HSR: Classic Motorsports MITTY Road Atlanta Sunday notes

Classic Motorsports MITTY Presented by Mazda
Notes and Quotes -- Sunday, May 2, 2010

There was plenty more racing action Sunday at the 34th annual Classic Motorsports Mitty presented by Mazda race. Eight sprint, one historic motorcycle, two enduros and the Formula 5000 feature race filled the day with excitement.

FORMULA 5000 RACE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES AT ROAD ATLANTA

Winner of the Formula 5000 feature race was Jim Stengal, driver of the 1973 McRae GM-1, previously raced in the Tasman Series in 1971-73. He led from start to finish in the feature race of the day.

"This is a great track for these Formula 5000 cars. The best thing is that we brought 'em all home in one piece," said Stengal.

After the race, the drivers gathered on the victory stand to sing Happy Birthday to Tony Adamowicz, celebrating his 69th birthday after driving the No. 69 Gurney Eagle in the race, the same car he drove to the 1969 F5000 championship.

BRIAN JOHNSON ROCKS AT THE MITTY

Brian Johnson, lead singer for the band AC/DC, returned to HSR racing after a two-year hiatus while on the band's "Black Ice Tour". And he returned in style, finishing second in both of his races Saturday and winning Sunday's Historic Production class in his 1970 Royale RP 4.

"We moved up a spot but that's because the Chevron isn't here (referring to the 1968 Chevron B8 of John Harrold). Let's be honest. But it was great. I kept seeing that big, blue monster behind me (runner-up Farrell Johnson in a Predator teammate Jaguar). He had me on the power but I got him in the corners. I'm going to miss all this. HSR has been great. We're going back on tour with the band, starting in Budapest in about 10 days."

JACK BALDWIN BRINGS IT HOME

Atlantan Jack Baldwin brought the gold home. He was the winner of the Vic Elford Trophy in the Historic GTP/WSC/DP feature race, driving George Robinson's 2001 No. 74 Riley & Scott MK111C. There was a light mist/rain at the start but dissipated during the race.

"It's an honor to drive with George (Robinson). This is my favorite car to drive. It started out slick and then got slicker. This was the most difficult racing conditions for these cars. It was what we call glassy. I'd prefer racing in rain (instead of this) because these cars are so good in the rain. You had to be very careful out there because you couldn't find any grip. But we brought it home in one piece."

SAME CAR, DIFFERENT RACE

The second race of the day for the GTP/WSC/DP class was a one-hour enduro requiring driver changes. Bill Adam, along with teammate Andy Wallace, driving the 2005 Audi R8, battled with George Robinson in the dominant No. 74 Riley & Scott but had to settle for the runner-up spot.

"George and I had a lot of fun out there at the start. It was a lot of fun because it's never a problem running with Jack or George. The biggest thing is we didn't want to scratch one of these cars.

"George makes it easy, he's such a good racer," added teammate Baldwin. "I'm just honored to be on the track with them (Bill & Andy). And, it was good to win here on my home track."

ENDURO SERIES SEES LARGE FIELD

Richard Duffey of Brookfield, Wis. was the winner of the morning's Classic GT Enduro race in a 1985 Swift DB2 beating Eric Bretzel's GT3 72 Porsche 911 by less than 2 seconds. Forty cars were entered in one-hour endurance race, the largest single race field of the MITTY weekend.

"This is a wonderful track. You have to pay attention everywhere. There are parts that favor going fast and others that favor handling."

SOUTH CAROLINIAN A DOUBLE WINNER

Dale Phelan of Aiken, S.C. was a double winner Sunday. He captured the Historic Stock Car race for the David Pearson Trophy driving a 2006 Ford Fusion. He returned to the track two races later to win the Historic GT class and the Sam Posey Trophy in a 1995 Mustang, formerly driven by John Gooding.

"I kept looking for the grass. I planted some tomatoes out there (the last race). I wanted to see how they were doing. This is not a race; this is an event, a pageant."

He formerly raced against Gooding's car in a similar Roush Racing Mustang. "When I saw this car was for sale, I had to have it."

Results are posted on www.hsrforums.com or for more information, go to www.themitty.com.

-source: hsr