Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix roars into Schenley Park
Drivers take a turn in Schenley Park during the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
About 125 racers will be in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix this weekend.
Photo by Bill Stoler
Spectators at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix might see a Porsche like this one.
Photo by Bill Stoler
Decades-old racers will be in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
The sounds of racing will be echoing through Schenley Park as the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix happens Saturday and Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix will be in Schenley Park Saturday and Sunday.
Looking for a quiet afternoon in a park on Saturday or Sunday?
Then the best advice is to steer clear of Schenley Park in Pittsburgh. That’s because the park will be alive with the sounds of engines revving on vintage racing vehicles, with their drivers piloting them around 22 turns, 11 elevation changes and some stone walls.
It’s time again for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
Forty years after a group of racing enthusiasts decided to establish a race of decades-old vehicles, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix has become a summer fixture for many residents of the region. With proceeds benefiting Autism Pittsburgh and Merakey Allegheny Valley School, this weekend’s racing is expected to draw about 100,000 spectators. But those attending will also be able to check out a slew of classic cars, too.
“It’s automotive heaven,” said Dan DelBianco, executive director of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. “It’s more than just a race. It’s a car show. We’ve been using the term ‘motorsports festival.'”
While the racing on Saturday and Sunday are the premier attractions, events that are part of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix have been happening over the last week. A race of historic vehicles took place last weekend at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex; a car show was on Walnut Street in Shadyside Monday night; a car cruise was at the Waterfront complex in Homestead on Tuesday; and cars were displayed in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday. This Friday, before the weekend’s races get underway, vintage racers will parade from Schenley Park to Squirrel Hill starting at 6:30 p.m., and park up and down Forbes Avenue.
On Saturday, each of the five race groups will begin practice sessions. On Sunday, warm-up sessions start at 8:30 a.m., and races start at noon.
The racers are all licensed to compete in events like the Vintage Grand Prix, DelBianco said, with about half hailing from the Pittsburgh region. The participants are paying to race and they are doing so “because (they) love it,” DelBianco explained, “but most of these folks have to get back to work on Monday.”
Why is it at Schenley Park?
“It’s a natural amphitheater for racing,” according to DelBianco. “It was made for a race.”
About 125 drivers are set to participate and it takes “an incredible amount of work to maintain these old cars and to race them at the same time. It’s a special breed of people. We’d have no event if it wasn’t for them.”
Children are admitted free to the races. All other visitors are asked to make a $10 donation. For additional information, go online to pvgp.org.