Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Classic Motorsports Mitty - 2016


The weekend started the minute I ran out the door at work that Friday.  I had to get home as soon as possible to be able to wash the car with what daylight was left.  There was more stuff to do than there was time to do it in.  As the clock approached 11pm that night, I started to realize what I was doing wrong.  Rushing around, stressing myself out, getting frustrated... for what?  All I really needed to do was get up the next morning and go.  Yes, I wanted the car to be perfect, and yes, I needed to make sure I had everything I needed before I left the next morning, but I was missing what this weekend is really about... fun.  If you're an automotive enthusiast of any kind, it is simply impossible not to have fun at the Classic Motorsports Mitty.  There is so much to see and hear, the people are so kind and hospitable, the track is gorgeous, and the racing is top notch.  Since attending my first Mitty in 2011, I anxiously await the following year's event, immediately after the current one is over.  The event seems to get bigger and better every year, and this year's was no exception.


This event has the reputation of hosting many rare and unusual cars, and with the featured mark being Ford, there were plenty to see this year.  GT-40s, Can-Am cars including two UOP Shadows, Mustangs galore, vintage Formula 1 cars, and that's just a small taste.  There are people from all over the world that attend this event.  For example, I met a man from Denmark who brought his one-off Can-Am car over to the States to run the Vintage series.  I could go on for hours, but I won't.  You just need to attend next year's event.  You will not be disappointed, considering the fact the Porsche will be the featured mark.


Every year I go to the Mitty with the hopes of seeing some vintage Hondas.  Sadly though, they are a rare sight.  I was pleasantly surprised to find another 1G CRX in last years event, but there were no other classic Hondas.  This year was the same, but different as well.  Unfortunately there were only two other classic Honda's at the show.  Both were CRXs.  The first being a completely stock 2nd gen, and the other was a 1G race car.  That was the big difference this year. This was the first year I've seen a Honda compete at the Mitty, and it was a first gen CRX to boot!  A day or so before the show, I had been notified by a GENONE Blog fan that it was at the show.  It immediately became my top priority.  "Find the 1G CRX race car!"



Find it I did, and disappointed I was not.  It was a beautiful powder blue, HP prepared 1G race car that had been raced for almost 20 years.  The owner was a great guy and spent a ton of time showing me around the car.  I'm not going to go into anymore detail than that at this time, because he gave me permission to feature his car on the blog.  So you can expect to see that in the next couple weeks.

I spent the entire day on Saturday walking all over the track, taking pictures, drooling over the cars, and occasionally stopping to watch the races.  The weather was perfect, the cars were incredible, and the people were great.  I even met up a couple friends including a fellow RPR member.  It was nice to finally hang out with a fellow enthusiast.  Needless to say, the event couldn't have gone better, and with the smell of racing fuel in my nostrils, sunscreen in my eyes, and pain in my legs, I decided to head home.


For those of you who have Honda's and have not attended this event, you need to come.  There is an entire paddock in the infield for Japanese cars, and at this year's event, it was filled with 95% Datsuns.  I was literally the only Honda (because the guy with the 2nd gen CRX parked in the Ferrari paddock for some reason).  Honda needs a bigger presence at this event.  I certainly can't do it myself.  See you next year!






Bonus Images



















































Photos by Stephen Dettman

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