SAAC 49 July 25 – 27 2024
New Jersey Motorsports Park.
The Shelby American Automobile Club is proud to announce that SAAC 49 will be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park July 25th-27th 2024. We will once again be partnering up with our friends from Team Shelby. Open track will be run on the 2.25 mile Thunderbolt Raceway. More details will be communicated later as well as on our web site www.saac.com
The SAAC Dinner and Evening Program is one of the highlights of our convention. SAAC is happy to announce that the keynote speaker at this year’s convention will be Tom Cotter, also known as “The Barn Find Hunter.” Tom’s engaging talk will take place just after the SAAC Dinner on Friday July 26th 2024.
Cotter is a well-known figure in the automotive world, particularly for his expertise in locating and restoring “barn find” vehicles. He has been involved in the car restoration industry for over 50 years. He is also an accomplished author, having written several books about barn finds, including “The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology.”
Tom gained widespread recognition through his popular series “Barn Find Hunter” on Hagerty’s YouTube channel. In this series, Cotter travels around the USA, discovering and exploring forgotten classic cars. His enthusiasm and knowledge about classic cars not only make the series entertaining, but also educational for car enthusiasts.
Tom has loads of Shelby stories. For example he purchased his 289 Cobra, CSX2490 in March, 2001. He flew from North Carolina to San Francisco to pick up the car and drive it home, using only 2-lane roads. The trip took nine days. R&T writer Peter Egan accompanied him and Egan wrote about the trip in “Cross Country Cobra.” The article was featured in the 2/02 issue of R&T. The car is famous for its luggage rack on the trunk with a large, battered suitcase strapped to it, covered with stickers from various places Cotter has traveled with the car. Notable is the prominent “Dan Gurney for President” bumper sticker. Cotter and the Cobra have been on several 1000-mile Cobra tours including one to Alaska where a grizzily bear tore through the soft top in order to get at a box of fig newtons left behind. CSX2490 was also pictured on the cover of The Shelby American’s Spring 2017 issue.
Tom Cotter’s passion for automotive history and his knack for telling captivating stories have made him a the perfect speaker for the SAAC 49 Evening Program. Be sure to register for SAAC 49 so you too can enjoy the myriad of events we’ve got planned including Open Track, the Simeone Museum Visit, a Road Tour and Poker Run, the Shelby Car Show, Concours d’Elegance, and lots more!
(Click link below to register for SAAC 49!)
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/saac-49-team-shelby-ecgn-njmp-thunderbolt-american-automobile-club-396835
More Information Coming.
 SAAC-48 — July 13-15, 2023The Shelby American Automobile Club returns to PittRace for SAAC-48, with three full days of activities. Open Track, Concours Judging, Car Show, Parade Laps… plus a few extra fun activities. Registration Open Register Here |
 This event will be a key component in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (PVGP) Race Week, July 14-23.The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is the nation’s largest vintage street race and the largest vintage race event, spanning 10 days with two race weekends, car shows, parties, parades and motorsport events. The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association raises funds for autistic and IDD charities, donating over $6 million since their founding in 1983. Preliminary Schedule Wednesday 7/12/23 3:00pm Gates to Pittsburgh International Raceway open 3:30pm Registration / Tech Inspection opens 6:30pm Registration / Tech Inspection closes Thursday 7/13/23 7:00am Gates to Pittsburgh International Raceway open 7:00am Registration / Tech Inspection opens 7:30am Swap Meet set-up 7:45am Open Track Driver’s Meeting starts 8:30am Open Track for Intermediate/Advanced Group 8:55am Open Track for Novice/Intermediate Group 11:00am SAAC Vintage Race Practice with PVGP Group 11:25am Open Track for Intermediate/Advanced Group 11:50am Open Track for Novice/Intermediate Group 12:15pm Parade Laps start 2:30pm Open Track for Intermediate/Advanced Group 2:55pm Open Track for Novice/Intermediate Group 3:45pm SAAC Vintage Race Practice with PVGP Group 7:00pm Social, Al Geisler’s collection, McKees Rocks, PA Friday 7/14/23 7:00am Gates to Pittsburgh International Raceway open 7:00am Registration / Tech Inspection opens 7:15am Open Track Driver’s Meeting starts 7:30am Swap Meet set-up 8:00am Concours Meeting 8:30am Concours Judging begins 8:30am Open Track for Intermediate/Advanced Group 8:55am Open Track for Novice/Intermediate Group 11:00am SAAC Vintage Race Qualifying #1 11:25am Open Track for Intermediate/Advanced Group 11:50am Open Track for Novice/Intermediate Group 12:20pm Parade Laps start 3:20pm Open Track for Intermediate/Advanced Group 3:45pm Open Track for Novice/Intermediate Group 4:40pm SAAC Vintage Race Qualifying #2 6:00pm Pre-dinner Cocktails, Pittsburgh Marriott North 7:00pm Dinner & Evening Program, Pittsburgh Marriott North Saturday 7/15/23 7:00am Gates to Pittsburgh International Raceway open 7:00am Registration Inspection opens 8:00am Swap Meet opens 8:00am Popular Vote Meeting 8:30am Popular Vote Show opens 12:30pm SAAC Vintage Race 1:30pm Popular Vote Show balloting ends 2:30pm Popular Vote Results announced |
  |
| SAAC NEWS BRIEF… October 2022 Heads Up! |
| Members get the SCOOP…SAAC-48 … July 13 – 15, 2023 HOTEL INFORMATION https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1662637188261&key=GRP The Shelby American Automobile Club’s 48th National Convention will be held at PittRace, Pittsburgh PA, Thursday July 13 through Saturday, July 15, 2023. Open Track – Vintage Racing – Cruise Tour – Concours Judging Popular Vote Car Show PLEASE NOTE – Online Convention Registration will be available at the end of December. A separate website will be online for the convention this month.. News, updates and details will be all in one location. This site will have links to Pre-Register for the convention. Again, Event Registration will be open and announced in DecemberSAAC-48 Host Hotel  Here is the hotel reservation information you will need to book your rooms for SAAC-48 at the Pittsburgh Marriott North hotel. The address is: 100 Cranberry Woods Dr., Cranberry Township, PA 16066. The dates for the convention are July 13-14-15 at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. For some reason the hotel has a ton of King and King w/King fold-out sofa beds but not that many Double Queens, so if one of the King rooms will work for you then please sign up for one. If we run out of Double Queen rooms then the additional people will be booked at the Courtyard by Marriott which is next door on the same property and the price is the same. Here’s a rough outline of what is happening: 7/13 Open track & Parts Swap, Evening Social 7/14 Open track, Parts Swap, Concours Evening Dinner & Program 7/15 Parts Swap and Popular Vote Car Show I suggest that you will save yourselves time if you arrive Wednesday 7/12 especially if you are going to sign up for the open track Thursday morning. We will have early Tech Inspection, Parts Swap set-up and Registration on Wednesday. If you have any problems booking your room, please contact Howard Pardee.. Advance Registration for the convention will be in late December, early January 2023. Howard Pardeesaachp350@gmail.com (860) 333-0303 The room types available are: 1 .One King bed with fold-out King sofa 2. One King bed only. 3. Two Queen beds. This hotel is a easy 20 minute drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (no toll!) to the Pittsburgh International Race Complex. The track Turnpike exit number is 13. The address of the track is 201 Penndale Rd. Wampum, PA 17158. It is about 2 miles North of the exit on Route 18 to the entrance to the track. The hotel is at the exit number 28 of the Turnpike. Routes Interstate 79, Interstate 376 and Pennsylvania Route 19 are very close to the hotel. Note: If you are coming from the East, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is expensive for cars and very expensive for those towing. Pick another route if you can. The rates are $124 per night plus taxes for the period of 7/11/23 through 7/15/2023. The convention opens Thursday 7/13/23 and ends 7/15/23 so we have reserved the greatest number of rooms for the nights of 7/12, 7/13 and 7/14. If you wish to arrive and depart earlier or later, we have reserved a smaller number of rooms at the same price. The Friday dinner is at this hotel. There will be a special parking area with nighttime security 7/12, 7/13 and 7/14. To make reservations please call (888) 236-2427 or use the link below. Here’s your reservation link you can use to make reservations: Shelby Club Start Date: Tuesday, July 11, 2023 End Date: Sunday, July 16, 2023 Last Day to Book: Tuesday, June 27, 2023 Hotel(s) offering your special group rate: Pittsburgh Marriott North for 124 USD per night |
SAAC 47 June 16-19, 2022
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
More information at www.saac47.com
Registration is Open
SAAC-46 Registration is open.
Please go to www.saac46.com, review what is there, and click on the red “Register Now” button when you are ready to register.
Some highlights:
- SAAC -NorCal SAAC – Team Shelby- together
- Open Track on all THREE days
- Drag Racing featured on Friday
- Friday social will be at the Cobra Experience
- Saturday Evening Program and buffet
- Concours and Popular Vote car shows
All the details are on www.saac46.com
Details are being added weekly. A Daily Schedule and Open Track times will be added soon…check back often.
Feel free to register as soon as you get this email. If you have any questions, you may submit questions on the MotorsportReg site
See you at SAAC-46
SAAC-46 Host Hotel
The convention host hotel is the Embassy Suites by Hilton,
San Rafael Marin County, 101 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael, CA 94903
and the dinner will be at this hotel Saturday July 31st.
We used this same hotel for SAAC-35 in 2010 and again at SAAC-43.
It is where the dinner will be on Saturday night and
it’s pretty easy to get to the track.
SAAC has procured a block of 200 rooms for Thursday July 29st,
Friday July 30st and Saturday July 31st.
There are a smaller number of rooms available for those
who want to arrive Wednesday night July 28nd and/or stay
Sunday night August 1st. It is suggested that you first
go to this URL to determine which type of room you would
like to have:
The SAAC rates are for the Standard King Suites and the
Standard Queen-Queen Suites. There are upgrades which
are available if you wish to have them. Remember that every
room is a suite with bedroom, bathroom and living room with
a sofa bed. All guests receive a complimentary hot breakfast,
free parking and other amenities.
The SAAC rates are:
Standard King Suite: $219 plus taxes
Premium King Suite: $219 plus taxes
Standard Queen-Queen Suite: $239 plus taxes
To make your reservations use Group Code: SAA
Embassy Suites Reservations: (415) 499-9222
Hilton Reservations (800) 686-3741
On Line Reservations:
Link for ONLINE RESERVATIONS
If you have a problem making reservations, please contact
Howard Pardee, phone: (860) 442-3400,
Again, if you have any problems or questions
please feel free to contact Howard Pardee.
Update from HQ for SAAC 45
SAAC 45 CANCELLED
Well, the scales have finally tipped and we are announcing that the SAAC-45 National Convention on June 17-19 at Indy will be cancelled.
We truly have waited until the last possible moment to make this call… but the need to have a safe gathering with the quality of a National Event that we all expect has become impossible.
Let me share some of the facts that led to this decision. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is still in limbo as it relates to June events, although they have postponed the Indy 500 at the end of May. Our track partners at SVRA are still feeling a green light for their event on our weekend, but that is continually subject to the external rulings and decisions by the track and the state of Indiana.
The final nail for us to make this call came this week, in the form of official directives that would be a mandate for our event:
No spectators only registered participants. No spectators from SVRA/ Trans Am or SAAC
No dinner or banquet
No Social gatherings (our Night at the Museum)
Mandatory “social distancing”… 6 foot separation
Masks and gloves onsite required. Gloves – all staff. Masks – all staff
Shields – Registrars, Tech staff when conducting Tech inspections
At-Track Medical info done as part of registration process
No paper Event Programs or schedules to be distributed
No Driver or Car Show Packets will be handed out
No Face to Face Driver Meetings, Done via services like “Zoom” at pre-determined and published times
No food or concession services
…And on, and on and on.
With a different timeline and conditions, we might comply with some of these restrictions to go forward with the event… But looking at all of them, and realizing the risk and expense for our members to attend, it became obvious that this event would not be a fun one.
So, sadly, we have cancelled this event.
ALL preregistrations in place as of this date will be fully refunded with NO cancellation penalties.
We have officially closed the Motorsportsreg site from accepting any more transactions.
If you have already registered for the event, stand by for communications from SAAC HQ for details on your refunds; no action is required on your part.
So… what now?
Preliminary investigations are finding it very difficult to obtain an alternate track/venue date for later this year. You can imagine the number of larger events from Early Spring and Summer that need to reposition.
We are actively looking at alternatives that include joint efforts with local and regional events in the Fall.
Our intention is to do everything possible to not have 2020 pass by without a SAAC National-organized social event.
We will continue to inform the membership and fans officially though Member eBlasts, SAACForum posts and Facebook/Twitter as plans develop.
I am sure many more than your Directors are feeling sad about this… but safety, security and the ability to enjoy ourselves are mandatory factors that would be missing if we moved forward with a June date.
SAAC-44 – July 11-13, 2019, Pittsburgh International Race Complex
We are excited to be the Featured Marque of the gala Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
SAAC-43 … the All-Shelby Convention for 2018
SAAC-43 was held at Sonoma Raceway in August of 2018. This event was all-Shelby, all the time… in conjunction with the NorCal SAAC region and Team Shelby.
An Event you should not have missed….
Joining the crew that stages the Norcal MiniNats at Sonoma each year, SAAC hosted a weekend of motorsports with something for everyone…
A full three days of track activity…with Open Track, Parade Laps, Vintage and TransAm feature races…along with an afternoon of Drag Racing. Some of the best cars around were there for the Car Show, as well as SAAC’s World-Class Concours Judging. Social events included Friday Evening get-together and Saturday Evening Dinner and Program.
Special exhibitors included Ford Performance and Shelby American…
You didn’t hear it from me, but SAAC44 is rumored to be at BeaveRun in PA. Early July, 2019.
**************************************************************************************
SAAC-42 Highlight Sheet Indianapolis Motor Speedway June 8 – 10, 2017
SAAC-42 is now history.
Of course there was track time.
And a good number of Cobras.
All in all a good time.
Want more information? Try http://www.saacforum.com
The Shelby American Automobile Club - Motor City Region 