(UPDATE: Track Guys decided to cancel the event at Sebring in May, but the Steeda crew put together an track-oriented Camp Steeda event on Father’s Day, so be sure to check out the event link below if you are interested. — Ed.)
As the air starts to warm and the sun starts to shine, the season for automotive events begins to blossom. In Florida it’s generally warm and bright, particularly in the summer and, as a result, there are no shortage of events. Not all are hosted by aftermarket parts manufacturers, however, which is just what Steeda Autosports does with its annual Camp Steeda and Steeda Stampede events.
“Enthusiast events gives the people a chance to experience their vehicles in a way that they were designed to operate in, but in a much safer environment than on the public roads,” Glen Vitale, the company’s Vice President of Operations, told us. “In addition, they allow Steeda to directly interact and get a better understanding of what our customers, and even hopefully soon to be customers want and need for their vehicles.”
The first of these two events will take place on May 13 at Orlando Speed World in Orlando, Florida. This is a new locale for the event, which had typically been hosted in South Florida near the company’s Pompano Beach headquarters.
Steeda Stampede
“As you already know Florida might have more Ford enthusiasts than anywhere else on the planet. The location in Orlando seemed like a great place to host an event like the Stampede due to it being centrally located within the state,” Glen said.
Orlando seemed like a great place to host an event like the Stampede due to it being centrally located. — Glen Vitale, Steeda
In addition to drag passes at OSW, the event will host a car show, with plaques awarded to the top-three rides on the property.
Sounds like a great time for those who love the straight-line stuff. And, for participants who want to get a head start on the fun, there will be a test and tune session on May 12.
Camp Steeda
For those more inclined to corner carving, Steeda’s other long running event, the aptly titled Camp Steeda, is not switching venues. A partnership with the Track Guys series of high-performance driving events, it will again take over the historic Sebring International Raceway from May 26-28, 2017.
“Typical open-track days are mostly a mixture of different brand cars showing up to drive their car on the track and then go home. These events have little to no instruction for beginners,” Glen explained. “One of the staples of the Camp Steeda event is — thanks to Track Guys —beginner-level drivers get an in-depth classroom session. The Camp Steeda event is open to all makes and models, but Mustangs have always made up the majority of the participants.”
Because of the large Mustang following for this event there is a lot more camaraderie between participants than what you will see at a typical track event. — Glen Vitale, Steeda
“Because of the large Mustang following for this event there is a lot more camaraderie between participants than what you will see at a typical track event. Social media is already a buzz with various Facebook groups already talking about the event,” Glen said. “Another unique thing about Camp Steeda is participants get an opportunity to not only converse with Steeda reps but other manufacturers who often attend as well like Nitto, Koni, Exedy to name a few who have attended past events. Plus it never hurts that the media are usually there shooting cars and looking for possible interesting stories.”
We were always looking for a way to include the drag racers into the mix and thanks to Sebring we were finally able to facilitate that. — Glen Vitale, Steeda
“Drag racing has always been a popular sport, and it also takes a lot less resources to do than putting your car on a road course,” he said. “We were always looking for a way to include the drag racers into the mix and thanks to Sebring we were finally able to facilitate that. Not to mention I have seen some social media posts of some road racers already planning on grudge matches with their tow vehicles.”
Of course, the following two days will be about going fast with left and right turns. Not only will that be fun, but it will offer participants a chance to learn their vehicles and enhance their skills.
“It is a safe environment for participants to either drive their cars at their limits or just plain drive them at a much faster level that they are comfortable at without breaking any laws,” Glen said. “In addition many people leave that event a much safer driver because they learn a lot about car control in a HPDE environment. Finally, they get to use all those mods that they have performed to their car in an environment that they were designed and engineered to operate at— if was a Steeda mod that is!”
And, even if you don’t bring your own car to drive around the historic track, Steeda will offer ample opportunities for both spectators and participants (over 18 years old) to ride along for hot laps in various Steeda machines.
If all that sounds like fun to you, find out more about the Steeda Stampede here and Camp Steeda right here.