The team behind the Sonoma Speed Festival is back gearing up for a new motorsports festival, Velocity Invitational. The exciting event is to be held on November 11- 14, 2021, at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California.
Velocity Invitational will feature a special exhibition of historic McLaren Racing Formula 1 race cars by Mika Häkkinen, two-time Formula 1 World Champion. There will also be hundreds of additional significant and unique historic race vehicles, gourmet food, and fine wine.
Velocity Invitational was conceived following the success of the first Sonoma Speed Festival which was held in 2019. The event will bring together wheel-to-wheel vintage racing, historic and cultural exhibits, and tastings from the very best wineries and restaurants California has to offer.
The 2019 event was a great success with thousands of spectators enjoying seeing over 300 race cars, not to mention the dozens of gourmet food vendors and local wineries being present to complement the racing.
For this year’s Velocity Invitational, McLaren Racing will be bringing several very impressive vehicles.
The first is the 1998 MP4/13A chassis number 02, a 760 brake horsepower V10 powered Formula 1 vehicle that was handled by David Coulthard and Mika Häkkinen. It is the very same vehicle that Häkkinen once drove to win the Australian GP.
McLaren has also announced that they will feature the 2011 MP4/26A and 2012 MP4/27A Formula 1 cars that Lewis Hamilton and Jensen Button once drove.
“We are delighted to partner with Velocity Invitational to showcase our McLaren Racing history on the track and contribute to one of the most exciting automotive lifestyle festivals in the United States.”
McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown.
For those spectators that are up for more than just food and racing, a 1998 MP4/98T two-seat Formula 1 demonstration car will be taking a fortunate few passengers around the circuit in a breathtaking ride.
Velocity Invitational Founder Jeff O’Neill stated:
“We have all missed racing and seeing these extraordinary and rare cars in the past year. So we’ve decided to make up for lost time with an event that is sure to please both drivers and spectators. With McLaren bringing cars not seen in years that showcase extraordinary technology, Velocity Invitational will try to set a new standard for automotive lifestyle festivals in the United States.”
The luxury facilities that guests could experience at the Sonoma Speed Festival will also be present at Velocity Invitational. The event will have a food and wine pavilion, luxury spectator accommodations, wine tasting tent, and many more.
New to the event this year will be free entry to all children 15 years and under when accompanied by an adult guardian.
2020 Sonoma Speed Festival ticket holders will have their tickets automatically transferred to the upcoming Velocity Invitational 2021.
Further information on this fabulous event can be found on Velocity Invitational website.
[Source: Velocity Invitational]
