SpeedTour’s Vintage Core, Modern Vision: Michael Printup Outlines the Future of SVRA and Parella Mot
During Race Industry Week, Michael Printup, Chief Operating Officer of Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH), shared a detailed look at the future of SpeedTour and the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) — highlighting a sharpened focus on competitor experience, expanded schedule clarity, and a thoughtful evolution of vintage racing as newer-era cars become eligible.
PMH’s SpeedTour banner brings together a broad portfolio of series at a single event:
- SVRA vintage racing
- Trans Am (TA, TA2 & production-based classes)
- Formula Regional Americas & Formula 4 (open-wheel development series)
- International GT (IGT) and other GT categories
The result is a paddock that ranges from historic machinery to modern GT cars and open-wheel racers — a “moving museum” with a pro-style event feel.
“I think from a competitor point of view, it’s the diversity,” Printup said. “SpeedTour is an amalgamation of all these different cars — from open-wheel to big-bore GT. We not only collect art, we race it.”
Refined 2026 Schedule: Fewer Events, More Track Time
For 2026, PMH has consolidated and refined its calendar to prioritize quality over quantity while keeping the focus on SVRA’s core mission.
- Overall SpeedTour event count reduced from 24 events down to 17
- 14 dedicated SVRA events at iconic tracks across the U.S.
- Minimum of six run groups at every SVRA weekend (with special features at select events)
- Expanded use of double-headers on the Trans Am side
The key driver behind these changes is simple: more meaningful track time and better planning tools for competitors.
“We’ve listened to our competitors for the last year and a half, and it’s track time, track time, track time,” Printup explained. “For next year, we’re solely concentrating on our SVRA model and making sure all of our groups have the attention and track time they want.”
In a major step forward, PMH has already completed the minute-by-minute schedules for every 2026 race weekend.
“Within a week, any competitor will be able to go online, look at Road America, for example, and know their last race or session on Sunday — 2:00 p.m., 11:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m.,” Printup said. “People want to plan travel. They want to know if they can leave Sunday night or Monday. We heard that loud and clear.”
State of Vintage Racing: Honoring the Past, Preparing for the Next Wave
Printup described vintage racing as a living, evolving ecosystem. While classic machinery remains the heart of SVRA, the definition of “vintage” continues to move forward in time.
Cars from the late 1990s and early 2000s are now entering vintage eligibility, bringing more sophisticated electronics and chassis technology into the paddock.
“We all laugh that a 1999 car is now vintage — it’s weird,” Printup admitted. “But the sport is evolving. We’re staying with our vintage roots, while also looking at how to accommodate these newer-era cars without turning a weekend into 18 run groups.”
SVRA is actively:
- Monitoring participation in legacy groups (such as pre-’73 Formula cars)
- Identifying where counts are softening and where new interest is growing
- Planning for a gradual evolution of run groups — including some consolidation and some mixed groups
- Considering how to fold in more “modern vintage” machinery where it makes sense
At the same time, there is a strong push to preserve and support older vintage cars whose owners may no longer be able to do all the mechanical work themselves.
“We see a definite trend of people moving their cars into shops,” Printup said. “Some owners just can’t tow, prep, and tune the cars like they used to. So we’re working directly with shops — making sure they have what they need and helping connect them with owners. Recently we matched four owners with a shop because they said, ‘I can’t do this alone anymore.’”
Safety, Structure, and the “Non-Contact” Culture
One of the most persistent misconceptions about vintage racing, Printup said, is that it’s wild, risky, or chaotic.
“Some people just hear the word ‘racing’ and assume it’s going to be wheel-to-wheel banging,” he noted. “That is the opposite of what SVRA is.”
SVRA presents itself as a professionally run, non-contact vintage series with:
- Full technical and safety oversight from SVRA’s tech staff and race control
- Annual and event tech inspections, logbooks, and defined rule sets
- Integration with the Gold Medallion certification program for historically correct cars
- In-car flagging systems (Flagtronics) to improve awareness and safety
- Professional medical and safety infrastructure at top-level road courses
“We tick things up four or five notches above a typical club weekend,” Printup said. “We want you to reach into your pocket once — pay the entry fee — show up, and have a safe, organized, professionally run experience.”
SVRA also enforces driving standards with probation, penalties, and, when necessary, weekend bans for repeated contact.
Accessibility: From First-Time Vintage Racer to Seasoned Pro
Printup emphasized that SVRA is not just for collectors and veterans. The series welcomes:
- Owners of period-correct race cars
- Drivers converting road cars to vintage spec
- Enthusiasts stepping up from marque club days (BMW, Porsche, etc.)
- Professional and semi-professional teams running modern GT and Group 10 cars
Entry costs are designed to remain within reach for serious hobbyists:
- Typical SVRA weekend entry around $895–$900
- Stable pricing over the last several years
- No “nickel-and-diming” for unnecessary add-ons
From a time commitment standpoint, most competitors:
- Treat events as a Thursday–Sunday engagement
- Run about 5–6 events per season on average
- Stay within a 6–8 hour tow radius of home for most races
“Most of our racers are business owners or professionals — they’ve got work on Monday,” Printup said. “We build the schedules and calendar far in advance so they can plan, and we try to make it as easy as possible: you show up Thursday, have a great weekend, and you’re home Sunday night.”
Looking Ahead: Keeping SVRA the Premier Vintage Platform
Despite the presence of other vintage organizations, Printup made it clear that SVRA intends to remain the premier, largest vintage sanctioning body in the U.S., anchored by:
- Events at iconic American road courses such as Road America, COTA, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and Lime Rock
- A curated mix of SVRA, Trans Am, Formula Regional, F4, and IGT under the SpeedTour umbrella
- Continued investments in scheduling, safety, and competitor support
“We’ve made some mistakes and learned from them,” Printup concluded. “But we know what our racers want — great tracks, lots of clean track time, and an organized, professional, non-contact environment. That’s our job, and that’s where we’re putting our energy for 2026 and beyond.”
For more information on SVRA, Trans Am, and upcoming SpeedTour events, please visit your SpeedTour / SVRA channels (EPARTRADE will likely link or embed this with their own CTAs).
