Sports 2000 was the featured marque for the 44th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, but that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to all the on-track action.
The April 29-May 1 weekend saw old-school racers ranging from stock cars to Formula Vee cars battling it out on the twists and turns of Road Atlanta.
Read the full recap below:
CLEARWATER, Florida (May 6, 2022) - A memorable 44th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta came to a grand conclusion last Sunday after an eventful weekend of activity on and off the race track. Featured marque Sports 2000 and the inaugural Gene Felton Memorial Challenge were in the main spotlight but those events were just two of the highlight happenings at one of the biggest HSR Mittys in history.
The Historic Stock Car #MoreDriven by Goodyear Racing Award launched its second season at the 44th Mitty and added another competitive component to a great weekend of HSR Group 8 Stock Car racing. The #MoreDriven by Goodyear Award began at last year's HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and honors top performers in HSR Historic Stock Car competition with a certificate for a set of Goodyear Racing vintage stock radials, which are already a premium tire of choice for HSR Group 8 competitors.
The next round of the 2022 #MoreDriven by Goodyear Award will be back at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta at the Fall Historics, October 13 - 16.
"Super Dave" Hangs Up The Cape - "Super Dave" Bondon (pictured below) an HSR regular and Mitty competitor since the early years, announced during the event the 44th HSR Mitty would be his last weekend of competition. One of the first competitors to enter this year's Mitty in his glorious 1964 No. 72 Morgan 4/4, "Super Dave" was quickly named a Mitty Grand Marshal and gave the "Drivers Start Your Engines" command for Saturday's Sports 2000 feature race. Bondon then happily watched his daughter Stacy Schepens, who wheels a similar open-cockpit Morgan, drive to a third-place finish in her HSR WeatherTech Sprint race.
Gann's Walter Mitty Award - Another special honor was presented to Carlus Gann (pictured below) who was awarded the HSR Mitty Award for the competitor that best typifies the adventurous spirit of the fictitious daredevil daydreamer, Walter Mitty, who is the namesake and inspiration for the 44-year-old HSR Mitty. Gann is a competitor, constructor, restoration specialist and a primary organizer of the impressive collection of HSR Group 8 Stock Cars that have become a fixture in HSR events at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in recent years.
Sunday Mitty Winners - Sunday's final events included some weekend first-time and repeat winners. Saturday Sports 2000 Feature Race winner Fritz Seidel went two-for-two in his 2004 No. 02 Carbir CS with another victory in Sunday's sprint that showcased "S2000" as the 44th HSR Mitty Featured Marque for the final time of the weekend. Sunday morning's B.R.M. Chronographes Endurance Challenge one-hour race for Prototype, Historic and GT Modern (GTM) cars was won overall for the second-straight race by the 2014 No. 4 Oreca FLM09 Le Mans Prototype Challenge "PC" car co-driven by Matthew Miller and James French. Miller and French also scored an overall B.R.M. Endurance Challenge victory in the season-opening HSR Spring Fling at Sebring International Raceway in March.
Teen Driver Tops at Mitty - The 44th HSR Mitty wasn't just about celebrating road racing's glorious past. Emerging second-generation driver Alex Berg (pictured below), 15, won both of his HSR WeatherTech Sprints in Group 11 at the wheel of his 2007 No. 57 Elan DP02. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and now living in Buford, Georgia not far from Road Atlanta, Berg is the son of former Canadian Formula 1 driver Alan Berg.
Barber Historics Up Next - The 44th HSR Mitty set the stage for the HSR Barber Historics at Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama, May 19 -22. The event gives competitors and race fans a pristine racing circuit and a chance to visit the amazing Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The Barber Historics features all HSR run groups and classes, but the event has also become a showcase of vintage and historic open-wheel race cars that are right at home on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit. Everything from Formula Junior to Formula Vee, classic Formula Fords to Formula B and Atlantics to Indy Lights were among the more than 50 open wheel cars competing in last year's HSR Barber Historics, and the entry list is growing this year. Competitor information and entry forms are available athttps://hsrrace.com/barberhistorics2022. Event spectator tickets will be available at the Barber Motorsports Park gate for $15.
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By Colin Wood
