Meet Hurley Haywood at the Mitty

Tom
By Tom Suddard
Mar 3, 2017 | Porsche

Porsche will be the featured marque when Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports Mitty returns to Road Atlanta April 21-23. And the event’s grand marshal will be a racer who is closely tied to the brand: Hurley Haywood.

Haywood’s association with Porsche began more than 45 years ago; during that time he’s driven Porsches to victory five times at Daytona, three times at Le Mans, and twice at Sebring. Now a regular on the vintage race circuit, he has competed many times with HSR, the race sanctioning body behind the Classic Motorsports Mitty, including at the inaugural Classic 24 Hour at Daytona.

Haywood will be signing autographs for fans at the Mitty on Saturday afternoon in the infield’s Classic Motorsports tent. That will be followed by a special party for VIP ticket holders, sponsors, and special guests, who will have the opportunity to spend time with him and hear colorful stories from his racing career. Only 200 VIP tickets are available, so order yours today.

This year’s Mitty will also offer the ultimate adventure for Porsche fans, a road tour from the Porsche Experience Center to Road Atlanta on Friday, April 21. The Porsche Experience Tour to the Mitty presented by Michelin is limited to just 50 cars and will include a tour of the auto manufacturer’s enthusiast-focused headquarters in Atlanta. Following that, participants will drive some great Georgia back roads to Road Atlanta for a parade lap of the track and dinner. Entry fee includes meals and a one-day ticket to the track, with an option to upgrade to a multi-day ticket.

The weekend’s centerpiece HSR vintage racing will continue to offer plenty of appeal for Porsche fans, with the Porsche Classic devoting two different feature races to the marque. The Mitty will also welcome the return of the HSR Classic RS Cup series, which rekindles the thrill of the original 1970s International Race of Champions (IROC) Porsche race series featuring Porsche 911 Carrera RSRs.

Get your Mitty tickets online now. More information and event updates can be found at TheMitty.com.

The Classic Motorsports Mitty is presented by Hagerty and sponsored by Michelin, BFGoodrich, Vertex Auto, Flyin’ Miata, G-Force, Lucas Oil, Koni, Covercraft and BBS.

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Comments
pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
2/21/17 9:15 a.m.

Why would I want to meet Hurley Haywood? I mean, sure, he raced and won in some of the most awesome Porsches ever. He went on epic road trips with Jean Lindamood, one of my favorite automotive journalists ever. He has car control skills that mere mortals can barely comprehend. He has been connected with legendary names like Martini, Rothmans, Group 44, Silk Cut, Tom Walkinshaw, Schuppan and Joest. He's won at LeMans, Daytona, Sebring. He's run Indy Car, IROC and Trans Am...in his spare time away from IMSA GT. He has been teammates with Walter Röhrl and Hans-Joachim Stuck, two of my all-time favorite race car drivers and two of the best drivers in history. HE WAS THE THIRD MEMBER OF THAT THREESOME! Oh, and a few other hacks like Brian Redman, Al Holbert, Jochen Mass and Jacky Ickx to name a few. He served in Vietnam. He runs Brumos Porsche. He is the chief driving instructor at the Porsche Sport Driving School. Yeah, not much I can think of to talk to him about.

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
2/21/17 10:30 a.m.

Hurley is arguably the best American racer of all time. He's certainly a giant in the road-racing / endurance racing world.

He's also a super nice guy, with tons of great stories! He'll be a fantastic Grand Marshal!

IIRC he is no longer part of Brumos Porsche. They were bought by the Fields Automotive group a while back.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
2/21/17 11:29 a.m.

Yeah, when it comes to Porsches, Hurley is the man.

JStrobel80
JStrobel80 New Reader
4/13/17 7:44 a.m.

I am attending The Mitty by myself this year, camping in the corner of 10A/B. I was hoping someone could shed a little light on the VIP experience. Is it worth it, what is it like in the Classic Motorsports tent for the VIP social etc. I am 37, and grew up at Lime Rock and vintage Porsches, so this weekend is pretty special to me. However, due to some pretty terrible health issues, money is a little on the tight side and I am trying to justify the pretty big extra cost of a regular ticket vs the VIP ticket and what I would be missing. Thank you greatly for any info that could help. Have a great day and see some of you next weekend!

Ed Higginbotham
Ed Higginbotham Associate Editor
4/13/17 9:50 a.m.

In reply to JStrobel80:

Glad you're making it out. As for the VIP ticket, you get a free program, poster, lanyard etc in a goodie bag. You're also invited to our Saturday night social and the HSR party in the paddock. You also get a free touring lap (your choice which day) and free VIP parking, which is just behind vendor row.

aussiesmg
aussiesmg MegaDork
4/16/17 9:17 p.m.

I wonder if I could get a Hurley signature on the 996tt.

Ed Higginbotham
Ed Higginbotham Associate Editor
4/17/17 9:11 a.m.

In reply to aussiesmg:

That would be awesome. Do it.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
4/17/17 12:27 p.m.
aussiesmg wrote: I wonder if I could get a Hurley signature on the 996tt.

I don't see why not. Don't forget your paint pen.

JStrobel80
JStrobel80 New Reader
4/17/17 7:26 p.m.

In reply to Ed Higginbotham:

Thank you for the response Ed, I appreciate it, I went ahead and purchased the VIP ticket, probably once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I see on event schedule the Saturday night social at 6:30, but I do not see a time or listing for the HSR party in the paddock...forgive me if its an understood thing, or Im missing something. I just dont want miss it, its going to be a great weekend. Thanks

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