Vintage Grand Prix honors legendary driver and her favorite car, the Corvette
By Administrator on July 27, 2010Add CommentsCourtesy of PittsburghLive.com
Donna Mae Mims poses in 1966 beside one of the MGB cars she raced. Click for more images.
Alfa Romeos, Bugattis and other members of the sportscar alphabet are the heart of Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, but this year’s event also is focused on what has been called a “racing triangle.”
The classic cars set the tone for the Grand Prix, but this year’s celebration also focuses on the memory of Donna Mae Mims, a legendary driver who pulled on the brake for the final time in October 2009; her favorite car, the Corvette; and the modified muscle cars of Yenko Racing.
Those three elements tie together in a bit of Western Pennsylvania sports car lore, says Dan DelBianco, president of the Grand Prix, which is sponsored by Shop’n Save.
The crusty blonde everyone refers to simply as Donna Mae was drawn into racing through her love of Corvettes and became the first woman to win the Sports Car Club of America racing championship in 1963.
She bought that car at the Yenko dealership in Canonsburg, which will be celebrated by a Yenko Sports Car Reunion that will bring together some of the remanufactured vehicles put together by car dealer and auto modifier Don Yenko.
