Highlights from the 2018 US Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen
# 59 Peter Klutt (dad) diced with and almost won Saturday’s Group 6 shootout after # 46A Ryan Klutt (son) spun out early chasing eventual winner pro driver Eric Lux # 0 Porsche 911RS. Peter beat an abbreviated field on Sunday.
# 42D Rick Mooney led and would have won the 38-car one-hour Vintage Enduro prior to an errant pace car giving # 1 Travis Engen Lotus 23B the win. Some days you’re the windshield; some days you’re the bug!
# 55 Bill Schwacke comfortably led # 56 SVRA boss Tony Parella SVRA, again winning his class in the combined group 3-4-5b race.
# 33 John Reisman driving ex 2012 ex Whelen Corvette DP rocket left in the dust the combined group 9-11 race for prototype sports cars.
Jim Heck received the Otto Linton award named for pioneer Watkins Glen racer, active in the community and the IMRRC in a life that ended last year at age 100.
Nothing tops the Watkins Glen downtown festival and race re-enactment. Corvette racers # 30 Mark Horner group 12a, # 4 Bill Bogner group 6 and # 56 Tony Parella group 4 with Kim Hoxie took part.
The closely matched pair of 1969 Corvettes # 969 Mike Origer and # 696 Daniel Gee are doing much better with race prep by Stuart Black. The latter was damaged in a 3-car pile-up triggered by a driver bobble descending into the hairpin turn known as “the toe of the boot”. Video created by Dave Zavetsky & team: https://youtu.be/2vhYmYxTgWM
# 09 a 1999 ex Troy Flis Racing ACP-bodied Grand Am Corvette saw limited action but bears watching in the hands of Raymond Webb group 10. It’s # 90 sister car re-built from a wreck has been accounted for.
Photos courtesy of Rich Martin.
