HSR Road Atlanta 2011 – Report and Photo Gallery

Report and photos by David Ferguson, Rusty Nuts Photography

I love the sound of race cars in the morning. As I approached the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta road course nestled in the rolling hills of Georgia, I was greeted by the lovely noise made by the cars in an early morning practice session. We were all there for the 2011 Atlanta Historic races sanctioned by HSR, held September 16-18. The sounds that greeted me set a wonderful tone for the weekend.

A field of 118 cars participated in 15 sprint and two enduro races. Notable entries included Johan Woerheide’s lovely 1966 Lola T70 Spyder, while Travis Engen showed up with a Lola T97/20 and the awesome 2005 Audi R8.This is the last R8 to race for Audi, and for that last race (held at Lime Rock), the names of all the drivers and tracks the car was involved with were put on the flanks of the car. They are still there. Toby Bean brought his very fast 1990 Intrepid GTP, while Theo Bean drove a 1960 Aston Martin DB4.

There were three West Coast racers that graced the event with their cars. Thor Thorson brought a tail-happy 1962 Elva Mk 6. (Thor admits that’s how he likes to drive). James Roth brought the ex-Arciero Brothers 1962 Lotus 23B. This car had Bobby Unser’s signature on the dash, as he drove it to a class record at the Pike’s Peak Hill climb. “Smiling” Andrew Cannon brought a lovely 1956 Maserati 250S and the ex-Vasek Polak 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL.

There were many good races, but the race of the weekend was Saturday’s Group Five race. Jack Lewis (Porsche Carrera RSR), Dennis Olthoff (Superperformance Cobra) Frank Beck (Porsche 914/6), and James Cullen (GT40) all led the race, with Cullen jumping from third to first in the last lap to pull out an exciting win.

Along with the different vintage classes, HSR also had a Historic Stock Car race for the race at Road Atlanta, and as happened with the modern NASCAR drivers, the competitors in this class have become quite good at driving these beasts around road courses. HSR also runs the Cayman Interseries, which has no historical significance except that the identically prepared cars are all painted in the colors of legendary Porsches such as the 917 or 962. The cars are attractive and the spectators seemed to enjoy watching them race.

Ken Fengler, race director for the 2011 Atlanta Historic Races, said that he was satisfied with the turnout. He said that there was a 25% increase in cars from last year, despite event being held so soon after the Lime Rock and Monterey events.

HSR Road Atlanta 2011 – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)

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HSR Road Atlanta 2011 – Race Two Results

Group 2 / 3
1 – James Cullen, 1970 Porsche 914/6
2 – Jerry Peters, 1965 Porsche 911
3 – Alan Simon, 1965 Koch Chevy Special

Group 4 / 7a
1 – Travis Engen, Lola T97/20
2 – Jim Dixon, Dallara Indy Car
3 – John Kramer, Swift DB2

Group 5
1 – Andrew Cannon, BMW 3.0 CSL
2 – Howard Turner, Jaguar E-Type
3 – Angus Rogers, Porsche 911 RSR

Group 6
1 – Toby Bean, Intrepid GTP
2 – Travis Engen, Audi A8
3 – John Reisman, Lola B2K40

Group 8
1 – Scott Murphy, 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
2 – Jack Finch, 2006 Dodge Charger
3 – Brian Norman, 2006 Dodge Charger

Group 9 / 5C
1 – John Reisman, 1992 Mustang Trans Am
2 – Phil Lasco, 2000 Mustang Trans Am
3 – John Cloud, 2000 Mustang Cobra

Klub Sport Porsche Challenge
1 – Frank Beck, 914/6
2 – Cody Ellsworth, 911 ST
3 – Jay Javetz, 914/6

Sports 2000 Feature
1 – Mark Coombs, Lola T90/90
2 – John Kramer, Swift DB2
3 – Tom Kane, Tiga SC83

Louis Chevrolet Historic Enduro – GTP / WSC / DP / Cayman
1 – Travis Engen, Audi R8
2 – Reisman / Reisman / Woodman, Lola B2K40
3 – Phil Lasco, 2000 Mustang Trans Am

Louis Chevrolet Historic Enduro – Classic GT
1 – Bill Keith, Porsche 911 RSR
2 – Michael Defenbau, Porsche 911 RSR
3 – Angus Rogers, Porsche 911 RSR

International American Challenge
1 – Johan Woerheide, 1966 Lola T70
2 – John Cullen, 1968 GT-40
3 – Jack Lewis, 1974 Porsche Carrera RSR

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[Source: David Ferguson]