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Trans Am Speedfest Laguna Seca 2019 – Report and Photos

Jim Hague - 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 302
Jim Hague - 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 302

Race cars and springtime weather set the stage for the historic and contemporary racing at one of the premier road courses in North America — WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) hosted the Trans Am Speedfest on May 3-5, 2019 in Salinas, California. With a combination of clear and cloudy skies and cool, windy conditions throughout the weekend, the track conditions were ideal for the eleven groups of cars that took to the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course on the Monterey Peninsula.

The three-day Trans Am Speedfest Laguna Seca 2019 featured a combination of the thunderous Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and the vintage and historic racers of the SVRA. This included a featured reunion and race for Historic Trans Am cars from the 1960s and early 1970s.

The evocative Trans Am muscle cars stirred up strong memories for many spectators, with a strong field that included Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, AMC Javelins, Dodge Challengers, Plymouth Cudas and a selection of under 2.5-liter machines. Jim Hague’s 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Jim Halsey’s 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 split the big-bore Historic Trans Am races, while Troy Ermish crossed the finish line first in both under 2.5-liter races in his 1971 Datsun 510.

In addition to the featured Trans Am racers, the Speedfest Laguna Seca 2019 provided a fantastic opportunity for racing enthusiasts to watch and hear some vintage race cars outside of the larger historic motorsport events. Some other notable cars that raced included Tom Dooley’s 1988 Porsche 962C; Doug Brower’s 1960 Sorrell Larkin Special; Greg Meyer’s 1959 Sadler Mk IV; Stan Anderes’ 1956 Lotus Eleven Le Mans; Thor Johnson’s 1974 BMW CSL 3.5 and a fantastic grouping of Porsche 356 Speedsters; to name just a few.

The quickest entry on the property was the 2005 Audi R8 LMP wheeled expertly by Travis Engen. Engen screamed to a best 1:25.812 lap time as he scored overall wins in the class combination SVRA Run Groups 9 and 11.

Trans Am Speedfest Laguna Seca 2019 – Photo Gallery (photos: Victor Varela)

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