In the inimitable words of NASA Mid-Atlantic Regional Director and founder of HyperFest, Chris Cobetto, whatever the number of sponsorships he can sell for HyperFest, that’s how big a party he’s going to throw.
This year’s Haltech HyperFest looks like it’s going to be a big party, indeed. Ticket sales so far are better than what they were at the same time last year, so it’s sure to be a hoot.
HyperFest has most of the sponsors that have been there in the past coming back for more of “The Automotive Amusement Park.” A new sponsorship from BFGoodrich has allowed Cobetto to expand upon some of the off-road attractions at the event.
“The off-road side of HyperFest, while it’s not necessarily the main thing that NASA does, it does give us the opportunity to bring in people and expose them to what we do that are typically going to be gear heads from the mud and the dirt side of things,” Cobetto said.
Cobetto also is bringing in some Ultra 4 off-road racers to do demonstration runs on the grounds of Virginia International Raceway. The BFGoodrich sponsorship is funding ride-alongs in side-by-sides by Racing for Heros, an organization that helps veterans with PTSD issues, a cause that is near and dear to Cobetto.
Of course, drifting continues to be a big part of the attractions at HyperFest, on the skid pad and the Patriot course. Among drivers in the region and those nearby, winning a NASA road race in front of the crowds at HyperFest adds to the thrill of competition.
For people looking to get a taste of what it’s like to drive on track, there are Hyperdrives and Trackcross sessions available on Sunday.
Crowd favorites include the burnout contest and the Koni Power Wheels Attack, which seem to attract the biggest crowds. Then there are the DJs and music, air guitar contests, laser light shows and karting. This year, Cobetto is bringing back the Hippity Hop contest after he found some new old stock in his collection. On track, the Toyo Tires HyperFest GT race seems to grow more popular each year.
“People just like the idea of the series, the fact that it’s based upon the NASA ST4 rules makes it nice because there are cars that are already built to be very close and then it’s not a series where we have championship points,” Cobetto said. “I fully believe that we’ll probably see at least a 50-car field for this event coming up. I would say we’re going to have probably at least 20 out of that 50 that could win based upon car preparation, and maybe even higher.”
Cobetto compared staging a huge event like HyperFest to a cook creating a good soup. Each of the attractions at HyperFest should be distinguishable on its own, while not overpowering the others, so that they all work in harmony to create an event with a unique flavor all its own.
“If any one thing stands out, it overshadows everything. And so the magic to putting something like that together is making sure that all those flavors work in to one taste,” he said. “That’s how Hyperfest is, you know, it’s authentic, it’s genuine.”
Get your tickets to HyperFest here.
