Watkins Glen Vintage Weekend – September 7-10, 2023

The small village of Watkins Glen is getting ready to host one BIG weekend this September and we invite you to be part of the celebration! 

The Racing Story

October 2, 1948 began a new chapter in the history of motorsports in America as daring men and their machines raced around a 6.6 mile course of village streets and county roads. Seventy-five years and thousands of laps later, what began on the streets continues today at the famed circuit on the hill and ‘The Glen’ is known to race fans around the world.

The Corvette and Watkins Glen

Harley J. Earl, Global Head of General Motors Design came to the 1951 sports car races to display his radical GM concept car, the Le Sabre. The car drew much attention, but Earl was struck by the enthusiasm of the thousands of fans cheering for all the European makes – there were no American cars in the field. He would later recall how his visit to Watkins Glen became the inspiration to design the Corvette – “America’s Sports Car.” We will celebrate the car and honor the man throughout the weekend. Plans are underway to bring the Le Sabre back to Watkins Glen for the first time since that memorable 1951 weekend.

Event Schedule

• Thursday, September 7 – Lakewood vineyards FLX Corvette Journey
• Friday, September 8 – 30th Annual Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival www.grandprixfestival.com. This event annually attracts 20,000+ fans to a day-long celebration of the early days of racing through the village. Corvette is the featured marque for this year’s Festival in celebration of the marque’s 70th birthday. A special display of Corvette race cars will highlight the car’s competition heritage at ‘The Glen’, and the cars will have the opportunity to run several laps of the original street circuit in front of those 20,000+ cheering fans.
• Saturday, September 9 – The IMRRC, www.racingarchives.org will host an evening ‘Corvette Symposium’ open to all fans of the marque. More details to follow!
• Saturday – Sunday, September 9-10 – Hilliard U.S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International, one of the largest and most competitive events on the SVRA schedule. We’ll move our Corvette race car display up the hill to be enjoyed by the thousands attending this great event. A great weekend of Vintage and Trans Am Series action.

Accommodations

While there are a variety of lodging options in Watkins Glen, the more popular already are heavily booked. As an alternative option, we have secured a limited block of rooms at the beautiful Hilton Garden Inn Corning Downtown, only 25 minutes from WG. Rooms are being held, beginning on Thursday, Sept. 7 through Sunday night, Sept. 10 at a rate of $229.00 / night plus tax. You may call the hotel directly at (607) 438-1400 and request the IMRRC September Group Block rate. Guests may book directly online on the hotel website: www.HGICORNING.HGI.com and use the code: IMRRCS to receive this special group rate. The room block will only be held until August 6 so do not delay in reserving your room.

In Closing

As a Corvette owner you have a special appreciation for the marque. As someone who has raced a Corvette, you have that same appreciation for the history of racing at ‘The Glen’. Join us for this very special weekend when we tie together 75 years of racing with the 70th birthday of the car that has been such an integral part of it…and maybe make a little history of your own.