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Published on: 7/16/2009
Last Visited: 9/12/2009
"There is nothing equal to the fun and excitement of Schenley Park," says Scott Hughes, a driver from South Carolina.
"It is just such a wonderful event."
He is talking about the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, a collection of races in categories and engine sizes that sends classic cars speeding around a tree-lined course through the city park in Oakland.
The event, moving into its 28th year, also is the home for a show of about 2,000 classic vehicles and a fundraiser for two Pittsburgh charities.
While the days at the races are free, the grand prix has grown to include other motorsports and social events to benefit the Autism Society of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Valley School in Robinson, a site that helps the developmentally challenged.
"There is just no event like Pittsburgh," says Hughes, who first raced here in 1998 and has developed a fondness and respect for the event.
...
Hughes is a BMW man, too.
He owns 17 of them, becoming hooked on the machine when he bought his first in 1970.
That is also when he became a member of the BMW Car Club of America and led to his founding the BMW Driving Club and BMW Racing Program.
He will be driving a '74 BMW CSL, a car that won in its class at LeMans and is one of only 16 remaining on the circuit, he says.
Hughes talks with great enthusiasm about driving through the verdant nature of the park on a course lined with fans.
It is a distinct style of driving far removed from track racing.
He likes racing on tracks, though, and says planners of the Vintage Grand Prix lifted the event a notch by including days of racing and driving earlier in the week at the Motorsports Complex in Beaver County.
He has been racing for 25 years, being led into the sport by the desire a fast car breeds.
"I started looking for a legal way you could have some fun with it," he says.