Payne: Behind the wheel at the American Speed Festival

Posted by Talbot Payne on October 4, 2023

Pontiac — At 7,000 RPM, my 1964 Porsche 904 GTS howled through Turn 8 at Champion Motor Speedway at 100 mph in third gear. Hard on the brakes. Downshift to second into the 90-degree left Turn 9, then back on the throttle past the grandstands into Turn 10.

Just like 60 years ago when the 904 was one of the supreme GT sportscars on the planet.

Thanks to M1 Concourse’s American Speed Festival time capsule here at the corner of Woodward & South Boulevard, car fans this weekend can experience what it was like. My historic Porsche is one of over 100 performance cars entered this year across eight classes representing the full cornucopia of motorsport. Le Mans cars are the headliners, celebrating 100 years of the famed, French, 24-hour race. Ford and Porsche GT cars are on hand, as well as prototypes like a 1965 Ferrari 250 LM and 1967-winning Ford Mk IV right out of the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne with his 1964 Porsche 904 at 2023 American Speed FestivalDetroit News auto columnist Henry Payne with his 1964 Porsche 904 at 2023 American Speed Festival

Corvette is also being celebrated in its 70th birthday year with eight generations of racers ranging from a 1963 Z06 race car to the latest 2023 Z06 production car. There are rare IROC Camaros and Porsches representing the International Race of Champions era when the world’s top drivers — from endurance, formula, NASCAR and rally racing — jumped into identical cars to prove who was best.

As a long-time race fan and driver, it’s special to walk among these iconic cars under M1’s huge paddock tent and talk with owners, drivers and spectators about their significance. But the icing on the cake is that we get to demonstrate these cars on track. In the middle if a major metropolitan area. Just 15 minutes from my home.

Sportscars roar around a bend at M1 Concourse during the American Speed Festival on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.Sportscars roar around a bend at M1 Concourse during the American Speed Festival on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023.

Such opportunities are normally reserved for race tracks like Road America in Wisconsin, or Mid-Ohio, or Watkins Glen in New York — race tracks in the middle of farm fields miles from metropolitan areas. But M1 Concourse and its 1.5-mile test track is unusual — an urban treat like Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the downtown Detroit Grand Prix.

My car was one of 108 made in 1964 as part of so-called homologation rules requiring that manufacturers make a minimum number of production cars to qualify for international endurance races like Le Mans. Such rules are still in place today — which is why you see Ford GTs on the street as the production versions of the race cars that won Le Mans in 2016.

Thanks to the Speed Festival, spectators can see up close how cars have changed from my tiny Porsche 904 (I need a shoehorn to fold my 6’5” frame into it) to the comparatively large, modern Ford GT, which grew in size as wings and other aerodynamic tricks demanded wider tires, beefier suspensions, and broader body surfaces.

I modified my Porsche over the years with bigger engines to keep up with other competitors, and my car shares a 318-horsepower, 3.0-liter flat-6 engine (a significant upgrade over the original 180-horse flat-4 egg-beater) with a 1973 IROC Porsche 911 down the paddock owned by Roger Penske .

The American Speed Festival displays Corvettes from the Chevy sports model's 70-year history.The American Speed Festival displays Corvettes from the Chevy sports model's 70-year history.

This historic car was raced by the late, great Mark Donahue — Penske’s engineering and driving partner in The Captain’s early racing days.

Next to Penske’s IROC 911 is a 1977 IROC Chevy Camaro Z28 that was raced by the legendary Indy driver Al Unser. Now owned by Bill Warner out of Florida, the car is being piloted by driver Steve Boyle this weekend.

“It’ a beast, isn’t it?” smiled Boyle as he prepared for his track session. This timeless car makes 450 horsepower from its 5.7-liter V8.

Vintage Indy racecars were among those taking to the track Friday in Pontiac.Vintage Indy racecars were among those taking to the track Friday in Pontiac.

With the soundtrack of cars on track in the background, spectators will see it all here: a 1980 Budweiser Lola Can-Am car, modern Ferrari 488 Challenge racer, Ford Mustang drifter, Fred Calero’s 1400-horsepower GT1 creation, even open-wheel Indy racers. My favorite is the 1968 Lotus 56 STP — its turbine engine bringing the jet engine sounds of an airport runway to M1’s race course. About the only car not represented here are electrics, as EVs’ cost, weight and short range are disadvantages on long-track events.

Speed Festival offers further immersion with seminars inside the Event Center featuring the drivers and creators of some of these historic machines. As I exited the track Friday morning, a Corvette symposium was beginning chaired by Corvette C7 designer Tom Peters and including panelists like Corvette championship driver Johnny O’Connell.

2023 American Speed Festival driver's meeting.2023 American Speed Festival driver's meeting.

And that was just Friday. Speed Festival’s time capsule continues on Saturday and Sunday with a charity ball benefiting Pontiac, Speed & Style Awards, Ford GT parade laps, and more track time for some of the fastest thoroughbreds ever made.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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