Jones, Dismore Join Prestigious VROC Field for SVRA Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational

Two stars of sports car racing and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – Davy Jones and Mark Dismore – have filed entries for Sportscar Vintage Racing Association’s (SVRA) Vintage Race of Champions (VROC) Charity Pro-Am presented by Chopard Watch on Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Previous entries for the race during the SVRA Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational include Johnny Rutherford, Willy T. Ribbs, Mike Skinner and Geoff Brabham.

Dismore and Jones were both selected to compete in the elite International Race of Champions (IROC) series twice. They join a growing list of former IROC drivers entering the VROC series. Others already entered are Rutherford and Brabham. More are expected in the coming weeks. Jones and Brabham are both former overall winners in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Chicago-born Jones first gained notice when he placed third in the 1983 British Formula 3 championship behind Ayrton Senna. Bernie Ecclestone tested him for a Brabham Formula One seat the same year. Jones later competed in the New Zealand Formula Atlantic series, winning that country’s grand prix in 1984 and ’87. In 1986, he scored BMW McLaren’s only IMSA GTP victory at Watkins Glen. A top-tier sports car driver, he brought home the overall win in both the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 1990 24 Hours of Daytona. In an Indy car career spanning nine seasons, including six Indianapolis 500s, his best finish came at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in 1996 when he placed second behind Buddy Lazier.

Indiana native Dismore came back from a devastating accident at IMS in 1991 to nearly win the Indianapolis 500 10 years later before gearbox failure dashed his chances. He captured the attention of the American open-wheel community in 1990 when he dominated the Toyota Atlantic (Pacific Division) championship, winning eight of 10 races on the schedule. Just two years after his devastating injuries at Indianapolis, he won overall at the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona driving Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers Toyota prototype with Rocky Moran and P.J. Jones. He returned to Indy car racing in 1996 with Team Menard and became a star driver for Kelley Racing, for which he won in 1999 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The VROC Charity Pro-Am presented by Chopard Watch is a Saturday, Aug. 3 feature event at the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational. The cars are 1963 to 1972 vintage Corvettes, Camaros, and Mustangs of SVRA “Group 6” A and B Production. The professionals will be paired with amateur drivers. Amateurs will start the race and be required to drive a maximum of seven laps.

The Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational VROC Charity Pro-Am will benefit the Morgan Adams Foundation. The foundation supports laboratory and clinical research for pediatric cancer, with an emphasis on tumors on the brain, spine and central nervous system.

In addition to the Pro-Am, there will be a festival of other activities at the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, including professional Trans Am by Pirelli series races Saturday and Sunday. The weekend also presents the Hagerty Insurance “cars & caffeine” car corral, and 300-plus vintage racers ranging over 100 years of automotive history racing in SVRA Groups 1 through 12.

Fans can order Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational tickets for either or both days of the event online through the Speedway or by calling 800-822-INDY or 317-492-6700 between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday. Fans can also visit the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at 4790 West 16th Street between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Children 15 and under are admitted free each day when accompanied by an adult.