By Eddie LePine

The ninth running of the HSR Classic 24 at Daytona presented by IMSA recently concluded and it was everything I expected it would be – a gathering of great cars and good friends to celebrate motorsports.

The unique format, which featured 6 different race groups running 4 race sessions each, formed the basis for the name “Classic 24”. Obviously, most of these priceless machines are no longer meant to run 24 straight hours in anger, hence the sensible HSR Classic 24 format. However, that’s not to say drivers were just tooling around – these races were flat out, with cars and drivers pushing to the limit, and sometimes beyond.

Marcel Fassler with the Cadillac DPi. [Eddie LePine photo]

John Higgins and Dale Oakes with the Porsche Fabcar. [Eddie LePine photo]

Jim Farley’s 1965 Ford GT40 Mk1. [Robert Madara photo]

John Higgins and the Porsche Fabcar. [Robert Madara photo]

Porsche Fabcar crosses the finish line. [Robert Madara photo]

Classic 24 veteran Gérard Lopez and Classic 24 rookie Marcel Fassler (he of Audi Sport and Corvette Racing fame) won both Group A and Group F with Iconic Racing as the first Classic 24 overall double group race winners since the inaugural event in 2014 – a fine job by both of them. Marcel told me that he really enjoys doing vintage racing because of the comradery of the drivers and the relaxed atmosphere at the track. Plus, he loves getting to see and drive some of these classic racing machines.

Other drivers of note who participated in the Classic 24 were old friends Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger and it was good to touch base with these legendary drivers, who we all remember from their days driving in the American Le Mans series for Rob Dyson (among other teams).

Also on hand was the President of Ford Motor Company, Jim Farley, a true motorsports enthusiast, who co-drove Jim’s 1965 Ford GT40 Mk1 with none other than Adrian Newey of Red Bull Formula One fame. Newey certainly enjoyed his trip to Daytona, a brief respite from the high-pressure world of Formula One, for some old-fashioned sports car racing. He told me that the schedule for Formula One has become overwhelming and that he was glad to make the trip to Daytona for some much-needed down time – and to get back to racing’s roots. He and Jim Farley are true motorsport Renaissance men, who represent the spirit of the Classic 24 at Daytona.

Also of note, John Higgins was on hand, driving the original chassis #001 Porsche Fabcar, which finished second in class at the 1987 Sun Bank Daytona 24 Hours and then went on to win the Camel Lights class at the Sebring 12 Hours the same year. Now in the White Allen Motorsports collection and superbly prepared by Dale Oakes and his crew at Euro Classics in Dayton, Ohio, the Fabcar ran perfectly and John (driving solo), finished first in class and 2nd overall in the Group C race. It was an excellent conclusion to an storied driving career, as before the race John announced that he would be retiring from competition after this race. Reached in Victory Lane right after his podium finish, however, John admitted that his statement about giving up driving might be a little premature. The car is still strong and the competitive fire still burns in his veins.

Such is the lesson of the Classic 24 at Daytona – keeping history alive and the competitive juices flowing. That’s what it is all about.

In anyone’s book, it was a Classic event.

Eddie LePine

Eddie has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up).

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By Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

Lindsay Brewer is making an impact on professional motor racing. Currently in her second season racing for Exclusive Autosport in the USF Pro 2000 Championship, she has an eye on continuing to improve her race craft and moving up the motorsport ladder, and has her eye on eventually graduating to her ultimate goal – piloting IndyCars.

Lindsay is certainly not the first woman to set her sights on a career in professional motor racing – she has been proceeded by pioneering and talented female athletes such as Denise McCluggage (world famous driver, author, journalist and photographer who won the GT class at Sebring in a Ferrari in 1961), Michèle Mouton (the famous Audi rally driver from the 1980s), Lyn St. James (who was known for her great drives in both GT and GTP cars in IMSA, along with IndyCar in the 1980s and 1990s), Danica Patrick (the 2005 Indy 500 rookie of the year, only woman to win an IndyCar race, plus raced in the totally male dominated NASCAR series), Leena Gade (the first female race engineer to win Le Mans with Audi in 2011), and Katherine Legge (superb sports car and IndyCar trailblazing driver, who is still currently racing). Those who proceeded her may have opened the door and led the way, but Lindsay is building upon that foundation and taking her motorsport career to a whole new level.

Lindsay Brewer races through turn 14 at Road America. [John Wiedemann Photo]

Lindsay Brewer heads out to race at Road America. [John Wiedemann Photo]

It is very hard to succeed in motorsports. It is a man’s world, just ask any of those women who have proceeded Lindsay into the racing life. Perhaps back in the day, one could get ahead on talent or connections alone, but certainly not today. Racing is a business – a tough business which is driven by money – vast amounts of it. The most successful drivers are the ones who can attract and keep the best sponsors – and only then do they have the opportunity to show how much talent they have and how far up the ladder they can go. If they don’t come up with the money in the first place, they will never go anywhere. Their dream of racing will just die on the vine before getting a chance to bloom.

How did a young girl living in southern California end up driving race cars, with the goal of eventually driving IndyCars? As Lindsay tells it: “I’m from Colorado originally, so I grew up snowmobiling, four wheeling, jet skiing – a lot of motorized fun stuff. I hopped into a go kart when I was 11 at a birthday party and absolutely fell in love with it. It felt natural to me, I really loved it.”

Here is perhaps what separates Lindsay from most other people. She loved racing, wanted to make a go of it, but knew she needed to be able to bring something to the table for sponsors – something others could not. She took a four-year break from racing to earn a business degree at San Diego State University. While there, she started to pursue and gain a sizeable social media following. As Lindsay says: “I took a bit of a break from racing there, but I knew I always wanted to pursue racing – it was just a matter of finding the funding for it. Racing has always been my one and only goal. I was able to acquire a social media following in the process. It was tough for a few years – but here we are now – we are doing well.”

Doing well indeed. Lindsay has almost three million followers on social media – 2.1 million on Instagram alone. Balancing racing, modeling, posting on social media all while introducing new sponsors to motorsport – it is quite a job and requires dedication and skill.

“Sometimes people give me a hard time for taking a couple of selfies at the track – but it’s what I do to pay the bills for racing. Social media is such an important part of marketing for a lot of companies – so being able to balance social media with my racing is challenging, but a lot of fun.”

Of note, Lindsay is the number one followed racing driver in North America. Let that sink in for a minute. Number one. No one in NASCAR, IndyCar, or IMSA has more followers. It is no wonder that drivers who were initially skeptical of Lindsay’s racing efforts have actually sought her out for advice on how to gain more exposure on social media and make presentations to potential sponsors.

Despite the massive social media following and demands on her time both at the track and away from the track, Lindsay remains down to earth, approachable and humble.

“I love sharing my journey with people. I love meeting followers at the track – especially young girls. You see their eyes light up. They get so excited. This is a male dominated industry, so to give these young girls encouragement is special. I want these girls to know that they can do whatever they want to in life. If you really put your mind to it, you can do whatever guys can do – in business or sport. That’s my favorite part about it.”

Lindsay is living her dream, paying her dues, learning her craft and continuing to build her brand. It is likely that in the future, her name will be listed among those female racing pioneers that proceeded her in the sport as one who inspired countless other young girls to follow in her footsteps.

We’ll be keeping an eye on her as she moves up the racing ladder.

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.

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