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VIR Gold Cup Historics news 2006-02-20

VIR Joins Forces with HMSA for Gold Cup Historics Alton, Va. (Feb. 20) -- VIRginia International Raceway's signature vintage racing event, the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races, will benefit from a new partnership between the track and one of ...

VIR Joins Forces with HMSA for Gold Cup Historics

Alton, Va. (Feb. 20) -- VIRginia International Raceway's signature vintage racing event, the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races, will benefit from a new partnership between the track and one of America's most renowned vintage racing sanctioning bodies.

VIR has joined forces with the California-based Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA), which produces some of the best vintage and historic races in America, to take the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races to the next level.

"We're very pleased with the development of the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races to date," said VIR co-owner Harvey Siegel, "but we want to grow the event into the top echelon of vintage racing events in America, and that requires more entrants and more historically significant cars. HMSA has the ability to help achieve both those goals, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

"At the same time, however, while we are seeking more historically significant cars for the Gold Cup, by no means do we want to discourage any of our previous participants from returning. All of our previous participants are invited to remain part of the Gold Cup family, and we hope they will join with us to help the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races realize their full potential."

HMSA is one of the most respected historic racing organizations in the United States, producing world-class spectator events across the country. HMSA members own, restore, preserve and race the most historic and valuable sports and racing cars in the world. Their events feature historic production cars built through 1966 and purpose-built Formula, Sports Racing and IMSA cars built through 1984.

HMSA was created in 1977 to serve as the sanctioning body for premiere historic racing events and remains the only organization to mandate the cars race as they were and not what they could have been (historically correct within the time period the car originally raced). Other HMSA spectator events include the Jefferson 500 at Summit Point, W.Va., May 19-21, and the 30th Annual Portland Historic Races, July 7-9. HMSA also runs club events for its members, including the exclusive and limited-membership club Targa Sixty-Six.

"VIR is one of America's most beautiful racing facilities," said HMSA president Cris Vandagriff, "and a perfect setting for a vintage race. It is one of the most challenging road courses in the United Stares, if not the world, and the type of facility our members should all experience. We're looking forward to working with the VIR staff to build the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races into one of America's premiere vintage events, and to introducing many of our members to this wonderful and historic venue."

The seventh annual Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races are scheduled for the weekend of June 9-11. This year's event will pay tribute to the racing cars of Germany. German manufacturers have played a major role in the history of motorsport, and the names Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche are all synonymous with racing excellence. Historic examples of each will be on hand for the weekend, along with a variety of vintage racing machinery running the gamut from MGs, Triumphs and Lotus to Ferraris, Maseratis and Alfa Romeos to the sports racers and fire-breathing American muscle cars of the 1960s and '70s. Off-track activities will include the fifth annual Gold Cup Car Show, which will take place on Saturday, June 10, plus car corrals and parties. Entry forms for participants are available at www.vir-goldcup.com.

VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit, VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, America's first motorsports country club; the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park; the VIR Gallery, which is a sales showroom for high-end collector and racing cars; The Lodge at VIR and the Oak Tree Tavern, a full-service restaurant located within the circa-1840 Plantation Clubhouse.

For more information on VIR, visit the track's website at www.virclub.com or telephone 434-822-7700. For more information on HMSA, visit their website at www.hmsausa.com or telephone 818-249-3515. For further information on the Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races, a new website has been established for fans and participants at www.vir-goldcup.com.

-vir-

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