All-Day Vintage Auto and Sportscar Racing will highlight new Millville ‘Wheels & Warbirds’ Airshow at New Jersey Motorsports Park
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and Vintage Racer Group (VRG) will race from 8:30am to 5pm each day
Exciting auto racing will highlight event activities at the 2008 Millville ‘WHEELS & WARBIRDS’ Airshow at its new location at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) on Saturday and Sunday, September 20 and 21.
Racing will take place each day, all day, on both tracks at NJMP, with the Vintage Racer Group (VRG) on the Lightning Racetrack and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) on the Thunderbolt Racetrack. Racing will take place from 8:30am to 5pm and continue while the airshow is taking place between noon and 4pm.
The Vintage Racer Group (VRG) will race dozens of foreign and domestic vintage race cars dating back to the 1930s and through 1972. The group will focus on MG Vintage Racers. VRG racing takes place on the Lightning Ractrack which is located on the Dividing Creek Road side of NJMP.
“We expect more than 150 racers at Millville for the Wheels & Warbirds Airshow Weekend,” says Mark Palmer, VRG president and race chairman for this event. “Participants are coming from as far away as Canada, New England, Virginia, and Ohio.
“Racing at Millville will feature two different marques: MG and Allard. We are expecting more than 50 MG’s to race and there will be special all-MG races throughout the weekend. Allards are extremely rare in this country,” continues Palmer, “but we expect to have more than a dozen on display and quite a few will be racing. Make no mistake, this is REAL racing. There are no restrictions on speeds or passing. Some of our cars will hit 150 MPH on the long straightaway of the Lightning Circuit.
“Many of the VRG cars are extremely valuable,” adds Palmer. “Some are well into the six figure category. This is a rare opportunity to see such extraordinary cars outside of a museum or static display. There is nothing like the sights and sounds of these cars racing! “The Vintage Racer Group is delighted to be part of the Wheels & Warbirds weekend. Our racers can’t wait to test their skills at the fantastic new track, and we’re looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans. This is the only event in the country that combines vintage aircraft and vintage race cars, so the action will be non-stop!”
Founded in 2004, the VRG is a regional organization covering the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, primarily from Maine to Virginia. Its membership of more than 350, races at many national venues such as Sebring, Daytona, and Watkins Glen.
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) South Jersey Region will be racing on the Thunderbolt Racetrack at NJMP which is located along Buckshutem Road.
Hundreds of SCCA modern-day racecars will participate — from the sleekest Corvettes, Mazdas and Porsches to classics and formula cars. SJR SCCA has more than 260 members, many of whom race nationally.
“This year we’re celebrating 50 Years At Speed,” says J.D. King, SJR SCCA assistant regional executive. “It’s our theme for the Wheels & Warbirds event, as September 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the South Jersey Region of the SCCA which began at the former Vineland Speedway in 1958. We’re proud to bring racing back to the area at NJMP.”
“We are excited about including racing in the list of great activities slated for the 2008 ‘Wheels & Warbirds’ Airshow and to be able to host this event at NJMP,” says Donald Fauerbach, NJMP general manager. “As we partner with and support the Millville Army Air Field Museum, we feel this is a perfect combination of automotive and aviation technology on display for our visiting public. We invite everyone to enjoy vintage car racing and sportscar races and watch the airshow from a new perspective, along with the classic car show, military vehicles and re-enactors, and an evening oldies concert.”
The entire 2008 Millville ‘Wheels & Warbirds’ Airshow event — airshow, car racing, auto displays, military vehicles/re-enactor encampments, and Saturday evening oldies concert — will take place at New Jersey Motorsports Park, 8000 Dividing Creek Road, Millville, NJ 08332.
Gates will open at 8am each day.
For VIP tickets and other infomation, please call (856) 327-2347.
