Legends of Motorsports announced the addition of a 13th car category to be titled “The Fabulous Fifties.” To grow and develop the category, the series has brought in experienced motorsports organizer, official and historian David Seibert.
The Fabulous Fifties car category is all about the makes and models that rose in popularity following the end of WWII. As the engineering and manufacturing sectors turned their attention away from war-time needs to consumer needs, a wave of inspiring new vehicles made their way to the showrooms. Returning home from abroad, American G.I.s now had a taste for Ferrari, Maserati and Jaguar. The 1950s became a golden era for sports car racing, as street races and soon road courses began to spring up across the country.
Models comprising the Fabulous Fifties category include: the Ferrari 166, 750 Monza and 250 Testa Rossa; the Alfa Romeo 1900, Cooper Bobtail, Fraser Nash LeMans, Maserati A6GCS and 300S, OSCA MT4, Tojeiro, Lotus 11, Lola Mk 1, Alfa-Romeo 1900, Allard, Scarab, Jaguar D-Type and HWM Jaguar. These are the cars created the foundation of sports car racing and were driven by such titans of motorsport as Fangio, Moss, Hill and Shelby.
“Sports car racing as we know it began with these cars,” said 1986 Indy 500 Winner, three-time CART Champion and series co-founder Bobby Rahal. “It’s only right that a category exist to recognize these ground-breaking machines and what they stood for. I’m looking forward to seeing them all on track together again.”
An expert in these vehicles and era of racing, Dave Seibert has been brought in by Legends of Motorsports to develop the new category. Seibert joins the series with more than three decades of motorsports experience, most recently as the creator and administrator of the Shell Ferrari Historic Challenge. Seibert can also be credited with the creation of the popular Ferrari Challenge for modern-day models and has worked with Ferrari for nearly 20 years. He is recognized as a talented racing official, organizer and former competitor with additional skills in writing and public relations. Seibert was even selected by the Chrysler Museum of Art as a guest curator for an exhibit on the history of Ferrari.
“I’m really thrilled about this opportunity with Legends of Motorsports,” Seibert said. “I’m looking forward to working with Bobby, Peter (Stoneberg) and Zak (Brown) on this exciting new category they’ve added to their series. These are the cars which inspired my interest in the sport, and I’m eager to continue my work with those who love these great automobiles.”
As the series’ Automotive Historian, Seibert will play a large role in organizing the Fabulous Fifties category, including selecting appropriate cars and communicating with participants to facilitate fun, fair racing. He will also provide color commentary from the announcer’s booth throughout race weekends as needed.
“It was an easy decision to bring Dave on board,” said series co-founder and CEO Peter Stoneberg. “We’re all familiar with Dave’s work on the Shell Historic Ferrari Challenge and elsewhere. I’ve heard nothing but ringing endorsements of Dave’s work and knowledge of the sport and I’m glad we were able to acquire his time and skills.”
Legends of Motorsports begins its inaugural season at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., on May 21 – 23. More information is available on www.legendsofmotorsports.com.
[Source: Legends of Motorsports; photo credit: Dennis Gray]
