertainment options will give you such unfettered access to their top stars like SVRA & Trans-Am. Want to talk to LeBron James before a basketball game? I think not.

A few minutes talking football with Tom Brady on your bucket list? Keep dreaming.

If you’ve got motor oil coursing through your veins, there are few opportunities to meet the stars of the show like this one.

Combine a weekend of competitive wheel-to-wheel racing with paddock access in a family-friendly atmosphere, and you’ll find this is hard to beat. Undoubtedly you’ll be asking yourself why you haven’t done this before.

Honestly, we give up. We don’t know why you haven’t tried SVRA / Trans-Am racing before either.