One of the more highly recognized and beloved brands in the road racing world will be centre stage at the 44th annual VARAC Vintage Grand Prix, with Porsche being honoured as the featured marque.
The manufacturer will have no shortage of cars taking part in the on-track action, including the No. 38 1972 Porsche 911, driven by Robert Offley. A British expat who grew up watching Porsches succeed on track, Offley started racing a Porsche 944 in 2014 and has stayed loyal to the marque.
“I went to watch a lot of these when I was a kid, racing around Brands Hatch, Silverstone, etc., in some of the endurance races, so I always had an affinity for the Porsche brand as a winner in motorsport,” said Offley. “I also love the engineering of Porsche cars, the simplicity…(they’re) incredibly simple and easy to work on, but very effective on the race track.”
Offley says the 944 is a great starter car and that he eventually migrated to the 911. He likes the analog feel of the car, noting that there’s no real traction control or driver aids and that it creates the challenge of being able to control the rear-engine car, given the weight balance.
Offley won the Class A championship, in the Classic group, in last year’s VARAC Drivers Challenge. Runner-up Tim Sanderson is another top contender, driving a 1982 Porsche 911 SC. Martino Beretta (1992 Porsche 968) won the Class 1 title, while Jeff Gardner (1987 Porsche 944) won the Class 3 championship. Dave Margolese and Offley’s Euro Tune teammates Mike Steplock and Tammy Moore are also among Porsche contenders.
The manufacturer was found throughout the Classic and Vintage Historic fields in the season opening BEMC Spring Trophy Races in early May.
Marco Beretta drove a 2005 Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car to one overall victory and a weekend sweep of the MC-A class, while Sanderson took his 911 to the CL-A class wins and runner-up finishes, overall, in all three races.
Thirty-one Porsches were noted in the final VARAC Drivers Challenge standings from last season; the number of vehicles found in competition will make things interesting for the two special races that highlight the featured marque.
The All-Porsche Race will feature the cars battling each other, before they team up to take on other manufacturers in the Rudy Bartling Nation’s Cup.
“We’ve got a grid of 30-plus cars, I think that’s still growing as we speak; we’re seeing people come up from the US, as well as people from Canada,” said Offley. “It’s kind of rare that you see an all-Porsche grid in North America…it’s going to be pretty exciting to see that many Porsches on one grid and I’m sure we’ll give a challenge to some of the other brands in the second race too.”
Both special races are held on Sunday afternoon and will be followed by podium trophy presentations. The top-ten finishers in the ‘Porsche vs. The Field’ Rudy Bartling Nation’s Cup are awarded points in descending order, where the group with the highest points total gets the win.
While vintage racing has a reputation for courteous driving styles, with a focus on showcasing the cars and not tearing them up, there will still be some fun competition to watch. Offley says that vintage racing has a mix of everyone having fun but also challenging themselves to have a good outcome and do well; he expects there to be battles throughout the field.
Vintage Grand Prix director Peter Lambrinos says that Porsche’s prominence in the event is part of the reason for the brand being honoured as this year’s featured marque.
“Porsche hasn’t been a feature for 10 or 12 years and we do have a lot of club Porsches that race for VARAC and CASC,” said Lambrinos. “We chose to make them the featured marque and to see if we could encourage a bunch of racers from clubs in the States to come up.”
MANY MAJOR PORSCHE CONNECTIONS
Lambrinos also acknowledged the manufacturer’s history in Canada, with notable racers including a Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame driver who the Vintage Grand Prix’s Open Wheel Challenge is named after.
“Ludwig Heimrath was the big name, in terms of Porsche, one of the great Canadian racers,” said Lambrinos. “(Porsche) has history everywhere, it’s just such a great race car and a great touring car as well.”
The Porsche connections will not be limited to on-track competition, with the popular Field of Dreams car show featuring a large variety of collector and daily-driver vehicles at turn eight on Sunday. The vehicles will then parade the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park circuit during the lunch break.
Porsche enthusiasts will have plenty of opportunities to see their favourite cars up close at the Vintage Grand Prix. The paddocks are open to the public, meaning that fans can tour the work areas and see the large assortment of vintage cars between sessions. The ability for fans to travel through time and get an all-access pass is something that stands out to Offley.
“You’ll be able to see cars that were designed in the ‘50s and ‘60s, right through to modern times, so it’s just a great opportunity, if you love the brand and want to know more about it,” said Offley.
“I think a lot of people get exposed to modern day cars,” he continued. “Porsche has been going for 75 years but the 911 has been going for a majority of those years, and just seeing the evolution of the design; seeing some of these cars and talking to the owners, the mechanics and learning about maintaining or running these cars, is a rare opportunity.”
Whether you’re the proud owner of a Porsche or a loyal fan of Porsche in motorsports, there will be plenty to see and appreciate at this year’s Vintage Grand Prix, with the world-famous automaker in the spotlight as this year’s featured marque.
