Editor’s note: This is the second in a five-day series featuring teams fielding Vintage Kart Mini Racers in the second annual Scottsdale Grand Prix, to be held November 4-6 on the streets of Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.
The streets of downtown Scottsdale will be transformed November 4-6 into a modern Great Gatsby-inspired version of the roaring ‘20s as Vintage Mini Races hit the streets in the second annual Grand Prix of Scottsdale.
The three-day event begins Friday evening with a display of the cars in team livery during the “Gatsby Under the Stars Gala.” The gala takes place on the Marshall Way Bridge and benefits Southwest Human Development, one of the racing weekend’s charity partners.
Gatsby lawn parties take place Saturday and Sunday with attendees encouraged to dress in ‘20s-era attire as they sample local beer, wines, and food while enjoying music from the era, choreographed dance performances, and a special cigar bar with club seating.
Also Saturday is the Concours d’ Kids for children to compete in the Grand Prixni, a mini driving experience as well as various crafts and games.
The Grand Prix of Scottsdale officially begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday, following the 2016 Vintage Victory Trophy presentation during the trackside Dine and Drive breakfast. Radio personality Dave Pratt will be master of ceremonies and Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane is the pace car passenger for the main event.
Race winner gets the Vintage Victory trophy while second- and third-place finishing teams also getr awards, as does the person who posts the best individual lap.
The half-mile course begins near the bridge at the Scottsdale Waterfront and takes racers past local landmarks along Goldwater and across 5th avenue before completing the lap.
Restaurants and local businesses along the course are slated to offer race-day specials and multiple viewing areas are accessible along the course and near pit row at no cost.
Each team competing in the Grand Prix of Scottsdale may have up to six drivers in a Vintage Kart Company’s Arizona-built Vintage Mini Racer, which was inspired by cyclecars of the 1920s. Each mini racer features a 200cc engine capable of 30–35 miles per hour.
Teams competing in the 2016 Grand Prix of Scottsdale include:
| Almeida Molecular Imaging Fund, Phoenix Molecular Imaging, Car No. 511 Molecular imaging research and education - providing answers for prostate cancer patients. Many men with prostate cancer are treated without knowing if their cancer is confined or has spread. Through new molecular imaging techniques we aim to help with more precise information to guide treatment, but we cannot achieve our goals alone. Find out how you can help. Cancer public awareness, education, patient empowerment and research. Several cancer types are the focus of the foundation, with special emphasis on prostate cancer. Support for research is focused on development of non-invasive imaging techniques to help provide treatment options for effective cancer control and preservation of quality of life. Phoenix Molecular Imaging is a specialized imaging facility with an on-site cyclotron and radiopharmacy production facility – the only private facility of its kind in the U.S. Phoenix Molecular Imaging is the first and only facility in the Western U.S. approved to produce and use C11-Acetate for the evaluation of prostate cancer under multiple clinical trials. The physicians at Phoenix Molecular Imaging, led by Dr. Fabio Almeida, M.D., are conducting studies to determine how well C11-Acetate PET/CT scans can improve their ability to detect residual or recurrent prostate cancer and other cancers. Today cancer patients have more treatment options than ever before. Through advanced imaging, such as C11-Acetate PET/CT, we now can know the true limit or extent of prostate cancer. With this information, better treatment decisions can be made. |    |
| Prostate Cancer Research Institute, Car No. 18 Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is dedicated to helping prostate cancer patients research their treatment options. PCRI understands that prostate cancer patients may have lots of questions and helps find answers specific to a patient's case. PCRI's resources are designed by a multidisciplinary team of patients, advocates and leading medical doctors. PCRI believes that by educating patients about the disease, they will have more productive interactions with medical professionals and get better individualized care. |  |
| Silverhawk Financial, Car No. 33 SilverHawk Financial is a Scottsdale-based wealth management firm with a core mission to plan, grow and protect client wealth. SilverHawk uses its knowledge, experience, education and expertise to provide clients with asset protection, asset allocation, and active dynamic asset management of their wealth with a constant eye to reducing income and estate tax liabilities whenever possible. Silverhawk's mission is unique in that it shifts and evolves strategically with client needs, depending on their financial goals and resources, the ever-changing economic environment, the opening and closing of financial opportunities, and the existing and evolving government regulations and taxation policies. |  |
| Marcellino Ristorante, Car No. 7/11 Champions of the 2015 Grand Prix of Scottsdale, owners Marcellino and Sima Verzino are passionate in crafting cuisine using fresh, vibrant seasonal ingredients to create signature flavors while maintaining the integrity of true Italian cuisine. Everything Chef Marcellino creates within his restaurant is based on Italian life, from the cuisine to the European service, the music and, of course, the ambiance. As Marcellino says, "Each reservation is taken with respect to quality time to enjoy it all. Dining with family or friends is a joyful experience. Your meal and conversation is a sacred part of Italian lifestyle and my wife Sima and I strive it will always be here." |  |
To see more of the teams competing in the Grand Prix of Scottsdale, see Meet the Teams
