Photography courtesy of 2017 Grand Prix of Portland Winner Takuma Sato
POSTED JANUARY 24, 2019
(Portland, OR) –
2019 at Portland Parks & Recreation’s Portland International Raceway (PIR) offers another amazing year of events after the landmark 2018 season - one which saw professional motorsports return to PIR for the first time since 2009, and the widest variety of events in the track’s 58-year history.
The PIR season kicks in to gear in February with Police Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) training. In March, drag racing gets underway, followed by the first road racing of the season with the Oregon Region Sports Car Club of America.
APRIL
The always-popular PIR Swap Meet takes place on the first weekend of April, followed immediately by a new event: the Porsche Pirelli Trophy West Series. The Raceway will also feature the first race of the year for the Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association (OMRRA) and the opener of the 53rd season of Thursday Night Motocross. Also in April: Meals on Wheels will hold a major fundraising walk, and the Monday Night Road Racing Bicycle Series begins.
MAY
Auto racing action heats up between May 3-5 with the Cascade Sports Car Club. and then mid-month with an SCCA National Super Tour Road Race. The first stages for the Oregon Trail Rally are the evening of May 31, and include rally drivers like Travis Pastrana and David Higgins from the powerful Subaru team. Other May events at PIR include the Great Inflatable 5K, Girls on the Run 5K, the unique Electrathon event Memorial Day weekend, and the Vanport History Celebration event on Memorial Day itself.
JUNE
Tuesday Night Bicycle Races join the weekly schedule in June, and PIR hosts the return of the Beaches Cruisin’ events, which are held each Wednesday evening June through September featuring cool rides, great music and food. The very popular Rugged Maniac obstacle course event is June 29; and the month wraps up with the Taste of Motorsports - a unique combination of track events, an exotic car show, and gourmet food.
JULY
July is one of the busiest months at Portland Int'l Raceway. We welcome the ET Drag Racing Special July 4th event, followed a week later by the 59th Annual Rose Cup Races. The latter features Pirelli GT4 America and TC America professional racing and four race groups showcasing the best amateur racers in the Northwest. Thursday Night Motocross celebrates its 53rd Anniversary Night, and the month ends with the Portland Vintage Racing Festival and Trans Am Speedfest.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
The second annual Germanpalooza (a festival celebrating all things German) begins August 3 with a car show, track day, German food and more. The Big Northwest Subaru Meet follows immediately after, on August 4. Cascade Sports Car Club hosts its Dash for Kids fundraiser August 17 and 18. In late August and into Labor Day weekend, the NTT IndyCar Series and Road to Indy support races come to PIR. The season's showcase event - IndyCar's Grand Prix of Portland - holds race day September 1, 2019.
Terrific family events continue in September as the Columbia River Classic SOVREN races with vintage cars joins with the All British Field Meet in this outstanding two-for-one weekend. The Juvenile Diabetes Walk, Handcycling and Fall Cyclocross join the September lineup as well.
OCTOBER
In October, we celebrate the return of Portland Karting to PIR. Cascade Sports Car Club hosts its Enduro, and the Lucky Dog Racing League traditional Halloween race weekend.
NOVEMBER
This month features the final motorsports event of 2019, the Audi Club Northwest Quattrofest, followed by the Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights - operated by the Sunshine Division of the Portland Police Bureau and beginning November 29.
For full schedule information and details for PIR events, please visit portlandraceway.com. The site also has ticket information for those events which require them.
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY 2019 SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
- March 8, Opener: Friday Late Night Drags
- March 9, Opener: Saturday Late Night Drags
- March 20, Points Opener ET Drags
- April 4-6, PIR Swap Meet
- April 11-14, Pirelli Trophy West USA – Porsche Series
- April 18, Opener: Thursday Night Motocross
- May 18, SCCA Super Tour
- May 25-26, Electrathon
- May 31, Oregon Trail Rally
- June 5, Opener: Beaches Cruisin’
- June 8, SCCA National Time Trials
- June 29, Rugged Maniac
- June 30, Taste of Motorsports
- July 4, Portland Patriots Drag Race Team Celebration Race
- July 12-14, 59th Annual Rose Cup Races featuring GT4 America with TC America
- July 25, 53rd Anniversary Thursday Night Motocross
- July 26-28, Portland Vintage Racing Festival & Trans AM Speedfest
- August 3, Germanpalooza
- August 4, Big NW Subaru Meet
- August 17-18, Cascade Sports Car Club Dash for Kids
- August 30-September 1, Grand Prix of Portland – NTT IndyCar Series
- September 7-8, Columbia River Classic and All British Field Meet
- October 20, Cross Crusade Cyclocross Regional
- November 29, Opening Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights
Weekly
- ET Drags: Most Wednesdays March through September
- Late Night Drags: Select Friday & Saturday nights March through October
- Thursday Night Motocross: April through September
- Monday Night Bicycles: April, May, June
- Tuesday Night Bicycles: May, June, July, August
- Short Track Mountain Bikes: Monday evenings June and July
- Beaches Cruisin’: Wednesdays June through September
- Handcycles: Tuesdays July through September
- Fall Cyclocross: Tuesday evenings September and early October
Monthly
- Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association: April through September
- Track Days, Autocrosses, Road Racing
- Audi Club, BMW Club, Bridge City Autosports, Cascade Sports Car Club, Hooked on Driving, Lotus Club, Lucky Dog Racing League, MotoCorsa, Motorsport Lab, Oregon Region SCCA, Porsche Club, Pro Drive, Rose City Corvettes, Skip Day Track Days, Xtreme Xperience
- Walks, Runs, and Special Events
- Black Light Run, Bubble Run, Electrathon, Foam Glow 5K, Girls on the Run, Great Inflatable, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Meals on Wheels, Push Foundation 5K, Rugged Maniac, Vanport Anniversary Day
PIR’s full schedule available at portlandraceway.com.
About Portland International Raceway
PIR is owned by the City of Portland and is managed within the Parks & Recreation Department. Beginning in 1961 “Portland’s Fastest City Park” has hosted to a variety of events including road racing, motocross, car cruise-ins, drag racing, swap meets, bicycle racing and numerous foot relays and runs. PIR is an enterprise fund, meaning it is unique in that it receives zero City tax dollars while providing entertainment to approximately 350,000 combined visitors, participants and spectators of all ages each year.
About Friends of PIR
Friends of PIR is a 501(c3) nonprofit committed to the preservation and enhancement of Portland International Raceway (PIR) as a resource for those who use it, both participants and spectators alike; sustaining and expanding PIR's civic contribution as an institution in north Portland; providing guidance and support for the ongoing management of PIR in a manner that assures its ongoing value as a venue for motorsports and other diverse forms of recreation and entertainment.
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