FAQ's

What About Accommodations? What is the Host Hotel?

There is no particular “host hotel” for the Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion. The island has many hotels, B&B’s, cottages, campsites and other places to stay to meet every budget and taste. It’s a small island and getting to the various places where PIBRRR activities take place is literally minutes from anywhere you might decide to stay. We encourage you to scout the websites such as www.put-in-bay.com and www.putinbayreservations.com for accommodations that appeal to you.

If you have any questions, concerns or special needs, feel free to contact PIBRRR's lodging coordinator who can advise on places to stay that are just right for you and your car -- for registered participants ONLY. Noreen Hahn, putinbay750@yahoo.com / 419 285 2411.

What is the History of the Put-in-Bay Road Races?

The tiny island town of Put-in-Bay hosted sports car races that were conducted by the Cleveland Sport Car Club and the Northeast Ohio Region of the Sports Car Club of America one weekend each year from 1952 to 1959. There was one additional race in 1963 coordinated by the Detroit Region of SCCA / Waterford Hills Road Racing Club, but that race was abruptly halted when a competing Elva sports racer went off course (to avoid a dog, the driver claimed) and crashed heavily, fortunately without injury to driver or spectators and ending road racing on the island “forever.”

The cars that competed in those races were small sports cars with under 2,000cc of displacement and sports racers (purpose-built closed-wheel racing cars) under 1,500ccs. Marques included production cars from makers such as MG, Triumph, Porsche, Alfa Romeo, Lotus and many others and race-bred cars such as Elva and Cooper as well as a host of home-bred varieties. The drivers were strictly amateurs, racing for the fun of it, but many went on to make significant names for themselves in racing. These include Carl Haas, Chuck and Susie Dietrich, Chuck Stoddard, Tom Payne, Ralph Durbin and a long list of others. Despite the challenging roads and difficult spectator control, there is no record of any major injuries that resulted from conducting these races.

A very thorough book about original The Put-in-Bay Road Races was written by sports car racing historian Carl Goodwin and published in 2014 by McFarland & Co – wwwmcfarlandpub.com.

More information about the history of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island can be found at the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society web site: www.leihs.org

Who Supports the Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion?

The Put-in-Bay Road Race Reunion and Sports Car Races are supported by both private and corporate donors, sponsors and in-kind supporters.

This event could not be run without the support of the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce, Lake Erie Shores and Islands, the Village of Put-in-Bay, Miller Boat Line, Joe’s Press House Bar, The Goat Soup and Whiskey, The Cheese Haven, Protegis Fire Extinguishers, Lake Erie Communications and many other organizations, businesses and individuals. For a current list of sponsors, see elsewhere on this website.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or advertising in the event program, please contact Manley Ford whose contact information is elsewhere on this website.

Where is Put-in-Bay?

Put-in-Bay (South Bass Island) is off the Lake Erie shore, a 30-minute ferry ride north of Catawba Island, and less than an hour east of Toledo. For more information about the location, available accommodations and points of interest on the island (which are many) visit www.put-in-bay.com.

Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion Activities Include:

Access to all of the following is available to all officially registered cars and guests:

Two days of wheel-to-wheel racing for qualified entrants at the Put-in-Bay Airport.
Participant package includes dash plaques, jacket patches, a lush program, and a commemorative Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion car sticker and access to all of the following as well as other “To Be Announced” activities.
“Open mic” storytelling program featuring interviews with former Put-in-Bay drivers, organizers, special guest “celebrities” and other participants. As time permits these sessions include period movies, slide presentations, etc. allowing attendees to hear, see and feel, what it was REALLY like to race on the public roads of Put-in-Bay.
Escorted parade laps of the original Put-in-Bay road course.
"Rocker Cover Races" as only they can be done at Put-in-Bay.
Car show and awards for Reunion participants and “island-based” historic vehicles.
Organized (and on-your own) social events including wine tasting and meals at famous Put-in-Bay landmarks!

For non-registered enthusiasts (i.e. spectators) access to many of the above events is free to the public. Race spectating from around the track and at the Put-in-Bay Chamber of Commerce sponsored “FanZone”, participating in the Rocker Cover Races, road-side spectating of the original course tour, and access to the car show are all open to the public.

Why Do This?

Explaining some of his motivations, Jack Woehrle, original race director and one of the event’s co-founders, explains it this way: “This event is all about recreating the ambiance of vintage racing at Put-in-Bay as it used to be when the sport began back in the 1980s. It’s also very much about paying homage to the important motor sports history of Put-in-Bay – where small bore sports cars raced from 1952 to 1959 and in 1963 on public roads that still exist much as they were back in the day.”

The event, adds Woehrle, is also about “having some low-key, sports car-oriented fun,” including two days of small-bore sports car racing on the island’s airport, parade laps of the original course, an entertaining rally around the island, storytelling by original participants, a car show, and a number of social events in an ultra-nostalgic setting.

“Put-in-Bay is so little changed from the 1950s that it is a perfect setting for our event,” said Woehrle. “I attended the last race in 1963, and seeing and hearing the vintage race cars roaring past the old start-finish line on Delaware Street along with the other events we hold, just brings it all back for me as it apparently does for many others. So it’s gratifying that each year we put this event on more and more sports car enthusiasts of all sorts – not just vintage racers – ‘get’ what we’re about and want to come and join in the fun.”

How do I best stay abreast of Put-in-Bay Road Races developments?

The best way to keep up with Put-in-Bay Road Races Reunion news is to join our Facebook page. Just click on the Facebook button at the bottom of this website

Is there race fuel available on the island?

Although there is a gasoline station on Put-in-Bay, there is no race fuel for sale on the island. Race entrants should plan to bring enough race fuel for at least seven 20-minute race sessions. If you need to buy race fuel on the mainland, the closest source is VP fuel at 1975 Danbury Rd., Lakeside Marblehead, OH 43440. This is just a short drive east of Ohio Rt. 53 north of Port Clinton. There is also CAM2 available at a Speedway station at the SE corner of the intersection of OH Route 250 and Route 2 about 20 miles south and east of the Miller Ferry landing.

Information