The Classic Motorsports Mitty is a classic car event held annually at the Road Atlanta race track in Braselton, Georgia. Since the inaugural event in 1978 it has grown to become one of the largest classic car events on the East Coast of the United States.
In 2009, the Mitty will be held April 30-May 3. Jaguar Cars is the featured marque, and the event includes a tribute to Group 44, Inc., reuniting the cars and men who dominated club racing in the 70s and 80s.
The Mitty began in 1978 with a handful of Atlanta-area road racing enthusiasts who were looking for a safe place to exercise their cars at speed. Road Atlanta offered just the venue.
The formula was an immediate success. After observing the enthusiasm for that first event, Martha Turner, then editor of the Jaguar Marque, dubbed the proceedings the great Walter Mitty Challenge after the James Thurber short story.
Originally published in 1939, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” centers on a quiet man with vivid daydreams in which he is far more dashing than in his day-to-day life. In the 1947 film adaptation, Mitty—played by Danny Kaye—fantasizes about being a race car driver.
Through the years, The Mitty has become a spring tradition in Atlanta. In 2004 Classic Motorsports magazine became the title sponsor and event co-promoter and Kumho Tires and Moss Motors became platinum partners. Mazda became a presenting sponsor in 2005.