[Fot] Kastner Cup 2023: A Celebration of Champions

Thu Aug 4 09:24:22 MDT 2022

Good morning, FOT

I wanted to send out a couple of notes this week regarding next year’s Kastner Cup at Road America.  The 21st running of the Kastner Cup will be a Celebration of Champions.  We are hoping to get as many of the past Cup Recipients together as possible to honor their contribution to the first 20 years of this remarkable tradition of camaraderie within the Vintage Racing world.  There will be a ceremonial retirement of the current Kastner Cup.  The tradition has outlasted the trophy and the current Cup does not have room left for the names of those winners to come.  As such, a new Kastner Cup is being commissioned and, after the handoff next year, the current Cup will reside on display at the British Sports Car Hall of Fame.   It is a tribute to Kas and to all of you that this wonderful event continues and we are looking forward to ushering in the next 20 years  For your reference, here is a list of all of those that we will honor:

Kastner Cup Winners

* 2003: Jack Drews (TR-4) Mosport Raceway, Ontario Canada
* 2004: John Wilkins (Spitfire) Buttonwillow Raceway, California
* 2005: Jeff Snook (TR-3) Atlanta Raceway, Georgia
* 2006: Tom Kreger (TR-6) Hallett Raceway, Oklahoma
* 2007: Chuck Gee (Spitfire) Miller Motorsports Park, Utah
* 2008: Tony Garmey (TR-250K) Watkins Glen, New York
* 2009: Mordy Dunst (TR-4) Portland International Raceway, Oregon
* 2010: Keith Files (TR-4) Topeka Raceway Park, Kansas
* 2011: Jerry Barker (Herald) Laguna Seca, California
* 2012: Randy Williams (TR-3) Road Atlanta, Georgia
* 2013: Ken Knight (TR-4) Road America, Wisconsin
* 2014: Greg Black (TR-3 on a TR4 chassis) Eagle Canyon Raceway, Texas
* 2015: Mark Wheatley (TR-4) Summit Point, Virginia
* 2016: Jerry Barker (Herald from Hell) Sonoma Raceway, California
* 2017: Jeff Snook (TR-3A) Blackhawk Farms Raceway, IL
* 2018: Jim Dolan (GT-6) Pitt Race Complex, Pennsylvania
* 2019: Brian Howlett (TR-4) Buttonwillow Raceway, California
* 2020: Mike Munson (TR-6) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio
* 2021: Jeff Quick (TR-4A) Portland International Raceway, Oregon
* 2022: Henry Frye (TR-250) Pittsburgh International Race Complex

On another note, as you can see above the events of the past 20 years have successfully taken place on all manner of circuits from pro to club, long/fast to short/twisty,  and have been hosted by organizations big and small that exist in both for and not for profit varieties.  All throughout, FOT has remained a “club that’s not a club” operating without dues, fees, bylaws, or any of the red tape politics that can creep into any sanctioning body and take away from the enjoyment of why we exist: to race.  The event that will host us next year is big departure from the event that hosted the last race I chaired in 2017.  The former, at Road America,  is one of the largest Vintage Events in the country at a historic, premier circuit that everyone who is anyone that has raced in the US in the last 60 years has turned a wheel on at some point.  The Weathertech International Challenge (WIC) is organized by the same team that hosts Indycar, NASCAR, and IMSA and the event accordingly has a pro level feel to it. The latter, at Blackhawk Farms, is a smallish, wonderfully laid back club level event held at what I think is one of the hidden gems of US Circuits.  I approached Joe with the idea of hosting the Cup at Blackhawk because I really wanted to give those that hadn’t a reason to come and experience one of my favorite events and tracks because I knew they would love it and that we could put on a good event there.  Though on the different of the spectrum, I feel the same way about the host track and event next year.  Beyond just the racing challenges and thrills that Road America provides, the event provides a singular opportunity for us amateur racers to get a little taste of what it would have been like to race in the golden era when crowds gathered to see beautiful pieces of machinery being pushed to unreasonable limits by drivers brave (or foolish?) enough to wield them.  The community embraces the event with open arms and the atmosphere in Elkhart Lake that race weekend surpasses any other race weekend of the year – Pro or otherwise.  We want to give you guys a reason not just to experience it, but to be at the center of it.  We will make sure the FOT paddock is as warm as welcoming as it was in 2017.  But, unlike Blackhawk where there is nothing outside of the track gate that I would classify as an experiential bucket list item, next year’s event offers many things outside of our paddock that I think everyone should experience once.  I have been lucky to participate in the WIC for the past 10 years.  During that time I have experienced it all from mechanical failures and a wreck to podiums and overall group wins.  No matter how things are going on track, being able to experience that weekend at Elkhart Lake on a summer weekend has been a highlight of my year every year.  A long day of wrenching and bleeding on your car turns around quickly when you get to drive it into town with thousands watching and cheering.  For those few hours you feel like the racing heroes you watched growing up.  There is an intrinsic value to that type of experience.

Each year, those that organize the Cup do so out of the same altruistic desire to keep it going.  Most of the time, their motivations are like mine when it comes to the choice of venue and event.  They have a connection there and try to play host to those that can make it.  The choice of venue and event will never be everyone’s first choice.  Whether it is the cost of towing or time needed to travel, distance is probably the first barrier that some need to consider.  Next is scheduling – particularly for summer events.  Vacations and other obligations (or even other Vintage Events) can come into conflict.  Can't forget cost - racing is an expensive hobby regardless of the location and the cost of running the Cup vs. perhaps something local certainly is a consideration for every racer.  Lastly, there are those that have a strong preference for one of the two ends of the spectrum of event as I described above.  All of those factor into your choice on whether or not you are able to or want to attend the event that is being organized for you.  We understand all of these factors and make the same decisions ourselves every year when the next Cup is announced.  Unfortunately, we can’t change the geography of our huge country, the price of fuel, or the personal, professional, or racing calendars of our members.  We can only influence the experience for those that make it   As a “club that’s not a club” we also have no established revenue or budget for these events so we fundraise what we can and do the best with the money raised.  We will put on a great event and do our best that make sure those that attend have a good time.  We want it to be something Kas would be proud of and that Joe Alexander will be proud of in his stead as Grand Marshall.  The Kastner Cup is the draw – the rest are fringe benefits.  From the inside you guys might not appreciate how truly unique this tradition is our level of racing.  As an outsider I see it and appreciate it enough to do my part to keep it going even though I don’t own a Triumph and haven’t ever had the opportunity to experience the Kastner Cup as a competitor (though I certainly hope to someday).  I hope those that are able will find a way to be a part of it too and will put it on your schedules for next year.  For those that can’t we understand and will miss you but will do our best through multiple methods to keep you apprised throughout the event. 

Mark and I will continue to post details even at this early stage to keep you abreast of how things are shaping up and any new developments.  Thanks to all that have shown their support so far - we are working hard to let you enjoy the spotlight in '23!

Best regards,

Brian Garcia

Co-Chair 2023 Kastner Cup

July 14-16 Road America

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