Month: February 2013

Classic Car Auction Prelude To Inaugural Pinehurst Concours

February 27, 2013

Category:
Visiting the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area
Release Date:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
Contact Person:
Dave Droschak, Droschak Communications – 919-630-6656

VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. (Feb.  27, 2013) – A live auction hosted by RKM Collector Car Auctions is expected to draw over 150 vintage, muscle, and high-performance cars to the Pinehurst Fair Barn on May 4 as part of the inaugural Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance weekend.

“We were drawn to the idea of a Concours event coming to our region,” said Jamie Wiehe, RK Motors director of auctions. “And after visiting Pinehurst for the first time, it became clear the resort would be a perfect venue for a collector car auction. We’re looking forward to making this a memorable weekend.”

Those interested in selling their collector car or registering to bid can submit their information through the RKM Collector Car Auctions website (www.RKMCollectorCarAuctions.com). For fans who simply want to enjoy the atmosphere of a live sale, general admission tickets are available for $25, with discounts for seniors, students, military, and children.

“The classic car auction hosted by RKM Collector Car Auctions on May 4 is a great addition to this unprecedented weekend in North Carolina automobile history, and a fitting prelude to the Pinehurst Concours on Sunday,” said Jay Howard, executive director of the inaugural event.

The auction will be held at the historic Pinehurst Resort Fair Barn, a National Historic Landmark recognized as the oldest surviving early-20th century fair exhibition hall in North Carolina, offering a unique atmosphere for bidders and fans.

RKM Collector Car Auctions is a sister company of RK Motors, the nation’s leading retailer and restorer of investment-grade collector cars. The 2013 Pinehurst auction is open to dealers and private collectors from around the world, according to Wiehe.

The auction will precede the May 5 inaugural Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance. General admission tickets and VIP packages are on sale now for this one-of-a-kind showcase competition of vintage and rare automobiles to be displayed on the famed Pinehurst Resort fairways. Log on to www.pinehurstconcours.com for details and ticketing information.

Bob Ingram, one of the state’s most influential businessmen and owner of arguably the best collection of vintage Porsche autos in the world, is serving as the honorary chairman of the Pinehurst Concours.

For hotel reservations, please call Pinehurst Resort at (888) 894-4572 and ask for the Concours rate.

The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic development organization and non-profit authority of Moore County, North Carolina. The CVB mission is to promote the area as a destination for visitors, meetings, conventions and tours. The CVB is funded primarily by a three percent hotel / motel room occupancy tax paid by visitors to Moore County.

2014 Open Double-Header

February 20, 2013

Pinehurst No. 2 has been the venue for two U.S. Opens, two U.S. Amateurs, one Ryder Cup Match, one PGA Championship and one U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2014 it adds the U.S. Women’s Open to that prestigious list of major golf championships when the USGA conducts its women’s championship the week following the men’s competition.

“Somewhere Ernie Banks must be smiling—‘Let’s play two,’” then-USGA Executive Director David Fay said in June 2009 when he made the announcement.

The U.S. Open will be held June 12th through 15th, with the U.S. Women’s Open following June 19th through 22nd. Tickets will go on sale to USGA members in the spring of 2013, and to the general public in June 2013.

Jim Hyler of Raleigh was vice president of the USGA when the announcement was made in 2009, and then spent two years in 2010–2011 as the association’s president.

“I think the 2014 U.S. Open Championships will be wonderful,” Hyler says. “The second week, the crowds won’t be as big, the bleachers won’t be as full, but I still think having the women at Pinehurst right behind the men will mean a great deal for women’s golf.”

The footprint for 2014 will remain much the same as the two previous U.S. Opens at Pinehurst in 1999 and 2005 in terms of placing parking, bleachers, merchandise and corporate hospitality.

The Sandhills area is fortunate in that it has a deep reservoir of experienced volunteers to handle two weeks’ worth of assignments. The USGA had built a volunteer roster of some 5,500 individuals by the fall of 2012 and was well on its way to compiling its goal of at least 6,500 volunteers for the two weeks.

“This will be such an historically relevant championship,” says Reg Jones, championship director for the U.S. Open. “That’s the driving force behind it. It’s something that’s never been done before—the opportunity to crown the two best golfers in the world on back-to-back Sundays, on the same golf course, pretty much under the same conditions. The level of discussion and debate and attention these two events will receive will be good for the game.”

By Lee Pace

Bob Ingram Named Chairman Of Inaugural Pinehurst Concours D’Elegance

February 15, 2013

Category:
Visiting the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area
Release Date:
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013
Contact Person:
Dave Droschak (919) 630-6656

VILLAGE OF PINEHURST, N.C. – Bob Ingram, one of North Carolina’s most influential business leaders and himself a collector of vintage automobiles, has been named honorary chairman of the inaugural Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance, to be staged in early May.

In addition, tickets will also go on sale Friday, Feb. 22 and can be purchased online at www.pinehurstconcours.com. The first-ever Concours show competition at Pinehurst Resort  will feature a staging of 118 prestigious cars, some valued at more than $2 million, in celebration of the 118-year-old resort.

Ingram, a Durham resident, former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline and now chairman of Elan Corp., a major drug firm based in Ireland, will serve as spokesman and adviser for the vintage automobile show at Pinehurst on May 3-5, 2013.

“As a car enthusiast myself and entrant of past Concours competitions, I was thrilled and flattered when approached to be honorary chairman of the inaugural Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance,” said Ingram, who was named 2011 Business Leader of the Year in the Triangle. “There couldn’t be a more appropriate setting for this historic event than Pinehurst Resort, a true industry leader and trend setter in Southern hospitality. Fans can expect a real treat.”

The official judging takes place on Sunday, May 5, with the 118 cars (to coincide with the 1895 founding of Pinehurst Resort) displayed on the first holes of Courses 3 and 5, with the historic portion of the resort clubhouse as a backdrop.

“The inaugural Pinehurst Concours d’Elegance is going to bring different guests to the area, folks who aren’t necessarily golfers but who appreciate the scenery, the beauty and our history,” added Pinehurst Resort Executive Vice President Tom Pashley. “And when you combine that with vintage cars and the enthusiasts who follow these rare automobiles, it’s a unique combination, a nice marriage.”

Individual tickets for the Sunday competition can be purchased at www.pinehurstconcours.com starting next Friday, Feb. 22 at an introductory price of $40 through April 30. Tickets are $50 from May 1 until the start of the event, and can be purchased onsite May 5 at Pinehurst Resort. Teenagers will receive $10 off individual tickets and kids 12 under are free with a paying adult.

Events on May 3-4 leading up to the main judging competition include an Iron Mike Rally on May 3 in which show cars will make the 75-mile roundtrip from Pinehurst to Fort Bragg for a military appreciation day on base, and RKM Collector Car Auctions will offer bidders the opportunity to drive away in their dream car during a live sale at the Pinehurst Resort Fair Barn on Saturday, May 4.

For hotel reservations, please call Pinehurst Resort at (888) 894-4572 and ask for the Concours rate.

The Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is an economic development organization and non-profit authority of Moore County, North Carolina. The CVB mission is to promote the area as a destination for visitors, meetings, conventions and tours. The CVB is funded primarily by a three percent hotel / motel room occupancy tax paid by visitors to Moore County.