Organizers of the Put-in-Bay Sports Car Races recently announced that Porsche has been selected to be the featured marque for the 2024 edition of the unique late-summer vintage sports car racing event.
Starting in 2012, the modern-day Put-in-Bay Sports Car Races harken back to the original races that were held on the narrow streets of this historic Lake Erie island community in the ’50s and early ‘60s. The event is renowned not only for the South Bass Island setting but also for its relaxed atmosphere and its “competitive but respectful” vintage race environment – much like it was back in the 1950s.
“The significance of the Porsche brand to the history of this event can’t be overstated,” says Porsche enthusiast and island resident, Scott Sadowsky. Indeed, many Porsches were among the entries throughout the 1950s, including a Porsche Spyder driven by a then very young Carl Haas in 1957. And it was Manny Holder’s 550 Spyder (main image) that set the blistering 89.1 mph average speed, all-time lap record around the 3.1-mile street course in 1958.
Race entry options are available for qualified under 3-liter vintage sports cars, sedans, and open-wheel cars primarily built before 1973. There are also race entry options available for larger displacement cars (by application) and for appropriate cars produced as late as 1990 that meet vintage racing preparation rules.
Besides two days of racing, there is also an all-entrant’s car show, police-escorted tour-laps of the original ‘50s era road course, “spirited” pace-car led touring laps of the airport race-course for the non-racing entrants, social gatherings including a wine & cheese reception at Heineman’s Winery, a non-racers/guests luncheon, and the highly competitive “rocker cover races” at The Goat Soup & Whiskey.
Aditionally, entrants and spectators in 2024 are encouraged to get into the spirit of the event by wearing vintage-inspired attire, however they interpret that to be.
More infomation about the event can be found HERE.