News for the ‘Barber Motorsports’ Category

Birmingham expected to get tourism boost in 2013

From the story “Birmingham area tourism could get boost next year” by Dawn Kent in The Birmingham News:

Birmingham could see an influx in travelers next year, as plans are underway to mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights movement and the new downtown baseball park is scheduled to open, Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell said. Sentell, who spoke at the Rotary Club of Birmingham, said the department is encouraging area civil rights groups to identify the events they have planned so the word can go out to tour groups. Corporations also are interested in supporting the activities, he added. Gov. Robert Bentley joined Mayor William Bell in Birmingham last week to kick off fundraising for the Birmingham 2013 Foundation. Bentley said the state Department of Tourism will spend $100,000 promoting civil rights tourism in 2013, the 50th anniversary of major protests led in Birmingham by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. “The most important thing is that there are events that reflect the reconciliation between blacks and whites that have taken place in the last 50 years,” Sentell said.

Meanwhile, the baseball park under construction downtown, along with plans for a Negro League museum there, also will be great assets to promote tourism in the city, he said. The state tourism department’s Year of Alabama Food campaign also is tied to Birmingham, with an emphasis on well-know local chefs Frank Stitt and Chris Hastings, Sentell said.

Edited: April 18th, 2012

U.S. Space & Rocket Center is Alabama’s number one attraction

More than 533,000 people visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville last year, ranking it number one among state attractions that charge admission. Seven of the state’s Top Ten attractions charging admission showed an increase in attendance over previous years. Attendance figures were collected by the Alabama Tourism Department from local tourism organizations.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail ranked second with attendance of 512,044. The Birmingham Zoo was third with 498,623 and the McWane Science Center, also in Birmingham, placed fourth with 381,191 visitors. The USS Alabama Battleship Park in Mobile was fifth with 322,685. Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds was sixth with 300,000. Huntsville Botanical Garden ranked seventh with 275,000 and Point Mallard Park in Decatur was eighth with 231,017. The Montgomery Zoo placed ninth with 216,746. EarlyWorks Museum Complex in Huntsville was tenth with 155,000.

The Alabama Tourism Department released the Top Ten attendance figures for other categories. Beaches of the Alabama Gulf Coast were the number one natural destination in the state attracting 5 million visitors last year. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens attracted 350,000 visitors to make it the most attended free attraction. More than 1,000,000 people attended Mobile’s Mardi Gras making it the most attended event. Bryant-Denny Stadium was the number one sports destination with 712,747 fans attending University of Alabama home football games. www.alabama.travel

Edited: March 7th, 2012

Testing at Barber Motorsports

Edited: June 17th, 2010

Bobby Rahal is in Birmingham, Alabama

Bobby Rahal is in Birmingham this weekend to oversee the debut of his Legends of Motorsports series at Barber Motorsports Park and also to compete in the races against other drivers of vintage race cars. The Indianapolis 500 winner took some time during a rain delay on Friday to talk about how the series has been received in Birmingham, about the difficult year finding sponsorship for his son Graham in the IndyCar Series and other issues.

Q: Are you pleased with how things are going so far this weekend at Barber?

Rahal: At the event at Mountain Brook Village (parade and street festival on Thursday) I was impressed with the people on their lawns and kids waving and the checkered flags that were out. I was flattered and, frankly, a little awestruck. The response from the competitors so far has been positive. I think everybody has been impressed with the whole facility.

Q: You’ve had a chance now to practice on the Barber course. What do you think of it?

Rahal: I like it. It’s fun. It’s a very technical course. It’s a very challenging circuit to drive because of all the blind corners. Nice and smooth.

Q: When the Indy drivers were here last month many of them said they’d like to see the course changed to create a linger straightaway by maybe taking the kink out of the backstretch. What’s your opinion of that?

Rahal: That would help. For our kind of racing the corners are fine. But for them in Indy because the competition is so close and it’s so evenly matched I can see what they’re saying.

Q: How is it going so far at Indy for your car with your son Graham driving?

Rahal: They’re having a good month so far. The car has been really good. His confidence is high. I’m pleased with the engineers they have. I think we can threathen the top nine.

Q: How do you rate Graham’s time driving for Sarah Fisher Racing at the start of the season and what are his prospects for finding a ride the rest of the season?

Rahal: I think it was fabulous that Sarah gave him a chance but clearly there was something wrong with that car … So it was frustrating for everyone at Long Beach and here (Barber). But he was out there racing. It was good for him. But what happens after Indy we’ll see.

Q: What does it take these days to close a deal with a potential sponsor?

Rahal: First off you find out what their goals are. Just throwing your name on the side of the car — if someone thinks that’s all it takes they’re going to be sorely disappointed. It takes a 360-degree effort. It takes a lot of creativity and effort.

Q: There are five female drivers who will try to make the field at Indy this year. Is it becoming normal to see women driving in Indy?

Rahal: It’s still a compeling issue. I think probably with the exception of one of them they’ve all earned the right to be there. I think it’s a great element that’s added to the series.

Q: The one exception being Milka Duno?

Rahal: Yes.

Q: Well, ride buying in Indy has come up as an issue this year. What are your thoughts on it?

Rahal: Ride-buying, or what have you, has been going on for a long time. It’s a fine line. How do you define between bringing a sponsor or buying a ride?

Edited: May 23rd, 2010

Mario Andretti Honored at Legends of Motorsports Charity Event

The Inaugural Legends of Motorsports Gala featuring racing icon Mario Andretti highlights several automotive lifestyle events slated for the very first Legends of Motorsports, A Bobby Rahal Signature Event weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. The Gala, which takes place on May 21 at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, will offer guests an exclusive opportunity to interact with one of racings most recognizable and legendary personalities.As the Galas honored guest, the international motorsports star Andretti will mingle and visit with attendees and be the subject of a live Q&A session with the audience.Its wonderful to have a true legend like Mario Andretti join us for the very first Legends of Motorsports event, said Legends of Motorsports co-founder Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indy 500 winner and three-time CART Champion. Mario proved to the world what American drivers were made of. Hes won in Indy cars, NASCAR, Formula 1 and everything in between. His attendance at our Gala makes it a cant-miss occasion.Adding further star power to the event, SPEED TV personality Bob Varsha will serve as the emcee for the nights activities.The Gala will also feature an auction with several Andretti-autographed items, including new, original artwork by Johnathan Frank, bottles of wine from Andrettis private vineyard and racing memorabilia. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the host venue, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, as well as the Paul Newman Winning Through Giving Award.The Museum will be a fitting backdrop for the Inaugural Legends of Motorsports Gala as it is home to the one of the worlds largest collections of Lotus race cars, including two that were driven in competition by Andretti. Lotus has been named the featured marque during the Legends of Motorsports weekend at Barber, which will culminate in a Lotus-only invitational race on Sunday. Andretti will serve as the Grand Marshall for Sundays activities.Tickets to the gala are now available to the public for $250 per person and can be purchased on the Legends of Motorsports website (www.legendsofmotorsports.com) or by contacting Mandi Kern mkern@hmpseries.com. Tickets to the inaugural Legends of Motorsports event at Barber Motorsports Park can also be purchased via the Legends of Motorsports website or by calling 800-240-2300.Other 2010 Legends of Motorsports events include New Yorks Watkins Glen International, June 11-13, Canadas Circuit Mont Tremblant on July 9-11 and Sebring International Raceway on December 3-5.

Edited: April 30th, 2010

Cooler weather Grand Am race at Barber will mean faster speeds

It used to be so hot during the Grand Am race at Barber Motorsports Park that drivers would climb out of their cars looking like they had spent the last two hours in a sauna.

They had. It’s called Alabama in July. Inside a closed cockpit. Wearing a fire suit. Driving over hot asphalt.

It wasn’t a fun race if you were driving in it.

But those days of de hydration are over. The Porsche 250 at Barber has been moved to April this year on the same weekend as the Indy race.

Ganassi driver Scott Pruett and his co-driver, Memo Rojas, couldn’t be happier.

“Racing in the summer the heat is so high that physically, it was really challenging,” Rojas said.

So drivers might not need post-race IVs and have to pack the cool suits that were no match for Alabama humidity.

But a cooler race will be different, Pruett said.

“I think that in itself is going to be one of the biggest challenges for us,” Pruett said, “Being there when there’s probably more grip on the track and certainly cooler conditions.”

A cooler track will make for a faster race, he said.

“Sometimes it’s so hot, it’s just oppressive,” Pruett said. “In those conditions — two things. One, you lose the efficiency of the engine, so you lose more power from that side. And two, because the air is thinner, you don’t have as much energy to generate more downforce.

“And so both of those things together and cooler temperatures with the tire, I think all of those pieces, we are going to see higher speeds. And with that, potentially, there’s differences with the car that we are going to have to address, whether it’s a spring-shock, combination-type issue or whether it’s a downforce issue.

Overall, in cooler conditions, especially at Barber where you are so commanded on downforce and acceleration, I think we are definitely just going to see some higher speeds.”

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be more passing during the race.

“If you’re passing at Barber, you have to take some pretty big chances and there’s just some really thin ground where you can get it done, and I don’t see that changing,” Pruett said. “I do see the higher speeds, though, and you never know. Potentially maybe, you could pull off a move on a second line that we haven’t experienced before because of the ability to get a little more grip.”

Pruett, who won at Barber in 2008 and finished second last year, has plenty of experience at the track, but it hasn’t gotten much easier over the years.

“It’s a very tough track,” he said. “It’s a very physical track. It’s a very technical track. And not just that.

Going in Turn 2, you actually can’t see Turn 1 where you go down the hill there and there’s a lot of blind areas and it keeps you incredibly busy as a driver because there’s no real straightaway.”

And there are plenty of places on the track to get in trouble.

“When you get off in Turn 1, it’s big. If you get off in Turn 2, it’s going to be big,” he said. “The kink — it’s not too bad but if you get off, it’s going to be a big crash. The hairpin across is probably one of the more safer areas. Down in front of the museum, it’s incredibly tricky. That kink on the back straight for us is a huge challenge. And then you go into that whole section, that left hand, downhill, right, uphill, right, downhill, coming back towards pit end, that ride is really tough, and if you have a problem there, it’s a huge crash.”

But this year, at least, it won’t be an endurance test — for drivers or fans.

Edited: April 2nd, 2010

GRAND-AM: Bennett To Debut Ferrari F430 At VIR

Bennett Racing will join the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, entering the No. 56 South River Marina & Mercruiser Ferrari 430 Challenge in the April 24 Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway.

This will be the third new team to debut in the Rolex Series GT class in as many races. Lou Gigliotti LG Motorsports first raced in the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, while Marsh Racing joins the tour with a Corvette in the April 10 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park.

Skip Bennett is the car owner, and will co-drive for the Annapolis, Md.-based team with Mike Skeen at VIR as the first step in a planned assault on the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona. They expect to run with fellow NASA Spec E30 drivers Chris Cobetto, Mike Davidson and Jon Allen at Daytona. That series features close competition among 160 HP 1987-1991 BMW 325is.

Bennett began his racing career in 2005 at a Summit Point Raceway driving experience. His first race was a NASA event at VIR in 2006, driving a Porsche 966, and also ran in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at VIR, going from last to 28th in a field of 55 cars. He finished fourth overall in the USA Ferrari F430 Challenge series in 2007, and has raced in the NASA Spec E30 Series the past three seasons.

“We’re looking forward to joining the Rolex Series and racing at VIR,” Bennett said. “I’ve spent a lot of time at that track and am very familiar with it. Depending on how we do, we also hope to run at Watkins Glen and the Daytona race in July, and are also considering New Jersey Motorsports Park.”

Skeen, who starred in the 2008 edition of Setup on SPEED, won the 2008 NASA SpecE30 national championship as well as two regional series championships. He raced in the SCCA Muscle Mile Trans-Am last season, going from last to second in his debut race at Road Atlanta – earning him the Hard Charger and Star of the Race awards. He has two starts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, debuting in 2008 at VIR with Freedom Autosport.

“This grassroots effort has developed very quickly, and our crew has put in a lot of hard work to make this possible,” Skeen said. “I’m sure we will learn a lot at VIR to help us prepare for future events.”

Practice for the Bosch Engineering 250 begins at 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday, April 23, with qualifying at 3:45 p.m. (SPEEDtv.com, live). The two-hour, 45-minute race takes the green flag at noon ET on Saturday (SPEED, live) and will be followed at 3:30 p.m. by a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race

Edited: April 1st, 2010

Will Power wins IndyCar race at St. Petersburg

Will Power races during the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. (IndyCar)The early favorite for the April 11 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama has to be Will Power.

Power cruised to an easy win over Justin Wilson today in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, a race delayed from Sunday by rain.

Power has established himself as a formidable force on the road and street courses that make up the early part of the Indy schedule. His win today gives him two straight victories, having won the season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Penske driver now takes a commanding leader in the standings with three drivers tied for second 44 points back. Power started on the pole, but the race featured numerous lead changes and quite a bit of passing.

The next race is the inaugural Indy race at Barber Motorsports Park, where Power turned in the fastest time during a February test session.

Power’s Penske teammates, Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves, finished third and fourth.

Dario Franchitti came back from a spin on Lap 1 to post a fifth-place finish. Alex Tagliani was sixth and Danica Patrick finished seventh. Patrick might have had an even better finish if not for the softer red tires she was running at the end of the race.

Raphael Matos was eight. Graham Rahal, driving for Sarah Fisher Racing, finished ninth, even after getting together with Simona De Silvestro and running over her front wing. De Silvestro was in position for a possible top 10 finish but settled for 16th.

Edited: March 30th, 2010

Danica Patrick is back in action at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

One race into the Indy Racing League season, and the year already qualifies as a success for Will Power, the soft-spoken Australian driver for Team Penske. Power won the season opener in Brazil two weeks ago, and was the fastest qualifier for today’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, which takes the green flag on the downtown street circuit at 3:30 p.m.

Last year, Power, a refugee from the shuttered Champ Car series, was tapped by Penske to stand in for Helio Castroneves, who was (successfully) battling federal tax evasion charges. But in August, at the race at Infineon Raceway in California, Power crashed hard in practice, and left the track in a medical helicopter. His back was badly broken, and his prognosis as a driver was uncertain.

So with the victory in Brazil, it was official: Will Power is back. “It was quite emotional to be honest,” Power said last week, “because when you have an injury like that, you have a lot of downtime during the recovery period. You can become a little bit uncertain whether you’ll come back as strong as you were, and whether you’d be as quick as you were, and that was just confirmation that everything is back as it was.”

This race is also the return to the U.S. market for Danica Patrick, whose much-publicized foray into NASCAR earlier this year is on hold until after the Indianapolis 500. Patrick has had a frustrating time in the IRL this year as she has had trouble getting up to speed in both practice here and at the Brazil race.

She is joined in the field this year by Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro, a graduate of the now-defunct Atlantic series, where she had multiple wins — something Patrick couldn’t accomplish when she was racing in the Atlantics. Backmarker Milka Duno is back, to make a total of three female drivers in the 24-car lineup. Duno qualified 24th, more than five seconds behind the next-slowest car. Patrick qualified 21st, and de Silvestro starts 14th, one spot behind 2009 series champion Dario Franchitti.

Also worth watching is Graham Rahal, son of Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal, who found himself without a ride as the season began because his Newman/Haas/Lanigan team lost the McDonalds sponsorship. He sat out Brazil, but driver and team owner Sarah Fisher, who is more comfortable on ovals than street and road courses, offered her Dollar General-sponsored car to Rahal for this race and at the next race April 11 at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. In an unfamiliar car, Rahal, the 2008 winner, will have a tough time repeating this year after qualifying 16th. Also starting from deep in the pack is last year’s winner, Ryan Briscoe, who is in 19th.

Today’s 100-lap IRL race is preceded by a Formula 2000 race at 8 a.m., a World Challenge race at 10:15 a.m., a Star Mazda race at 11:40 a.m., and an Indy Lights race at 12:45 p.m., which will include Kissimmee racer Jonathan Summerton. Typically the American Le Mans Series races here this weekend too, but with the 12 Hours of Sebring being just last week, the ALMS thought it would put too much pressure on the teams to get ready for St. Pete. If the St. Pete race returns to a schedule that allows two weeks between this race and Sebring, expect the ALMS to come back.

Edited: March 29th, 2010

Mario Andretti Honored at Legends of Motosports at Barber Track

Mario Andretti will be the honored guest at the inaugural Legends of Motorsports Bobby Rahal Signature Event weekend, scheduled for May 21-23, 2010 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Legends of Motorsports co-founder Bobby Rahal was a frequent rival of Andretti in the course of their respective, storied careers. The three-time CART champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner said this about his long-time respected nemesis, “Mario Andretti is one of the most formidable race car drivers to ever live. No matter what the series, his talent and determination made him a threat to win every time. It’s an honor to have him celebrated at the inaugural Legends of Motorsports event at Barber Motorsports Park.”

Andretti is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR. He also won numerous races in other racing disciplines including midget cars and sprint cars. During his career, Andretti won four IndyCar titles, the 1978 Formula One World Championship, the 1974 USAC Dirt Track Championship and IROC VI. To date, he remains the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967) and the Formula One World Championship. No American has won a Formula One race since Andretti’s victory at the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. All told, Andretti amassed 111 career wins on major circuits.

In addition to on-track competition, the Legends of Motorsports event at Barber will also include a charity gala on the evening of Saturday, May 22, at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, featuring Andretti as its honored guest. The museum houses one of the world’s largest collections of Lotus race cars. Much of Andretti’s Formula One glory came behind the wheel of Lotus entries. Lotus also will serve as the official marque for the Legends of Motorsports weekend.

Barring overriding obligations at Indianapolis 500 qualifications, Andretti will be a highly visible part of Legends of Motorsports race day activities at Barber on Sunday, May 23, including leading a featured Lotus race.

Edited: March 19th, 2010