PCA SDR

I spoke with someone in Public Affairs at NAS San Diego. It is official--no Speedfest for 2017.

Regards

A long post for an event I have enjoyed for years!
In the beginning as a spectator watching Phil Hill wrenching on his pre-war race car.
Meeting Tony A to Z and good times in the PCA club tent while helping park Porsches in the PCA car corral.

Sad to hear that the only race track in San Diego has been closed for Runway and Taxiway construction.
As a retired Navy (and career Federal) Air Traffic Controller racing with my friends on the Navy North Island airport runways and taxiways where I once served was always a very special opportunity.

We were fortunate to enjoy a win in the very last race on the base late Sunday afternoon in our IMSA GTO race car.
For now (until they open Coronado again) the last race on the base was won by a PCA member,
that first started racing long ago at the Q AX.

Next race for the IMSA GTO Camaro the 2017 Monterey Pre-Reunion and Reunion.
http://www.mazdaraceway.com/rolex-monte ... ts-reunion
Cheers,
Mike

The SVRA news release about the cancelation.
http://www.svra.com/news/construction-f ... -festival/

CONSTRUCTION FORCES CANCELLATION OF 2017 CORONADO SPEED FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 10, 2016 BY SVRA
Notice was received that the Coronado Speed Festival at North Island Naval Base cannot take place in 2017. The Naval Base Coronado XO cited that due to ongoing runway/taxiway repairs and construction projects, the Naval Base Coronado would not be able to support the event.
“I cannot articulate how much this event resonates within me personally, and throughout the racing community,” said Tony Parella, SVRA President and CEO. “We are hopeful and optimistic that we may continue the Coronado Speed Festival’s great racing traditions in 2018.”

Our videos and photos from the last race day at Coronado...

Sunday morning starting last due to a dead battery the day before.
https://youtu.be/UR04l6sAj64

Sunday afternoon the last race on the base.
We were getting off the corners very well, so we relaxed a little and had fun shuffling the lead.
https://youtu.be/Qw-K3fhkSjA

A nice drift on the 12 and 14 inch wide bias ply slicks.
https://youtu.be/JcTHKozg244

Karen Garcia Raines wrote:I spoke with someone in Public Affairs at NAS San Diego. It is official--no Speedfest for 2017.

Regards

And in the Union-Tribune today the real reason for the cancellation- money
Lost $333k from 2007 to 2015.

Greg

By now everyone will have read the San Diego daily paper. The "real" reason for the end of Speed Fest is that the NGO running the overall Fleet Week events is close to being insolvent. Seems that they lost money every year on the historic race event. Que pena. What a shame that this iconic weekend is now history.

Regardless of whether the event is making money or not, if the base XO says they need to do construction, that's it. There's no venue this year. That's a shame.
Perhaps the powers that be should separate the race from the other parts of "fleet week" and manage it better. I don't know a single other part of fleet week anyway. Make the race a stand alone event. The people will come. San Diego is a sports and racing car town....we just don't have a real track....embarrassingly enough.

Tim Comeau wrote: Make the race a stand alone event. The people will come. San Diego is a sports and racing car town....we just don't have a real track....embarrassingly enough.

it would be nice if it had a real venue. not even a real race track, but someplace a little more inviting than the runway at Coronado. you have to admit the ambiance was seriously lacking, even for the die hard race fan. the vintage race held each year in Pittsburgh is at a golf course and city park just out of downtown, it is beautiful, car shows on the grass, races going on in the park.

we need a real place to make it happen. the Del Mar fairground used to do it, track and everything. Mission Bay?

Del Mar also had world class motorcycle racing (the Del Mar Mile). The pathetic wrist wringers up on the hill south of the fairgrounds killed it with noise complaints. The real reason they didn't like it had to do with politics, not noise. Del Mar makes Berzerkly look bible belt conservative.
I speak form first hand knowledge - I grew up in Del Mar and sold my last property there less than ten years ago. The folks that run that town are space cases.

Gary Burch wrote:

Tim Comeau wrote: Make the race a stand alone event. The people will come. San Diego is a sports and racing car town....we just don't have a real track....embarrassingly enough.

it would be nice if it had a real venue. not even a real race track, but someplace a little more inviting than the runway at Coronado. you have to admit the ambiance was seriously lacking, even for the die hard race fan. the vintage race held each year in Pittsburgh is at a golf course and city park just out of downtown, it is beautiful, car shows on the grass, races going on in the park.

we need a real place to make it happen. the Del Mar fairground used to do it, track and everything. Mission Bay?

They did have a race at Liberty Station before they redeveloped all around it.

Greg

Gary Burch wrote:it would be nice if it had a real venue. not even a real race track, but someplace a little more inviting than the runway at Coronado. you have to admit the ambiance was seriously lacking, even for the die hard race fan. the vintage race held each year in Pittsburgh is at a golf course and city park just out of downtown, it is beautiful, car shows on the grass, races going on in the park.

I rather enjoyed our time at Coronado.
Pitted at a Race track surrounded by San Diego Bay, Downtown and Pt Loma and some very cool servicemen and Military hardware.
Agree an airport ramp like any race track can be a cold/hot and/or windy place.

San Diego does need it's own Long Beach grand prix.

Photo by John Straub.