By Jennifer Heebner, Editor in Chief
Think back to AGTA GemFair Tucson in the rear of the 1700 aisle—remember that race car you saw and the drawing you possibly entered to win the opportunity to attend a Porsche Sprint Challenge race, courtesy of Krainz Creations? Well, we have a winner, and her name is Maggie Szekely-Lusso of Servis & Taylor in Los Angeles. She and her family have opted to attend a race at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., July 19–21. There, the Lusso family will see Krainz founder Roland Krainz and his son Austin tag-team race in a series called SRO Motorsports, an hourlong event where drivers change midway through. The Krainz men drive their own Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports vehicle.
Krainz Creations’ Chief Experience Officer James Dimick explains that the Lussos will not just be sitting in the stands all day. Instead, they’ll have full access to the “pits, trailers, drivers, and will be able to sit in the cars,” he says. “It’s a fun weekend for enthusiasts.”
The only place off limits are the pit lanes (adjacent to the garages) where work on the cars happens. But attendees will see plenty of action and cars—from Porsches to Lamborghinis and more. “It’s eight hours of racing,” adds Dimick.
The affair kicks off on Friday when a practice race is held for drivers. On Saturday, there’s one qualifying race and one race; on Sunday, the second race occurs.
Sixty AGTA members submitted their names for the drawing, and remarkably, the motorsports-loving Lusso family was selected.
“We are race fans,” says Szekely-Lusso about herself, her husband, Carlo, kids Marco and Arianna, and a niece from Mexico City, the hometown of Szekely-Lusso.
Carlo Lusso’s father and grandfather once raced cars, and his father was a specialized mechanic. Son Marco is even attending a transportation design school in Pasadena, Calif., called the ArtCenter College of Design.
“We’ve been to small races and one Formula One race in Monte Carlo in the early 1990s,” adds Szekely-Lusso. “Growing up in Mexico City, I had friends who raced in a series there.”
Szekely-Lusso was shocked at her win and seems to be on a bit of a streak—at AGS Conclave this year, she won a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card. These serendipitous prizes are particularly welcome this year because of a run of bad luck; the family has been building out a new store, a project that was delayed by nine months. Then once complete (they thought), they found mold, an unwelcome souvenir from some intense rains in their area. Szekely-Lusso’s attitude of gratitude is serving them well.
“We’re finding little joys here and there, and this win is among them.”
To watch the race live in July, log onto the series’ website here.
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