The 47th HSR The Mitty April 25-27, 2025
Mitch DeFrancis
Volume 50 Issue 09
May 10, 2025
When the Walter Mitty Challenge began it was a place to see Ferraris enjoying the Road Atlanta track. Today The Mitty continues today without Ferrari on the track, but with plenty of other interesting racing machines.
Do you know the story of Walter Mitty? He was a fictional character who was considered an “ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams and personal triumphs.”
Walter Mitty, through his vivid daydreams, sometimes saw himself as a fighter pilot, a surgeon and even a serial killer.
The imaginary Mitty never triumphs. Just as he is about to achieve his fantasy destiny, he is always pulled back into real life, usually because of an incident resulting from his own distraction.
While he never achieves any of his dreams, his story trickles down into our lives as we all wish we could fly a fighter jet or be a brain surgeon or drive a race car in competition.
This brings me to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this past weekend for the 47th Annual Mitty.
The Walter Mitty Challenge started at Road Atlanta in 1977 when a group of Atlanta-area road racing enthusiasts wanted a place to exercise their race cars.
The formula was an immediate success. After seeing the enthusiasm for that first event, Martha Turner, then editor of the Jaguar Marque, dubbed the proceeding events the great Walter Mitty Challenge after the James Thurber story.
My first Walter Mitty Challenge was in 1986, and I’ve only missed two or three Mittys since then.
When I first started going to the Mitty, I can remember seeing some absolutely extraordinary cars such as Ferrari 250s, Maserati 300S, Porsche 934s, Porsche 917-30 Brumos car, Porsche 962s, Ford GT40s, McLarens, vintage Formula One cars, Can-Am cars such as the amazing Lola T70, Knobbly Jaguars, Scarabs and so much more.
Road Atlanta is one of my favorite racetracks. You can move around freely around the infield and visit all the corners and turns.
Today’s event is not called the Walter Mitty Challenge anymore, it is only called The Mitty.
Unfortunately, there are no longer Ferraris, Maseratis, McLarens or ultra rare Porsches. These cars have become way too expensive and valuable to be running around the racetrack like Goodwood.
Instead, The Mitty is filled with Datsun, Honda, Porsche 911s & 914s, vintage NASCARs and current IMSA prototypes and such.
Still very cool but not like it used to be. There are still some vintage rarities that were raced such as a couple of lovely Chevrons, a beautiful black Lola T70 Spider and this Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo!
No Ferraris participated and only one single Ferrari was parked and displayed in the pits, an 812 GTS, VIN ZFF97CMA0N0285203, pearl white with blue stripes and blue carbon. It was gorgeous.
We had a great time and cannot wait for next year’s event.