SAAC-36 Preview This Memorial Day weekend, the Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC) will hold its 36th National Convention at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton VA. The dates are May 27 - 29, 2011. If you love Ford power, it is an experience you won't want to miss. Here is a recent Member News Letter from SAAC about the event. Click on the image to view the newsletter (PDF) This year, SAAC-36 will be held jointly with the SVT Owners Association (SVTOA) and Shelby Cobra Mustang Club (SCMC) Superfest, making this huge convention a classic for both Vintage and Newgen Ford and Shelby enthusiasts. This joint effort has enabled the clubs to secure the entire Grand Course at VIR... a spectacular 4.2 mile circuit. Open Track at SAAC-36 will be a memorable event. You'll experience Car shows, Concours judging, Vintage Shelby and Cobra wheel-to-wheel racing, parties and vendor exhibits...something for everyone. This is where you get to see REAL. Right now there are slots open for booking in every event. Online Registration can be accomplished by clicking on the image below Online Pre-Registration ENDS May 15; if you miss the pre-reg, you may register at the event. Discount pre-registration for SAAC, SVTOA and SCMC members. More to follow. See you at SAAC-36
Open Track at SAAC-36 SAAC’s High Speed Event at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) will be similar in concept to the open track events held at past national conventions. This is not a competitive event. There will be no classes, no times taken and no trophies awarded. Simply put, SAAC’s High Speed Event is an opportunity for you to drive your car at a speed you feel comfortable with, under the safest conditions we can conceive. With so many cars expected from the combined clubs, we’ll be using VIR’s Grand Course. This is a combination of the North Course (which we used at SAAC-31), the South Course and the Patriot Course. Tied together, they provide a circuit that is 4.2 miles long! That’s longer than Road America and it translates into quality track time—a lot of cars being able to get out on the track in each run group without heavy traffic....quality time on a beautiful, historic course. As an Open Track participant, you'll get your pit parking in the Paddock with all the racers. Your car will be given a Tech Inspection by the club's team of experienced racers and you must meet the minimum requirements for safety equipment. All cars must have a number on both sides (adhesive numbers or tape is acceptable). Drivers must have a helmet with the correct Snell rating. Open Track registration can be a Single Day pass or 3-day package; you must be a member of one of the host clubs to run on the track. Courtesy membership is extended to all Team Shelby members. Your Team Shelby membership qualifies you for Open Track. If you are not a SAAC member, joining SAAC will bring you a discount on Gate admission and a great New Member package that will include the SAAC "Shelby American" Annual magazine, worth $25 alone. You must attend a Daily drivers meeting to review track conditions, rules of the road and any updates. The Open Track Schedule shows that each day has three half-hour sessions per run group on the big 4.2 mile circuit at VIR. Run groups are sorted by beginner, intermediate and advanced. Spots will be allocated in a first-come/first-served basis to SAAC / SVTOA / SCMC members with Ford-powered cars only. Open Track will run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The entry fee is $495 for three full days, or $225 per day. Two drivers may share a car; the entry fee is based on the car, not the number of drivers. SAAC will run rain or shine; no refunds for less than perfect weather. Leaded and unleaded race gas is available at the track; pumps accept credit cards and will be accessible all day. Instructors are available thru the SCMC group. Run Group assignments will be made based on the experience level of the driver(s), as indicated on the Registration Form. SAAC expects that all spots will be taken by the time the convention begins, so Advance Registration is encouraged. Pre-Registration ENDS May 15; after that date contact Howard Pardee 65-66registrar@saac.com to reserve a Track slot and be assigned to a run group. Fees may be paid at the event. See you at SAAC-36!
VIPs at SAAC-36 We often say "it's not the cars, it's the people" when we talk about the appeal of our hobby. At SAAC-36, it is about both!. When you attend a SAAC National Convention, you know you are among like-minded fans of Ford and Shelby muscle from around the globe. Each year, SAAC assembles a group of VIPs to make the experience even more special, and this year is no exception. The VIPs at SAAC don't just appear at a podium one night and then take off for the airport; they are enjoying the activities just like all of us. You can find them in the Paddock or the garages, or along the Pit Wall, watching the action. You can meet and chat with them during the day. This year, we have a very interesting group: We all know and love Pete Brock...he’s going to be at SAAC-36 as one of our special VIP guests and the keynote speaker after dinner on Saturday night. We won’t attempt to list his resume entries here; we don’t have enough space. Suffice it to say that you won’t hear him talk about Daytona Coupes, GT350 stripes, Cobra nose badges, the Lang Cooper or even the BRE Datsuns. He will be discussing the future— which is almost here right now—and how it relates to performance, high horsepower and wide tires. You’ll hear things you’ve never heard before and they will change your perspective about sports cars, handling and tire technology. We’re knocking on the door of $5-a-gallon gas and when it opens this will be one of the things behind it. And you will have heard about it first, at SAAC-36. At Friday evening’s Welcoming Mixer we usually have a VIP table where our guests can sign autographs, talk to convention attendees and sit for photographs. If you’ve ever had a question for someone who worked at Shelby American or raced one of these cars, this is your chance. We’re going to have to get an extra-long table this year: Lew Spencer was the top Morgan driver on the West Coast in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Shelby tapped him to be a Cobra team driver. When he wasn’t driving a comp roadster or Daytona Coupe he was Shelby’s competition director and became the Trans-Am team manager. Chuck Cantwell was Shelby American’s GT350 project engineer. He oversaw production as well as the race shop from 1965 through 1967. Last year he became a ‘66 GT350 owner and is making up for lost time by putting as many miles on 6S796 as he can. He’s driving this car from his home in Southeastern Pennsylvania to VIR. He’s got confidence in his car. He ought to: he oversaw the building of it. Tom Yeager was a long-time SCCA racer in the 1960s. He took delivery of the first customer GT350 R-Model. In 1966 he switched to a Mustang notchback and won the first Trans-Am race for Ford at VIR. His old car will be there so it will be a reunion for him. Think he’ll take a few laps? Try to keep him away. He is an active vintage racer. Jerry Schwarz worked as a fabricator and race mechanic at Shelby American. He had a hand in building every R-Model and Mustang notchback racer. Bernie Kretzschmar worked right next to Schwarz on the R-Models and Notchbacks. Every race car was track-tested before it was delivered: Cantwell usually drove and Kretzschmar turned the wrenches. The name Holman-Moody is synonymous with Ford performance. The Charlotte, North Carolina company is nothing short of a legend. John Holman’s son Lee Holman runs the company today and they have a lot of projects running at full speed. One is a continuation GT40 MK II. Lee was at LeMans in 1966 with the H-M contingent of the Ford team. He’ll be driving one of the new cars on the track as well as a restored ‘63 H-M NASCAR Galaxie that was driven by Fireball Roberts. That’s the short list of VIPs. The convention will probably attract a few more names you’ll recognize as Memorial Day gets closer. See you at SAAC-36
Special Cars at SAAC-36 There are always a number of unique, rare or special cars at every convention but sometimes they get lost in the mix of all the other cars that are there. If we get a good photo of one of these cars and we put it in The Shelby American magazine convention report, there’s always someone who sees it and says, “Hey—I never saw that car there!” First of all, you have to be there. Second, you have to be alert. These special cars aren’t usually parked in a long row with signs highlighting each one. No, you sometimes have to poke around to find them. But when you do, it’s like finding a nugget of gold in your pan full of sand. If you’re prospecting at SAAC-36 there will be four or five of the new, GT40 MK IV continuation cars there.. If you missed the NY Auto Show and the unveiling of the new cars from Shelby American, here's your chance to see them up close. The crew and the cars will be at SAAC-36. See what's new from Shelby American, stop by their exhibit and treat yourself to the cars on display - a 2011 SuperSnake, the white and blue GT350 and the newly unveiled 2012 GT-350 Convertible. There will be at least 4 original R-Models; Dick Smith’s 427 Cobra, CSX3035, the 1967 SCCA National Champion; CSX3011, the competition car Elvis Presley drove in “Spinout”; one of Lee Holman’s GT40 MK II continuation cars; ‘65 GT350 #12, a freshly-restored pre-production prototype. Catch the Mustang notchback Tom Yeager won the ‘66 VIR Trans-Am race in...Tom and his car...back at the same venue 45 years later. That’s just a short list. There will be more... See you at SAAC-36
Car Shows at SAAC-36 Car shows are a big part of any national meet. SAAC-36 has three...count 'em, three shows spread over the weekend for a memorable event full of some of the best Ford-power the hobby has to offer. First, on Saturday, there is the Annual SAAC Concours Judging. This is the favorite show for spectators and just a handful of very special entrants. Once a year, owners of vintage Cobra and Shelby and Boss Mustangs compete for the highest recognition awards in the hobby. The Concours Judging at a SAAC National Convention is the pinnacle of originality, where the best of the best are judged. Classes, following the SAAC National Guidelines, are included for performance cars from Shelby American (and Ford), namely Cobras, Shelbys, Competition Cars (GT40s and original race version Cobras), Tigers (engineered by Carroll Shelby), and Bosses (the Ford derivative of the Trans-Am Mustang race cars developed by Shelby American). Teams of Concours Judges from across the country, with decades of experience in the individual vehicles, evaluate every detail of each car for originality, accuracy and workmanship. This is not the show for the casual detailer. The judging standards are based on the benchmark of how the car appeared on the showroom floor of the original dealer, or as-delivered to the first owner. Decades of research and SAAC Registry documentation are used to judge how close the car is to perfection. Simply stated, Division I dictates that NO reproduction parts are used...that the car is 100% original. Division II permits authentic reproduction parts, but entrants are judged to the same appearance and technical standards as Division I. A special third category, Survivor Class, is available for unrestored cars presented as original. Judging takes place just about all day Saturday, with teams of Judges and Assistants scrutinizing every inch, top and bottom of these show cars. Based on a point-deduction system, Awards are made for Gold, Silver and Bronze achievements. A SAAC Concours Gold award is a coveted accolade that only a few ever attain. Visit the Concours judging on Saturday at the covered pit area on the South side of the Paddock at VIR. All Concours entrants will be on display until Sunday at Noon. The next two Car Shows are open to the general public and all attendees may enter one or both shows. On Saturday, the SVT/SCMC team will hold a Judged Car Show on the skid pad, just outside the Paddock entrance. The SCMC Judging Rules were created to be thorough and fair. The judging is designed to reflect if a car is clean, neat, and detailed. Any car modifications should look factory original. Normal wear and tear will be taken into account by the judges. Judging is based on Exterior, Interior, Engine and Modifications A team of expert judges will evaluate all entrants on a 400 point scale. Trophies for best in class will be awarded at the end of the day On Sunday, SAAC hosts the Popular Vote Car Show, where you and all other attendees can vote for your favorite ride. There are 30 classes that encompass both old and new Ford powered vehicles. The SAAC-36 Car Show will be a Popular Vote show with 30 separate classes. Owners and spectators will be able to vote for the car of their choice in each class. Everyone entering a car will receive a commemorative medallion. Entrants can begin to park their cars on the skid pad at 8 am. The actual voting will start at 10 am and will end at 12 noon. Attendees pick up a ballot sheet at Car Show Central and drop votes into their favorite cars. At the end of the show, the ballots are tallied and trophies are awarded to best in each class. See you at SAAC-36!
The final schedules have been released. Click on the appropriate image to read and download the Event Schedule and the Open Track Schedule. Event Schedule Open Track Schedule
SAAC-36 at Night SAAC-36 Evening Events The SAAC National Convention is not only about converting gasoline into noise and fun during the day, but it is a place to see old friends and meet new ones at the evening activities. On Friday night, The Galley at VIR will be turned into a gathering place for all, after a long day at the track. This large meeting building will have an array of special cars inside, along with display tables and places to gather and swap stories. Parts vendors, memorabilia, reps from SAAC HQ and Shelby American are just a few of the tables around the perimeter of the building. The Shelby Registars will be available for questions. Many of the VIPs will be their at the Autograph Table. A cash bar will keep you fueled and a big cook-out will keep you fed. This event is open to all registered attendees on Friday at no charge On Saturday night, SAAC hosts their Evening Dinner and Program at The Institute in Danville VA, a short 10-15 minute ride from VIR. This beautiful facility will host a Cocktail Hour and Buffet Dinner, followed by an Evening Program chock full of interesting and entertaining features, plus a few surprises. The keynote speaker is Pete Brock. The planned attendance quota was met via advance registration, but, as you can see, the Banquet facility is large enough to accommodate a few more tables. A small number of Dinner Tickets ($45) may be available at the track...ask at Registration. See you at SAAC-36
