SVRA at Freeport, Bahamas, 1986

Sometimes, surviving event footage comes from some very strange places. In this case, it's not only from the estate of my friends who attended the thing..it also seems to have been produced by a participant. Many long sequences of his own races in this one. But I'm cool with that, since there are extended onboard sessions, and the V8 sounds glorious. And really..it's better than no footage at all, right?
Nowdays, the S is for "Sportscar", but back then it was originally the Southeastern Vintage Racing Association.
Sammy's cool song about the idiocy of the US' blanket 55mph (90kph) speed limit is in there, too! It would be another nine years before that atrocity was repealed. There's a reason the most successful Pro Showroom Stock series in the '80s was sponsored by Escort Radar Warning Receivers for awhile back then.
I still find it hilarious when 'civilians' attempt to describe our sport. A Chevron 2ltr sports racer is a "Can-Am" car?
Digging Ms. Shalett's DB-3. And I could swear I saw her husband's Chevron B16 coupe at SVRA events at Road Atlanta and Sebring during the same era.
Two Frank Sinatra tunes! Music rights must have been cheaper back then.
And I know I've said this before..but does anyone else miss the days when a Ferrari GTO was only a million dollar car, and people actually took 'em out to run every once in awhile?
RE: Awards Ceremony footage..the "Goombah Flag" was a real thing! My marshaling buddies that worked this event said that there was a constant problem with locals who didn't care for the event crossing parts of the circuit while there were cars on it. Blows my mind. IMO, not even Gp.B rally had that kind of problem.
Source tape from the collection of Jacob W. and M. Vivian Shoemaker. (RIP).

[@scottl.1568]

Sterling Moss!😮

[@scottl.1568]

We used to have a Kline Chevrolet dealership here in Virginia for decades... This can't be the same guy, can it?

[@VolksDragon]

Those old computer car graphics are awesome. :)

[@oldsccaguyyah9901]

+VolksDragon , I know, right! Makes me wanna go fire up Outrun! Weird thing..I was kind of a snob back in the day. Always played Pole Position instead because it was "..more like real racing..". :D

[@hayabusa27]

Wow wouldn't have thought of races in the Bahamas, this is awesome!

[@hayabusa27]

oldSCCAguy yah I bet it is, the older the race the more insane. Nothing is safer than todays race cars.

[@speeder36]

IMSA should bring this back!!

[@oldsccaguyyah9901]

+TIM O , SVRA is still around. If you get a chance, go see one. Vintage racing is usually a pretty good party weekend. Here's their website, gotta be a link to their schedule somewhere on it. They're nationwide now, maybe they're running somewhere close enough for you to go check 'em out. www.svra.com/

[@speeder36]

+oldSCCAguy yah I go to Vintage racing at Watkins Glen every year, I was referring to the speed weeks in the Bahamas!

[@oldsccaguyyah9901]

+TIM O , Oh, OK! Gotcha. I went looking around for a bit..seems like it was tried again even as late as 2013, but I can't find much more info on it. Looks like it was more of a time trials event, though. Old website's still up, but I can't even figure out who was sanctioning it. www.bahamasspeedweek.com/