DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Mitch Eitel and coach and co-driver Mark Hamilton Peters put in a championship-winning performance in a partial season of competition in the inaugural HSR Classic Endurance Championship presented by Mission Foods to win the Historic Prototype/Sports Racer title in the 1975 No. 62 Chevron B31.
“It was very exciting to be part of the Endurance Championship,” Eitel said. “We were not able to do all the races this year, but we are planning to do each of them next year with the Chevron B31, and hopefully a newly restored B-16 as well. Fingers crossed.”
Eitel and “MHP” earned second-place points in the season-opening HSR Sebring Classic 12 Hour presented by Mission Foods and also scored runner-up honors in last month’s HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour presented by Mission Foods despite a challenging race that was literally and up-and-down battle.
The Chevron was battling for a strong finish only to see MHP suffer a heavy rollover incident in the overnight hours at the Daytona circuit’s Le Mans Chicane. Hamilton Peters escaped uninjured, but the No. 62 Chevron was heavily damaged.
“We did have a pretty large problem with the B31 at Daytona, so we have some work to do to get it back in top form,” Eitel said. “MHP had a rough ride, but he was brilliant all through the season, and his help this year has seriously helped me get faster. The B16 will be ready. We’ve been working on it for almost three years now, but we all hope the B31 will be out there. It is a great car.”
Hamilton Peters loves racing with Eitel and their team in HSR.
“Obviously, we had a rather sudden stop to the season, and I’d like to thank everyone who sent good wishes,” Hamilton Peters said. “We’ll be back stronger in 2026, with not just one but two Chevrons, and I am really looking forward to a banner year. There is nothing more wonderful than going racing with friends, and HSR has provided with the Classic Endurance Championship presented by Mission Foods just the place to do it.
“Mitch and I weren’t able to attend every event this season, but the events we did were marvelous. My career has seen me racing all over the world, in both modern and vintage events, and the HSR team has really stood out. From Lyn (Watts) and her team at registration, to Stevie D. (DeBrecht) and his team in race control, the people involved have made all the difference.”
Eitel is grateful as well for just having the opportunity to compete and has a long list of people and organizations that make it all possible.
“These races take a lot of preparation and focus,” Eitel said. “It seems like no big deal to make it through three or four sessions but let me tell you it takes a lot. These are old cars, and we’re not teenagers anymore, but the competition is serious. It keeps the whole team on their toes, from the car builders back at the Marasco Metalworks shop in Massachusetts, to my team Brown Brothers Racing, to S Jennings Racing, the engine builders in Wyoming, to the track team with my ace crew chief Davin Lindy, and my coach and co-driver, MHP. And of course, me.”
