In the decade that followed WWII, sports car racing skyrocketed in popularity in the United States. Early sports car clubs set up makeshift race courses on the public streets of now legendary towns like Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin; Watkins Glen, New York; Pebble Beach, California; and countless others. Coatesville, Pennsylvania was not on that list, but perhaps it should be.
Turns out sawhorses and hay bales didn’t provide enough of a safety barrier between “run-what-you-brung” amateur racers and throngs of curious spectators. Injuries and deaths were all too common – for drivers and the general public alike. By the mid-1950s public outcry over these tragedies spelled the end to racing on public roads, but not road racing itself. In place of Main Street straightaways, dedicated race tracks began popping up on the outskirts of many of these same communities.
In 2016, a group of motorsports enthusiasts in Philadelphia’s western suburbs thought there might be a way to bring back some of the excitement of those early days, albeit with less risk to life and limb. Mike Trio, former city manager for Coatesville – a classic Pennsylvania steel town that once employed more than 10,000 workers and forged beams for the World Trade Center – was inspired by the Ron Howard racing movie “Rush.” A visit to the workshop of local machinist and motorcycle racer Dick Miles kicked off a conversation that led to the first Coatesville Invitational Vintage Grand Prix.
A two-mile course was laid out on the streets of downtown Coatesville, with the longest section incorporating Lincoln Highway, the town’s main drag. To make things as safe as possible, they would run small groups of similar vehicles, motorcycles and cars in separate classes, and send them out on a staggered start, a new racer leaving the paddock every ten seconds to spread things out. Once on the course, competitors would be racing only against themselves for best time in heats consisting of several laps each.
The formula has worked for Coatesville, which has now held the Grand Prix every year since that inaugural race except in 2020 because of Covid restrictions. This year’s races saw 80 participants fill five classes (three for cars and two for motorcycles). As the full name of the event suggests, it’s an invite-only affair for vintage racing machines, with no vehicle newer than 1983 allowed to compete. This arrangement keeps the classes balanced, the variety of vehicles interesting, and the competition intense.
For many spectators, who pay nothing to attend, it’s a sight they’ve never witnessed before. The street course is accessible to everyone, with steel safety barricades being the only thing separating the public from the racing. Even the paddock area is open to wander, allowing the public to get up close to drivers and their often-historic race vehicles.
The sounds and smells of the day will spark memories for those old enough to remember the glory days of street-based road racing. From the firecracker bark of small-bore motorcycles to the big-block thunder of American muscle cars, and the ever-present aroma of high-octane racing exhaust, the Grand Prix is a celebration of internal combustion.
The event weekend, which also includes a Thursday evening cocktail reception and Friday night cruise-in, also supercharges the local economy, with proceeds from the event directly funding Coatesville public recreation facilities. More importantly, perhaps, the races also bring people from outside the area who spend their money with local businesses. As a result, Coatesville has seen a positive impact on its downtown revitalization efforts, making the town a destination for many who may have never visited otherwise.
So far, event organizers have found a formula that works for everyone. The Coatesville Invitational Grand Prix is, in fact, the only such street race taking place in America. Only Pittsburgh with its long-established annual vintage grand prix week comes close, running through the roads of a public park. And so long as the Coatesville event continues to be safe for everyone involved, we see no reason why it won’t be around for years to come.
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