2025 Audrain Newport Concourse & Motor Week announces speakers for seminar series
The 2025 Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week Speaker Series promises an exciting lineup of seminars on October 3rd and the 4th.
NEWPORT, R.I., – The 2025 Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week Speaker Series presented by Private Client Select Insurance Services promises an exciting lineup of seminars on October 3rd and the 4th in the historic Casino Theater on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The seminar series will showcase a "who's who" of celebrity guest speakers who will share their thoughts, insights, and passion for automobiles.
One of the seminars on everyone’s to-do-list this year will be, “Ford-Total Performance Returns,” on Saturday, October 4th from 4 to 5 pm. “Ford-Total Performance Returns,” will be hosted by well-known TV personality, comedian, and exotic/classic car enthusiast Jay Leno. Joining Jay on stage will be Jim Farley, CEO of Ford and also an accomplished vintage racer, Mark Rushbrook, Global Director Ford Performance and Bob Tasca, scion of the legendary Tasca racing dynasty and current Nitro Funny Car winning driver. The “Ford-Total Performance Returns” seminar will look back on the global “Total Performance” campaign of the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s and ahead to the exciting new top-tier presence of the company in motorsports across the world, in NHRA, NASCAR, WEC and Formula 1®.
The Motor Week seminars sponsored by Private Client Select Insurance Services, will include Jim Farley, Tony Kanaan, Ray Evernham, Magnus Walker, Donald Osborne, Bob Tasca III, Michael Simcoe, Mark Rushbrook, Anthonie de Haas, John Draneas, and Steve Servio.
The AIG Motor Week Seminar schedule is:
- Oct. 3, 2:30 to 3:30 pm – “Form & Function – Designing for Purpose, on the Road & Wrist” seminar with Anthonie de Haas, Director of Product Development, A. Lange & Söhne and Michael Simcoe, General Motors Senior VP, Global Design, retired, share with Donald Osborne the challenges and opportunities in creating memorable products for demanding and discerning audiences, whether that be a new automobile or an important new watch.
- Oct. 3, 4:30 to 5:30 pm – “Cars and the Law” seminar with John Draneas, one of the nation’s most experienced and respected attorneys and a long-time auto enthusiast, whose regular column “Legal Files” in Sports Car Market magazine has entertained, educated and oft times horrified us for many years. He will sit down with Jay Leno to share some of his most memorable examples of times when things don’t go quite the way they should.
- Oct. 4, 12:30 to 1:30 pm – “Form & Function – To Mod or not to Mod” seminar with Magnus Walker, self-proclaimed “Man with Beard”, creator of the Urban Outlaw fashion brand and Porsche fanatic is paired with Steve Serio, rare vehicles consultant, writer and enthusiast and Jay Leno is our referee in what promises to be a stimulating exchange of ideas.
- Oct. 4, 2:30 to 3:30 pm – “Behind the Driver – Running a Winning Race Team” -- Tony Kanaan Team Principal of the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team and championship-winning driver and Ray Evernham, a NASCAR and Motorsports Hall of Fame, team owner and consultant, three-time Winston Cup Series champion crew chief with Jeff Gordon will share their knowledge of how it takes the efforts of hundreds, carefully directed and focused, to get the person at the wheel into the winner’s circle. Donald Osborne will lead the conversation bringing you onto the pit wall, into the garage and the minds of winners.
- Oct. 4, 4 to 5 pm – The “Ford – Total Performance Returns” seminar will be hosted by Jay Leno featuring Jim Farley, CEO of Ford and an accomplished vintage racer, Mark Rushbrook, Global Director Ford Performance and Bob Tasca, scion of the legendary Tasca racing dynasty and current Nitro Funny Car winning driver. This seminar will compare and contrast the “Total Performance” campaign, rolled out across the world by the Ford Motor Company in the 1960s with Ford’s exciting new program of racing across all series. From conquering Ferrari at Le Mans to winning in Trans Am, NASCAR, Formula One, CART, Rallying and the NHRA.
The Audrain Newport Concours and Motor Week will take place October 2-5, 2025.
About the Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week
The annual Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week celebrates the diversity, elegance, and timelessness of classic and modern vehicles and the people who bond with them. With a week’s worth of incredible car showcases, alongside a plethora of fun gatherings, seminars, and other luxurious events, the Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week is sure to entertain, with all events leading up to the finale of the week, the Concours d’Elegance. The Concours d'Elegance features multiple classes of meticulously cared for cars that have had a significant impact on automotive history.
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