The Velocity Invitational made an impressive debut last weekend at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The Velocity Invitational was staged by the team responsible for the Sonoma Speed Festival 2019, drew the Mercedes 300 SLR, which was once driven by Stirling Moss, showed McLaren F1 and attracted an audience of more than 10,000 people to the track and an additional 600,000 viewers on a YouTube streaming, syndicated by none other than Goodwood Road & Racing.
Oh yes, and in addition to all sorts of historic racing cars, the event was a multi-day festival of food and wine.
Among the races was a flashback Mustangs vs. Minis event
“We all missed running and seeing these extraordinary and rare cars last year, “said Jeff O’Neill, event founder and CEO of O’Neill Win, when the Velocity Invitational was announced in May. “That’s why we decided to make up for the lost time with an event that will delight both drivers and spectators.
“With McLaren bringing unseen cars with exceptional technology to the market for years, Velocity Invitational will seek to set a new standard for automotive lifestyle festivals in the United States,” he added at the time.
Following the opening event, he said, “We launched the Velocity Invitational to introduce a new generation of enthusiasts to a hobby that many of us have had for decades.
“This is the only event in the world that combines the best of food, wine and motorsport. We are overwhelmed by the positive response from the community and can hardly wait to see what the future holds. “
The event highlights included a trio of Ferrari 250 GTOs, six Porsche 917s, seven of the eight Ford GT LM GTE Pro at a reunion 5 years after their victory at Le Mans – and with Ford boss Jim Farley among the drivers – plus a few race wins McLaren F1 cars and with former F1 champion Mike Häkkinen in his MP4 / 13A from 1998 and also in the 2-seater MP4 / 98T.
Oh, and IndyCar racer Pato O’Ward got the chance to drive the ex-Hakkinen McLaren, his first drive in an F1 racing car.
In total, more than 250 racing cars from different eras took to the track.
Farley not only drove, but joined McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown on a program called The Future of Motorsports.
