By Alan Cesar
Apr 29, 2013
Can-Am race cars from the historic series reunited at this year's Mitty. It was thunderous.
The Mitty's Grand Marshal David Hobbs signed autographs for fans young and old. He also closed down the festivities each evening. And danced.
Rossion Motorcars had cars on display. We hear they might make an appearance at the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge.
The Lane Motor Museum's MG Metro 6R4 rally car, winner of the Rockingest Car at The Mitty prize from PRS Guitars.
MG was the event's featured marque, and the infield was full of these iconic British machines.
Parade and touring laps run throughout the weekend, giving everyone a chance to drive Road Atlanta.
Road Atlanta is very spectator-friendly. There are lots of great places to watch on-track action.
The Mitty can be so unpredictable. Someone asked how to get to Turn 7. Next thing you know, he's being driven there by Publisher Tim Suddard.
This is a historic, factory-backed Mazda GLC race car, the last one still in existence. It even bears its original livery. Look for a feature in an upcoming issue of Grassroots Motorsports.
Parade laps let the fans sample historic Road Atlanta.
Mazda has an incredible race history, and they brought some of their epic cars to the track. The drivers came from their executive ranks.
Hey, it was a race weekend, too! HSR kept the action rolling all weekend.
Remember Can-Am? The cars were back at the Mitty--more than 20 of them.
All these cars got lots of track time and made tons of noise.
Roadsters with V8s, both new and old: Flyin' Miata brought one of their Corvette-powered cars, and we put it head to head with our own Sunbeam Tiger.
What's this? A four-door Pontiac GTO with a truck bed? This owner brought a Holden Monaro ute from Australia and fitted it with a GTO fascia.
Small-bore bars, like this MGB, are still a staple of today's vintage racing scene.
The Mitty is also a great place to practice your photography.
The Robertsons' Ford GT racers. This small, scrappy team placed third at Le Mans. Now they run vintage and historic events.
The rockingest car at The Mitty, rocking out at our Saturday night party.
The Dirty City Band, featuring PRS Guitars President Jack Higginbotham, entertained the crowd at the Classic Motorsports tent Saturday night.
Bill Cardell, owner of Flyin' Miata, came to The Mitty to show off his V8 cars and his company's cleverly designed products—like these hub stands for setting alignment at home.
Even spectators got in on the action as Kumho Tires again hosted test drives on the track's handling course.
Both current and classic Mazdas were available, and some one-on-one instruction preceded each run.
Kumho didn't just offer roadsters, as a Mazdaspeed3 was also available. The course, by the way, wasn't just a quick loop.
This year was testament yet again that there’s no better place to live a motorsports daydream than at the Classic Motorsports Mitty at Road Atlanta. This year’s Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports Mitty Presented by Mazda was the best one yet, with action all weekend both on and off the track.
David Hobbs, our grand marshal this year, regaled attendants at the eBay Motors party Saturday night in the big top tent with stories of his racing days. Hobbs has run in Can-Am, Indy, Formula 1, Trans-Am and more. The legendary man also talked one on one with attendants throughout the weekend.
Attendants also couldn’t be faulted for not wearing their earplugs: Though loud, the Can-Am reunion race was glorious to listen to. Right before the HSR-sanctioned race, the cars lined up in the infield grid so fans could see the cars and drivers up close.
Tons of MGs came out to make a big showing for this year’s featured marque. One such MG, a Metro 6R4 rally car brought by David Yando of the Lane Motor Museum, was deemed the most rocking car at the 2013 Mitty. For bringing such an excellent ride, Yando won a custom PRS electric guitar.
PRS president Jack Higginbotham and his band, The Dirty City Band, performed a set under the Classic Motorsports tent. Classic Minis United also joined in, having a meet for their members at this year’s Mitty.
The 2013 Classic Motorsports Mitty is presented by Mazda and supported by Historic Sportscar Racing, Kumho Tires, eBay Motors, Chubb InsuranceG-Force Racing Gear, Flyin’ Miata, Saferacer, Vredestein Tires, Heacock Classic Insurance, Koni, Paul Reed Smith Guitars, Skip Barber Racing School, Hagerty, Exotic Car Transport, and DIYAutoTune.
Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports Mitty Presented by Mazda roared into Georgia’s Road Atlanta April 26-28. Watch our site for details on next year’s event.
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