Austin's bygone ambassadors

The US-based Historic Grand Prix series will be among the support races at this year’s inaugural United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas in November.

Organised by veteran US single-seater racer James King, the Historic Grand Prix organisation features F1 cars from the three-litre era, starting with Lotus 49s and including groundeffect Lotus and Williams chassis from the late 1970s and early ’80s.

Historic Grand Prix’s leading competitors include King, Duncan Dayton, Hamish Somerville, Ed Swart and Dan Marvin, with Bobby Rahal making occasional appearances. The group will race this year at Lime Rock’s Vintage Festival on August 31-September 3 and at the following weekend’s Watkins Glen Vintage GP before heading to Austin in November.