Words: Nathan Chadwick | Photos: M1 Concourse
The M1 Concourse rumbled to the sound of 170 racing cars across 14 classes between September 29 and October 2, as part of the second American Speed Festival.
This year’s event paid a special tribute to the cars of Carroll Shelby, and one of his most important team members, Peter Brock, was honoured as a Master of Motorsports for his ground-breaking design efforts. Meanwhile, for open-wheel fans, more than two-dozen vintage Indy cars took to the track, with Al Unser Jr on pace car duties. He also got a chance to meet up with a famed former steed, his 1986 Domino’s Pizza Shierson Racing Lola Indy Car. It wasn’t just American might on display, either; Ferraris and other supercars also had a chance to shine.
“We’re very pleased with the American Speed Festival weekend,” said Tim McGrane, CEO of M1 Concourse. “Fans enjoyed seeing race cars doing what they were designed to do, with two days of time trials on the 1.5-mile Speed Ring of Champion Motor Speedway. On Sunday they enjoyed the new automotive art show as part of the Speed & Style Expo. Guests also lined up to get a high-speed ride with an M1 professional driver on track, and enjoy even more cars on display.”
2022 American Speed Festival Class Winners
Class 1: Shelby/Cobra: 1965 Shelby GT350 (Ken Costella).
Class 2: Vintage Indy: 1970 Gurney Eagle (Chuck Jones).
Class 3: Ferrari: 2019 488 Challenge Evo (Melissa Kozyra).
Class 4: Endurance Sports Cars: 1988 Fabcar GTP (Dave Nikolas).
Class 5: Feature Race Cars: 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix Mello Yello (Mike Haislet).
Class 6: Super Cars: 2005 Ford GT-1 (Fred Calero).
Class 7: Race Karts: 2022 UofM SAE (Michaela Fisk).
Class 8: Pontiac Firebird: 1970 Pontiac Trans Am (Keith Knudsen).
Class 9: Hot Rod/Customs: 1932 Ford Three-Window (Gordie Olsen).
Class 10: Pony Cars: 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 (Howard Kay).
Class 11: Muscle Cars: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427 (Ron Turner).
Class 12: Modern Performance: 2016 Dodge Viper ACR (Marty Heitkamp).
Class 13: Import Performance: 1978 Datsun 280Z (Ari Katz).
Class 14: American Classics: 1923 Duesenberg Model A Roadster (Peter Heydon).
Special Awards
People’s Choice Award: 2021 Ferrari Monza SP1 (Lauren Mendelson).
Car Selection Committee Award: 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2203 (Ernie Nagamatsu).
Chairman’s Award: 1965 Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe (Charles Stringfellow).
M1 Momentum Magazine Award: 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 CSX 2154 (Cobra Experience).
David Hobbs Award: 1966 Jaguar E-type Series 1 Roadster (Conrad Foster).
Al Unser Jr. Award: 1957 Stingray ( GM Heritage Center).
Peter Brock Award: 1997 Shelby Can Am Peter Brock Prototype X3 (William Deary).
City of Pontiac Award: 1978 GMC Royale (Karen Breen).
