HSR readies for second running of the Classic 6 Hours of The Glen

The second working of the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Basic 6 Hours of The Glen returns to the hallowed floor of the Grand Prix circuit at Watkins Glen Worldwide this weekend, June 6 – 9. The classic and historic tribute race to Watkins Glen’s premier endurance occasion, which has run because the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen for greater than 20 years, the Basic 6 Hours kicks off 2024’s three-race run of “HSR Classics” that additionally consists of occasions later this 12 months at Daytona Worldwide Speedway (DIS) and Sebring Worldwide Raceway,

The featured on-track element of the HSR Basic 6 is as soon as once more the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen tribute race on Saturday and Sunday. It begins with a symbolic six hours of continuous competitors Saturday earlier than all three competing Run Teams contest a closing spherical of races Sunday afternoon to find out the weekend’s general winners.

The HSR Basic 6 Hours featured trio of Run Teams are every residence to particular generations of sports activities vehicles, some from greater than 50 years in the past and others retired from modern competitors as not too long ago as 5 years in the past. Every Run Group takes to the three.377-miles Watkins Glen three completely different occasions in a rotation of practically one-hour lengthy races for every division over the course of Saturday and Sunday. The rivals masking essentially the most mixed distance in every Run Group will probably be topped 2024 HSR Basic 6 Hours of The Glen champions.

Two entries to look at, with the vehicles cut up in age by practically 5 a long time, come to The Glen on the lookout for repeat HSR Classics victories after closing out 2023 final December with Run Group victories within the Basic 12 at Sebring.

In Run Group C at Sebring, Pierce Marshall and Eric Foss put in a aggressive and managed drive for his or her first general HSR Classics Run Group victory in simply their second race within the Matador Motorsports 2017 No. 02 Cadillac DPi. Marshall and Foss prevailed in a race-long battle with an Acura ARX-05 DPi, and the Basic 6 will see much more trendy prototype rivals step as much as problem Marshall and Foss.

Bob Neapole wheels the No. 60 Acura ARX-05 DPi at The Glen together with his skilled coach and co-driver Man Cosmo whereas longtime HSR competitor Juan Gonzalez competes in a 2017 No. 81 Cadillac DPi much like the Matador machine. Gonzalez co-drives his Cadillac with three-time Rolex 24 At Daytona race winner Butch Leitzinger.

In complete, Group C is residence to a number of extra prototypes retired from modern competitors. Travis Engen is entered in his jaw-dropping GMT Racing 2005 No. 2 Audi R8 LMP along with a number of LMP2 and LMP3 vehicles and earlier era Daytona Prototypes.

The Run Group B Sebring race was received by a 24-year-old driver in a traditional sports activities prototype machine greater than twice his age. Kyle Collins by no means put a wheel incorrect driving the identical GMT Racing 1972 No. 8 Chevron B21 his grandfather John Delane drove to a Basic 12 victory in 2020. The Chevron is a full 45 years older than Marshall’s Sebring-winning Cadillac DPi, however each vehicles had been pushed in the same fast and aggressive method to seal their respective victories.

Collins appears to be like for his second consecutive HSR Classics win a row within the Basic 6 however a pair of equally fast Chevrons from the identical era are additionally entered.

Thomas Grudovich is about for the Basic 6 in a 1971 No. 5 Chevron B21/23 whereas Mitchell Eitel returns in his 1975 No. 62 Chevron B31. A non-Chevron from the identical sports activities racer period that might intrude on the Chevron battle is the 1975 No. 205 Toj SC205 of a number of HSR Classics race winner David Porter and his skilled teammate Richard Bradley, a former 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 race winner.

The Basic 6 Hours weekend additionally options the HSR Watkins Glen Historics which are points-paying races for HSR’s numerous season-long championships. Along with a doubleheader lineup of HSR WeatherTech Sprints for all Run Teams, the Glen Historics characteristic race lineup consists of the HSR World GT race Saturday morning and the Sasco Sports activities Worldwide/American Problem dash that kicks off the weekend’s racing schedule on Friday afternoon.

The longest races on the Glen Historics schedule get issues rolling each Saturday and Sunday. The third spherical of this 12 months’s debuting HSR Prototype Problem offered by IMSA season begins Saturday’s schedule with a 90-minute race at 8 a.m. EDT. Twin B.R.M. Endurance Problem one-hour races in flip launch Sunday’s closing day of on-track competitors with an 8 a.m. EDT inexperienced flag for the GT Basic (GTC) and Classic lessons. The Historic, Prototype and GT Trendy (GTM) lessons then take the inexperienced flag at 9:15 a.m. EDT for his or her 60-minute race.