Vic Skirmants

Vic Skirmants was conceived in Latvia and born in Germany in 1945 in the midst of WWII. After the end of the war, hespent time in a few refugee camps before relocating to Chicago in 1950. As a teenager, he developed a love for sports cars after reading car magazines.

After graduating from High School, Vic and his mother moved to Michigan in 1962 when he enrolled in college. In what would turn into a life changing moment, Vic sold his1957 MG-Asports car and bought a 1958 Porsche 356 from one of his instructors. From that moment on, he was hooked on the 356. A fellow classmate told him about the sports car races at Waterford Hills, and after first volunteering to be a turn marshal for a couple years, Vic eventually earned his racing license in 1965 running his first race with his Porsche at Waterford Hills. At that time, he was driving his car to the track, racing it, and then driving home.

In 1977, self employed in his Porsche repair business, Vic stepped up his racing game by starting to compete in SCCA National Races. For amateur sports car racing, the annual invitational SCCA Runoffs is the ultimate goal. Qualifying is based on earning points throughout the season as SCCA National races with the top 3 in each region/class earning the chance to converge in one place to race against the ‘best of the best” for a national championship.

 

Just making the Runoffs once is an accomplishment, yetVic qualified for the Runoffs in 18 of 19 consecutive years, running a pair of Porsche 356 in both E Production and G production classes. He earned8 podiums, 13 top 5 finishes, and the coveted G Production National Championship in 1994. In those 18 Runoff appearances, he only had two DNF to his credit.

During this same timeframe Vic competed in the North American Porsche Cup from 1985-1989. It was a Porsche season championship pitting drivers in all types of Porsche race cars against each other by earning season points for races and finishes. Included were professional drivers in IMSA driving the latest Porsche 962 in races like the 24 Hours at Daytona and the 12 Hours at Sebring. Vic finished in the top 15 every year with a best result of 2nd to John Andretti in 1989. He was the only driver to finish in the Top 15 every year.

 

After leaving the SCCA in 1997, Vic then turned his attention towards Vintage Racing competing regularly at places like Watkins Glen, Road America, Sebring and most of the major road courses,as well as his home track at Waterford Hills. His last race was in 2023 at the Waterford Hills Vintage event when he crashed his 356, decided he really wasn’t motivated to fix it, and finally hung up his helmet.

In 2010 Vic was inducted in the prestigious US based Road Racing Drivers Club (RRDC). Members are voted in by their peers and the list includes many famous Formula One, Indianapolis 500, and accomplished road racing drivers.

 

In his illustrious 58 year driving career, Vic started a total of 867 races, with aSCCA GProd.National Championship, a Canadian EProd. championship, 4 SCCA Divisional Championships, and a total of 346 1st place finishes, either overall or class wins. Noteworthy that his very first race was in 1965 at Waterford Hills, and then his last race was also at Waterford Hills in 2023, with a remarkable 58 years in between the bookends.

Vic and his wife Barbara, who is a fellow racer and gearhead, have 2 adult children, Erik, and Mara. Vic and Barbara still work daily at his shop in North Branch, Michigan with his 356 Enterprises business, primarily rebuilding engines and transaxles. He is much revered as the premier Porsche 356 expert in the entire US and to date has rebuilt over 1000 transaxles and nearly as many engines for both street and race cars.