50 ANNI DI PASSIONE
ELKHART LAKE, Wis., June 11, 2013 – This summer the Ferrari Club of America is returning to Elkhart Lake, Wis., and Road America to celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a special International Meet. From July 30 to August 4 the club will honor its heritage as the oldest recognized and, by magnitudes, the largest Ferrari club in the world with over 5,200 members from across all of Canada and the US.
50 Anni di Passione, 50 years of passion, is the year long theme for the Ferrari Club of America as it commemorates the club. This is the 50th International Meet that brings together members from throughout the entire club. This is also the last event of the year long celebration of the clubs 50th anniversary. A key part of the celebration has been the One Lap of North America Relay led by a special, one-off Ferrari 599GTB-HGTE built specially for Passione. This unique Ferrari, the very last North America specification 599 produced, has a special paint scheme and interior design, as well as custom graphics representing the 50-year history of the FCA. By the time it arrives at Elkhart Lake it will have traveled 20,000 miles having visited every Ferrari dealer, every club chapter and every club region throughout Canada and the US.
Elkhart Lake has a revered place in the annals of Ferrari history in North America. It was at Road America in 1961 that the first gathering of the people that would go on to create the Ferrari Club of America took place. 2013 will be the fifth time that the club has come to town for its annual club wide International Meet. Beyond this, Elkhart Lake and Road America have made major contributions to the entire history of Ferrari. Notably the story starts with Jim Kimberly, heir of Kimberly-Clark. He was one of the very first Americans to purchase a Ferrari, which he then proceeded to race and win in the inaugural Elkhart Lake road race around the lake in 1951. Kimberly would continue to race a long string of faster Ferraris at Elkhart Lake (’51 and ’52) and then when Road America opened in 1955.
Kimberly was but one of many the amateur sportsmen that raced Ferraris at Road America during the 1950s and into the early 1960s. Others of note with a connection to the area were Augie Pabst, William Schelble of Milwaukee and Jim Kimberly. Road America was host to some of the most famous names of sports car racing with the likes of Phil Hill, who would go on to be the first American Formula 1 world champion; Carroll Shelby, Bob Bondurant and Hal Sharp.
The 2013 Ferrari Club of America International Meet welcomes the public on Thursday August 1 through Sunday August 4 at Road America. Thursday is the Concours, which will have 300+ Ferraris from all eras with the oldest and rarest racers to the very latest models in production. The judging standards as so rigorous that the team of judges will be coming in from across North America and internationally just to perform their duties. From Friday through Sunday Road America will be the site for the club’s track days. These same cars can be watched as they are exercised at speed for all to see and enjoy. General admission is $20 per day or $60 for a 4-day pass.
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