About Us - Historic Motorsports Production
Historic Motorsports Productions LLC (HMP) is a business partnership dedicated to staging premium historic racing events and related lifestyle experiences under the Legends of Motorsports brand at premiere North American venues.
Legends of Motorsports events are celebrations... of amazing people, amazing cars and the appreciation of life well-lived. Whether you are a hardcore follower of historic racing or a first-time attendee to an auto race, Legends of Motorsports events are designed to create smiles, memories and an insatiable desire to return.
Our philosophy and approach is simple: Retain all that is good about contemporary historic racing events and enhance them by making them dramatically more enjoyable for fans and participants alike. For the public this translates to events that are imaginative and well-presented. For participants, an elevation of this beloved sport through a markedly higher level of customer service. These difference-makers include minimizing inconveniences, increasing on-track time and maintaining an environment that is equally comfortable and stylish.
Based in Zionsville, Indiana, HMP's principal owners are avid historic racers and businessmen Zak Brown, Bobby Rahal and Peter Stoneberg.
Bobby Rahal
Few individuals have had the opportunity to impact their sport as an athlete, owner and executive. In the case of Bobby Rahal he has made a significant impact in each area.
As a driver Rahal won three CART championships (1986, 1987, 1992) and the 1986 Indianapolis 500. A study in consistency, Rahal missed a top-ten championship finish only once in his 18 year open-wheel racing career. Twice named Driver of the Year (1986 & 1992) Rahal remains the only owner-driver to win a CART championship (1992). A versatile driver who also had starts in Formula 1, NASCAR, Can-Am and IROC, Rahal won the Daytona 24 in 1981 and was a winner in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1987.
As a team owner Rahal has overseen the growth of Rahal Letterman Racing from a one-car program to a multi-car, multi-discipline organization. Rahal has been responsible for finding and developing some of the top-young talent in open-wheel racing. Among his current and past protégés are 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, Danica Patrick, Vitor Meira, and Bryan Herta. It also was Bobby Rahal who was responsible for bringing Honda into North American open-wheel racing in the early 90s, an involvement as a manufacturer that has produced eight championships and over 100 victories including three Indy 500 triumphs.
Rahal, who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004, remains active as the driving force behind Rahal Letterman Racing and the Rahal Automotive Group.
Zak Brown
Mr. Brown is a former professional race car driver. He founded Just Marketing International in 1995. He is widely regarded as an entrepreneur and as a leader, innovator, deal maker and increasing influencer of all things commercial in the global motorsports industry. Brown and his team have guided clients in all major motorsports series globally, including NASCAR, Formula One World Championship, Indy Racing League, NHRA, Grand Am Road Racing Association, and the American Le Mans Series. A four-time honoree as an Inc. 500 "Fastest Growing Private Company," JMI is now supported by a growing staff of more than 125 employees.
Brown is credited with contributing a key role in the historic movement that successfully lifted NASCAR's 50+ year ban on spirits sponsorship in racing. In July of 2006, Brown was ranked the 33rd most powerful person in Formula One racing on the BusinessF1's annual "Power List" of the top 150 most powerful people. Previously, he was ranked 84th in 2005. Mr. Brown has personally been recognized as a PROMO magazine "Marketer of the Year," and also received Street & Smiths' Sports Business Journal 'Forty Under 40' award, in 2006 and 2007 for his unprecedented success as a young marketer. Brown has spoken at numerous conferences including the BusinessF1 Sponsorship Conference in Monaco, the Formula One Global Business Conference in Shanghai, IEG Sponsorship conference in Chicago and the SportsBusiness Journal's Motorsports Marketing Forum in New York City. Considered a motorsports expert, FOX, ESPN and USA Today have also sought Brown for his motorsports opinion.
Peter Stoneberg
Peter Stoneberg has extensive experience as a technology industry executive, private equity investor, and an investment banker specializing in mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and private placements for technology companies. Peter is also founder and Managing Partner of Velocity Ventures Sports, an organization which organizes, promotes and raises sponsorship for world class motorsports and sailing events. He is also founder of Velocity Ventures, LLC, a private merchant bank and equity investor in technology companies.
Prior to launching Velocity Ventures, he was Senior Managing Director at Bank of America Securities (formerly Montgomery Securities). In this capacity, he was responsible for the Technology Merger and Acquisition Practice and the Communications Investment Banking Practice from 1994 to 1999.
Before joining Montgomery Securities, Peter served as a Managing Director and partner at Broadview Associates, an investment bank that specializes in technology mergers and acquisitions. Prior to his career as an investment banker, he was CEO of Data/Voice Solutions and held sales, sales management and product management positions with ROLM Corporation and IBM. In his spare time he is an avid competitor in motorsports and races sailboats of all types and sizes.
