More than 200 PVGP supporters gathered to take a victory lap on November 16, 2021. This year-end event recognizes the contributions of our sponsors, partners and car clubs and honors our volunteers who make this event possible. It was a wonderful night to celebrate all the wonderful things our event achieves. The celebration was held at Dual Devils Garage in Houston, PA. Many thanks to Helltown Brewing for donating their great craft beers for all guests.
The night started with a surprise visit from the Autism Society of Pittsburgh’s Dan Torisky. Dan has been with the PVGP since the beginning and was a fixture at every event from 1983 through 2018. He was placed in Hannah Health Center in Oakmont after the 2018 event and this was his first appearance in three years. Dan reminded all who attended about the importance of our volunteers and sponsors saying “every now and then people say ‘who is the most important person who made our Grand Prix the ongoing success it is?’ The answer is simple: look in the mirror. Without each and every one of you, the Grand Prix could not be the premier automotive event that it is.”
Sponsors present from left to right: Neighborhood Ford Store, Bobby Rahal Auto Group, RR Donnelley, Steptoe & Johnson and Insperity.
Presenting Sponsor – Greater Pittsburgh Auto Dealers
Joey Thurby, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association, and Presenting Sponsor of the PVGP since 2014 took the podium to accept the poster for the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association which represents all 150 franchise new car dealerships in Western PA which makes major charitable contributions throughout the region through its Foundation.
Jeffrey Kedzierski of Chevrolet and Terri Hohmann of North Star Chevy.
Corvette Marque of the Year Fundraising
Corvette was the Marque of the Year for 2021 and they put on quite a show! A dozen separate Corvette Clubs came together to support the cause. There were 325 Corvettes at Schenley Park for the car show and parade lap and there were hundreds more throughout Race Week events.
A whopping $89,185 was raised through Corvette participation and a large part of that was from the sponsorship of the Western PA Chevy Dealers. This is the third-highest amount ever raised by the Marque of the Year! The Chevy dealers have really stepped up to become a major sponsor starting with their support of the Camaro Marque of the Year in 2017. Jeffrey Kedzierski, Chevrolet District Sales Manager, along with Terri Hohmann of North Star Chevy were present to accept the framed poster.
Checkered Flag Winners
Starting back in 2009, the PVGP began awarding checkered flags to recognize the extra efforts of its volunteers and partners. The first flag was awarded posthumously to our Chief Starter Don “Downtown” Brown, one of our original volunteers and the man who waved the checkered flag at the PVGP for 26 years. Since then we have presented the checkered flag to more than one hundred volunteers and supporters. Below is the list of flags awarded this year. Complete list of winners.
2021 Winners
Jim Kinest – Corvette Marque of the Year Captain
Janel Capezutto – Patron Parking and Vintage Rides Coordinator
Carole Ann Capezutto – Patron Parking and Vintage Rides Coordinator
Ray Sandherr – Intern
Patrick Martin – Vintage Motorbikes
Derek Kuntz – Countryside Tour
Marla Taylor – Countryside Tour
Jan McCoy – Car Show Gate Volunteer and Racer
Jason Kaplan – Raceside Volunteer
Greg Farrar – Raceside Volunteer and Race Course Construction
Jeff Hutzleman – Timing & Scoring
Andy Schor – Cortile and Jet Center Volunteer
Teri Hohmann – Glass Art Artist
Pete Szymanski – Kick-Off Rallye and Clubhouse Volunteer
Tom Rohrich – Cadillac Sponsor and Board of Directors
John Ross – Race Registrar
Many don’t know, but at Helltown Brewing we embrace racing and motorsports as a hobby, we are natural gear heads at heart. Our partnership with the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix gives us the chance to combine our two passions in one of the coolest car events nationwide.
Sponsors & Partners Present
Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Foundation – Joey Thurby
Western PA Chevrolet Dealers – Jeffrey Kedzierski, Chevrolet DSM, Ron Dakan & Terri Hohmann
Lamar – Stan Geier
Neighborhood Ford Store – Joey Thurby
RR Donnelley Pittsburgh – Jake Zoller
Bobby Rahal – Chris Amalfitano & Ryan Fuchs
Steptoe & Johnson Ed Rice & Serena Tooker
Insperity – Reid Segar & Clay Davis
Drift 2 Solutions – Keith Mitchell
Lotus of Pittsburgh – Scott Wright
Genesis of Wexford – Scott Wright
Ogletree Deakins – Roberta & Paul Bauer
Porsche Pittsburgh – Mark Villella
Piatt Sotheby’s Intl Realty – Jackie Allenberg, Cass Zielinski, Tom Byers, Nikki Kuniak,
Dan Holmes Design – Dan Holmes
Dual Devils Garage – Brittany Claybaugh & Rudy Cincala
Helltown Brewing – Mike Schmidt & Arnie Burchianti
Hahn Auto Restoration – Amy Beck & Bill Hahn
JKS Financial – Chris Beraducci
Rohrich Parts Center – Don Privett
T-Mobile – Kevin Fisher
United Rentals – Kara Schletter
Veritas Alloys & Metals – Victor Nardini and Bonnie
Vital Solutions – Reid Smith
Steady State Media – Patrick Sehn & Kevin Hospodar
Bob O’Connor Golf Course – Eric Amato
Visit Pittsburgh & Sports Pittsburgh – Derek Dawson & Amanda
Car Clubs Present
Corvettes of PA
3 Rivers Corvette Club
North Pittsburgh Corvette Club
Steel Town Corvette Club
Corvette Club of Western PA
United Rays Corvette Club
Porsche Club – Allegheny Region
Greater Pittsburgh Mustang Club
Pittsburgh Cars ‘N’ Coffee
Pittsburgh Car Scene
Western PA Triumph Club
Mercedes-Benz Club of Pittsburgh
Audi Club – Western PA
Three Rivers Volkswagen Club
Italian Cortile
Pittsburgh Ton-Up
Rolls Royce Club
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, presented by the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Foundation, is the country’s only vintage street race and one of the premier automotive events in the world. 2022 will be our 40th year of hosting a 10-day motorsport festival from July 15 through 24. It starts with our Historic Races at Pitt Race Complex and builds throughout the week with car shows, parades, a Blacktie Gala, a Tune-Up Party, including the Passport to Elegance Jet Center Party. The event culminates with our signature vintage races through the stone wall, hay bale-lined streets of Schenley Park surrounding a golf course with 2,500 show car shows and 200,000 spectators on the July 23/24 weekend.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Association is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a mission to raise funds for individuals with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Since 1983 we have donated nearly $6 million to help our community.
