Bahamas Speed Week

The Bahamas Speed Week was an annual motor racing meeting held at Nassau in The Bahamas from 1954 to 1966.{{cite news |last1=Golden |first1=Conner |title=Bahamas Speed Week: A Look Back in Photos |url=https://www.motortrend.com/features/bahamas-speed-week-classic-racing-photos-gallery/ |work=MotorTrend |date=15 May 2020}}

History

First held in 1954 on the Windsor Field Road Course in Nassau, the inaugural event was titled as the Nassau Trophy Road Races.[http://www.wsrp.cz/nassau1954.html Nassau Speed Weeks 1954, www.wsrp.cz] Retrieved 11 September 2018 [http://www.racingsportscars.com/covers/_Nassau-1954-12-12.jpg Official Programme, Nassau Trophy Road Races, Windsor Field Road Course, December 6 through 12 1954, www.racingsportscars.com] Retrieved 11 September 2018 Masten Gregory won the main race, the Nassau Trophy, in a Ferrari 375 MM. The 1956 meeting was promoted as the Third Annual International Bahamas Speed Week.[http://www.wsrp.cz/nassau1956.html Nassau Speed Weeks 1956, www.wsrp.cz] Retrieved 11 September 2018 For 1957, the meeting was moved to another airfield location, the {{convert|5|mi|adj=on}} anti-clockwise Oakes Field Course, which was closer to the main population areas on the island. For 1958 onwards, the circuit was shortened to {{convert|4.5|mi|adj=on}} and the circuit was run in clockwise direction.Terry O'Neill, The Bahamas Speed Weeks, Veloce Publishing Ltd, page 14.

Due to needed track repairs and the lack of additional funding by the Bahamian government, as well as competition from more races running in December, the event was discontinued after the 1966 edition.{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Steven Cole|title=Bahamas Speed Week Revival|journal=Autoweek|date=December 24, 2012|volume=62|issue=26|pages=20–21|issn=0192-9674}}

The success of the Bahamas Speed Week led to the creation of other events in the Caribbean, like the Cuban Grand Prix and the Puerto Rico Grand Prix.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Nassau Trophy

File:Rétromobile 2011 - Ferrari 857 S - 1955 - 001.jpg, similar to the example driven to victory by Phil Hill in the 1955 Nassau Trophy]]

File:Chaparral 2A front-left 2005 Monterey Historic.jpg and Roger Penske won the 1964 Nassau Trophy driving the Chaparral 2A. Sharp also won the 1965 race in the same car.]]

The following table lists the winners of the Nassau Trophy, the feature race at each of the 13 Speed Week meetings.

class="wikitable" generated with :de:Wikipedia:Helferlein/VBA-Macro for EXCEL tableconversion V1.7<\hiddentext>
style="font-size:11pt;font-weight:bold"

| align="center" | Year [http://www.wsrp.cz/nassau.html Nassau Speed Weeks, www.wsrp.cz] Retrieved 11 September 2018

| Winning driver

| Car

colspan=3|Windsor Field
align="center" | 1954

| Masten Gregory

| Ferrari 375 MM

align="center" | 1955

| Phil Hill

| Ferrari 857 S

align="center" | 1956

| Stirling Moss

| Maserati 300S

colspan=3|Oakes Field
align="center" | 1957

| Stirling Moss

| Ferrari 290 MM

align="center" | 1958

| Lance Reventlow,
Chuck Daigh

| Scarab Mk I Chevrolet

align="center" | 1959

| George Constantine

| Aston Martin DBR2/420

align="center" | 1960

| Dan Gurney

| Lotus 19 Coventry Climax

align="center" | 1961

| Dan Gurney

| Lotus 19 Coventry Climax

align="center" | 1962

| Innes Ireland

| Lotus 19 Coventry Climax

align="center" | 1963

| A. J. Foyt

| Scarab Mk IV Chevrolet

align="center" | 1964

| Hap Sharp,
Roger Penske

| Chaparral 2A Chevrolet

align="center" | 1965

| Hap Sharp

| Chaparral 2A Chevrolet

align="center" | 1966

| Mark Donohue

| Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet

File:Windsor Field Bahamas Speedweek.png|Windsor Field (1954-1956)

File:Oakes Field 1957 Bahamas Speedweek.png|Oakes Field (1957)

File:Oakes Field 1958-1966 Bahamas Speed Week.png|Oakes Field (1958-1966)

{{-}}

Bahamas Speed Week Revival

File:2011 Bahamas Speed Week lineup.jpg in his Morelli-bodied O.S.C.A. FS 372.]]

Since 2011 the Bahamas Speed Week Revival has taken place along the beach at Nassau and down from the harbor. Cars range from vintage racers to new vehicles that now race in a time trials format.

The First Speed Week Revival covered five days and included a Revival Island Tour, Street Course Demonstration, Drag Racing, Concours d’Elegance, Road Show, Fashion Show and Charity Ball.{{cite news |last1=Silk |first1=Will |title=Bahamas Speed Week Revival 2011 Information |url=https://sportscardigest.com/bahamas-speed-week-revival-2011-information/ |work=Sports Car Digest |date=30 November 2010}}

References

{{Reflist}}