A friend of mine (DaneM) asked me to pass this on to those of you that might be interested! Looks like fun to me...I plan to go.
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Hello everyone,
It's back! What used to be Zupan's Historic Races is now sponsored by Baxter's Auto Parts, thus the name change. For those of you who haven't attended this in the past, go to
http://www.portlandhistorics.com/ to look at the basic information. Their web site is really lacking substance, but you'll get the idea.
Overview (from Larry Kniess, BMW ACA Portland chapter)
The Portland Chapter BMW ACA will be represented in corral again this year. This is a great event that you will not want to miss. This three-day event gives you a chance to show off your car, get to know your fellow club members and get up close to some fantastic vintage automobiles. The event will be held at Portland International Raceway (PIR) July 12*,13, & 14, 2002.
The 26th annual Baxter Auto Parts Portland Historic Races are a northwest tradition that offers fun for the entire family. Participation at the event includes some of the most celebrated vintage cars in history. More than 250 prestigious cars are divided into groups according to their age and horsepower to compete on the 1.95-mile track in the true spirit of vintage racing. This year, the featured race group will be a field of Can-Am racecars. The event also features a spectacular display of more that 700 collector cars and 200 of the finest collector hot rods in the northwest. You too will be part of this display, as your car will be featured in the corral. There will be awards for best of show, so spend some time making you car look its best.
For the small fee of $35.00($130.00 value) you and your guest will get a three-day pass including inside corral parking. You will also receive a dash plaque and the chance to participate in the Parade lap. This lap is limited to 25 cars on Sat. & Sun. so come early to get at the front of the group.
*The event and the races run on Friday from 10am - 5pm as well, but us Seattle folk generally don't show up this day. You will still get two passes from Friday with your registration, so you are welcome to show up for the races on Friday.
Highlights
Caravan to Portland on Saturday Morning - We usually meet at one or two spots in the Seattle metro area around the 6:15am-7am timeframe and cruise directly to PIR. If any Portland area people want to meet with us, there are plenty of parking lots at the Jantzen Beach exit to re-group before rolling into the event. More details to follow for those who attend.
Vintage Car Racing - See overview above.
Car Club Corral - A large number of PacNW clubs attend this event and park in their own corrals to display the vehicles. Past clubs have included a number of regional Porsche chapters, Dodge Vipers, Ferraris, BMWs (of which we will be part of), Plymouth Prowlers, Toyota Supras & MR2s, vintage Mustangs, Cobras, Camaros, Mini Coopers, AMGs, and a large number of hot rods that I can't even describe. Bring your camera and lots of film/media cards!!
Parade Lap - Attendees with cars in the corral will get a parade lap around PIR once each day (limited to 25 cars per club per day). We stage in front of the grandstands while being announced as we speed off towards the festival turns and around the track. This event is fairly controlled, as previous years have seen some clubs going a little crazy, spinning out, doing 140MPH+ on the back straight, etc. But in any case, it's extremely fun.
Wine & Food Tent - For a $15 entry fee, you will receive a wine glass (for you to keep) and 6 tickets, each worth about ½ glass of wine or a pint of beer. There are normally about 10 different wineries and breweries to choose from, as well as gourmet hors d'ouvres, appetizers and desserts all presented buffet style...eat to your heart's content. This has always been a relaxing and pleasant lunch for us in the afternoon, under the tent and out of the hot sun.
NOTE: In the past, this wine & food tent was sponsored by Zupan's Markets (similar to our Larry's Market), with the $15 entry fee going to charity. The entry fee and charity will likely remain the same, but since Zupan's is no longer an event sponsor, Fred Meyer will be taking over the tent with their own wine and food partners. While I don't expect it to be drastically different, changes might be made to the food/wine selections with the new sponsor.
Go-Karts - Another charity event, the go-karts in the past have been similar to the 5hp gas karts that can be found at various PacNW tracks such as Traxx and Sykart. The production company has informed me that they will be lowering the minimum age to 14 this year (from 16) to accommodate requests from families wanting their children to participate, but one wouldn't expect it to affect the karts or the track as in previous years. Just more obstacles.
Pool & Spa Family Zone - I have no idea what this is, but for those of you with families, it sounds like a good place to keep your children occupied.
Registration & Hotel Information
To register, go to
http://home.attbi.com/~de_annaj/zupa..._nonmember.htm and click on the FORM link. You MUST have your registration form to Larry by May 14th, otherwise there may not be room for you in the corral!! Also, please let me know, via email, if you plan on attending so I can arrange the caravan details.
Hotels are surprisingly full this year.
http://www.portlandraceway.com has a page for area hotels. I called or tried to book online at every one of them, and all but three are 'sold out'. My favorite choice is the Best Western - Inn at the Meadows, which is reasonably priced, about 2 minutes from PIR and a has a pool, spa and continental breakfast. Even though their online registration system shows sold out, I managed to call today and reserve a room ($90+tax) for Sat, July 13th. If you act fast, you can probably do the same.
Other hotels that have rooms available online are:
DoubleTree at Jantzen Beach - Pricey @$130-150/night, but very nice, on the waterfront.
Red Lion Hotel at the Quay in Vancouver, WA (about 7-10 minutes from PIR). They had room rates under $100 for standard rooms. Nothing special, but a good night's sleep.
Days Inn (next to the Best Western). Personally I'd never stay at a dive like this, but it's cheap ($70), has a bed and has rooms available.
For more information about the event, please contact myself at
dane-z3@onyx.com or at 206-953-6642.
Thanks,
Dane
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