Chip Harp, Valdosta Today Sports Feature Writer
BRASELTON, GEORGIA – The Road Atlanta circuit near Braselton hosted the Atlanta Fall Historics over the weekend, an event that saw a wide variety of racing cars and action.
The event is organized and sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing, who manages events across the country to allow owners and drivers of less-than current to historic race cars drive on some of the nation’s best circuits. The event was also part of a year-long series of races that allows drivers and teams to earn points to crown an eventual champion in several classes.
In addition to the historic races, the event also saw a round of the Formula 4 open-wheel series. This series, sanctioned by the international motorsports governing body, the FIA, and operated by the Sports Car Club of America, provides up and coming drivers of open wheeled cars, or formula cars, the opportunity to earn points toward their FIA Super License. The series was designed as a step between Karting and Formula 3, all of which lead, for some, to seats on Formula 1 and GP2 Teams, the pinnacle of open wheel racing.
But the HSR also provides racing “hobbyists” the chance to run a variety of racing machines. For example, brothers Joe and Jerome Jacalone. They traveled from New York to Atlanta to race their 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo, a 5.2 Liter racing monster that won the 2014 Super Trofeo series. Now it’s Joe and Jerome’s hobby. The two travel with a car carrier trailer pulled by a heavy duty truck. The trailer contains everything their crew, of 1, will need for the weekend of racing.
“We just enjoy driving and competing”, Jerome Jacalone told Valdosta Today. “It’s what we do for fun.”
That sums up how many of the operators feel, though some teams travel with multiple trailers and equipment, like a small-scale factory race team. A team from Savannah travels with a full assortment of cars, mechanics, and drivers. Another team, 901 Motorsport, has a full stable of vintage to near-current Porsche race cars. One team, Hubbell, who drive two Corvette Prototype IMSA race cars, even brings their own grid girls to the track.
One of the most fun aspects of the weekend included what are called track tours. Led by a Panoz pace car, participants can drive their street cars on the course, sometimes a speeds faster than organizers may prefer. But, it’s all a part of the fun of attending, and even on a small level participating in, one of these events.
If you haven’t attended one of these events and you enjoy motorsports, you have to put this on your list. For more information, go to HSR’s website, at http://hsrrace.com/.
