If you were one of the record number of sports car fans who attended this year’s Classic Motorsports Mitty at Road Atlanta, you’re probably just snapping out of your golden-era trance and readjusting to life in the 21st century. The annual Mitty offers the cars, competition and camaraderie of a simpler time, and roughly two dozen clubs helped set the scene in the car corral area at the April 29-May 1 event. These clubs represented a range of historic manufacturers, including BMW, Porsche, Lotus and Ferrari as well as Fiat, MG, Triumph, Jaguar, Datsun and Morgan. Of course, Mazda took center stage as The Mitty’s featured marque.

The Mazda clubs alone brought hundreds of cars to the corral area, and members came from as far away as California, Oregon, Washington and even Canada. The travel was worth it, as fans of the marque were treated to great vintage racing, a huge Sunday parade lap, and a historic Mazda display. The exhibit showed off three Miata concept cars, a pair of winning RX3s, a Group C race car, and a factory GLC race car. Also in the mix were a 1967 Cosmo and a 1979 RX7 racer wearing the livery of Mazda’s 1979 Daytona 24-winning car. Event Grand Marshal and Mazda racing legend Jim Downing was on site all weekend to answer questions, sign autographs and take photos with fans in the Classic Motorsports infield tent.

During the day, attendees were treated to some adrenaline-rich vintage racing. Everything from ’60s sports cars and classic motorcycles to full-blown LMP cars from the more modern era of racing lit up the track. Two special groups hit the pavement as well: the Historic Indy Car group and the IMSA RS/2.5 Challenge Reunion group.

After long days of racing, Mazda owners were treated to the Friday night Mazda Key Party sponsored by Mazda and SafeRacer as well as the Saturday night Hella Night-Into-Day party. Both bashes were packed with guests and lasted well into the evening.

Mittygoers could shop the stocked vendor row or participate in the Flyin’ Miata East Coast Summer Camp, the DIY Autotune MegaMeet, and a free autocross presented by Kuhmo Tire. The Moss Motors Pub, a Mitty staple, again offered drinks and darts.

We would like to thank our sponsors for supporting this ever-growing event: Mazda, Kuhmo Tire, Hella, Moss Motors, G-Force, Flyin’ Miata, DIY Autotune, TireRack.com, SafeRacer and Factory Five Racing.

We also want to thank the many clubs that assisted with our great car corral turnout. They include the Peachtree Chapter BMW CCA, the Georgia Audi Club, the North Georgia Jaguar Club, the Southern Owner’s Group, the Atlanta Austin-Healey Club, the Volvo Club of America Atlanta Chapter, the Atlanta Lotus Club and Aston Martin Club of Atlanta (organized by Atlanta Lotus/Aston Martin), the Peachtree MG Registry, the Mercedes-Benz Club of America Peachtree Section, PCA Alabama, Southern Porsche Club of America, the Georgia Triumph Association, and the many Mazda clubs that showed up in force, amazingly organized by Marlon Sumlin and his street team. Thank you all.

If you missed out on the 2011 Classic Motorsports Mitty, all is not lost. The 2012 event will celebrate all things British, and any marques from across the pond will get the spotlight. Here’s a teaser: Expect an MG vs. Triumph attendance competition.

We're already making plans for the 2012 Mitty. Click here to see the latest information on the Classic Motorsports Mitty for 2012!