| Article Index |
|---|
| Naval Operations |
| Page 2 |
| Page 3 |
| All Pages |
The 12th Annual Coronado Speed Festival
At a military installation, one should expect to hear the whine of high-performance engines, especially at a naval air station. What one may not expect to hear is the throbbing beat of an uncorked ISMA muscle car or a late-model NASCAR. But that is exactly what thousands heard when they attended the “Race at the Base” or as it’s officially known, The Coronado Speed Festival.
Held September 26-27, 2009 at the Coronado Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, the Coronado Speed Festival is just that — a festival of speed. A host of cool vintage race cars roll around the course, which is set up on the runways and taxiways of the Air Station. Everything from near-stock Porsche 356s to old and not-so-old, famous NASCARS took their turns around the track. Gary Sousa raced Dale Earnhardt’s 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, while Steve Schoellhorn was behind the wheel of Jeff Gordon’s 1993 Chevy Lumina. Other cars include David Pearson’s Holmann Moody Ford from the 1970s and Neil Bonnet’s Ford from the ’80s.
Vintage SCCA, IMSA and Trans Am cars were well represented, along with cars such as Jim Hall’s Chaparral Camaro (winner of the 1970 Trans Am Series); the Penske Camaros and his AMX Javelin driven to the 1971 SCCA Championship by Mark Donohue; Team Shelby Mustangs; a 1970 Plymouth AAR Trans Am ’Cuda built and driven by Dan Gurney and Swede Savage; the Edelbrock/Smokey Yunick 1968 Trans Am Camaro and the list goes on. There were plenty of sweet Lolas, Datsuns, MGs and a whole slew of Mustangs and Camaros on hand, as well.
If it weren’t for the huge, million-dollar motor homes that filled the pits, seeing all of these cars in one spot was like going back in time.
The place was packed, as tons of club vehicles were displayed, from the Porsche club to the Cobra and Mustang clubs, to the Miata club. There were vendors-a-plenty, as one could get cool art, decent food, clothes, parts and an opportunity to sign up for the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
As historic as the cars and some of the drivers were, just being at the base was great for history buffs. The first parachute jump in the San Diego area was made in 1911 by a brave, 90-pound woman named Tiny Broadwick. As stated, Coronado is home to Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, which is known as the birthplace of Naval Aviation. It was the legendary Glenn Curtiss who opened a flying school and held a lease to the property until the beginning of WWI. It was actually in 1917 that Naval Air Station, North Island was born. Due to the military involvement, many aviation milestones occurred at the facility, including the first mid-air refueling and the first nonstop transcontinental flight, both in 1923. In the early 1920s, Naval Aviation took an important leap with the construction of the USS Langley, the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, and in 1924 the Langley was homeported at NAS San Diego. One of history’s most famous aviation feats was the flight of Charles A. Lindbergh’s flight from New York to Paris in May 1927, but few know that his flight actually originated at North Island on May 9, 1927. Fewer still know that his now-famous aircraft, The Spirit of St. Louis, was built in San Diego.
