The Bahamas Speed Week was an annual motor racing meeting held at Nassau in The Bahamas from 1954 to 1966.
History First held in 1954 on the Windsor Field Road Course in Nassau, the inaugural event was titled as the Nassau Trophy Road Races.Nassau Speed Weeks 1954, www.wsrp.cz Retrieved 11 September 2018Official 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.Nassau Speed Weeks 1956, www.wsrp.cz Retrieved 11 September 2018 For 1957, the meeting was moved to another airfield location, the anti-clockwise Oakes Field Course, which was closer to the main population areas on the island. For 1958 onwards, the circuit was shortened to 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.
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.
Nassau Trophy
The following table lists the winners of the Nassau Trophy, the feature race at each of the 13 Speed Week meetings.
Year Nassau Speed Weeks, www.wsrp.cz Retrieved 11 September 2018 Winning driver Car Windsor Field 1954 Masten Gregory Ferrari 375 MM 1955 Phil Hill Ferrari 857 S 1956 Stirling Moss Maserati 300SOakes Field 1957 Stirling Moss Ferrari 290 MM 1958 Lance Reventlow, Chuck Daigh Scarab Mk I Chevrolet 1959 George Constantine Aston Martin DBR2/420 1960 Dan Gurney Lotus 19 Coventry Climax 1961 Dan Gurney Lotus 19 Coventry Climax 1962 Innes Ireland Lotus 19 Coventry Climax 1963 A. J. Foyt Scarab Mk IV Chevrolet 1964 Hap Sharp, Roger Penske Chaparral 2A Chevrolet 1965 Hap Sharp Chaparral 2A Chevrolet 1966 Mark Donohue Lola T70 Mk.2 Chevrolet
Bahamas Speed Week Revival
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.
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