PAGE 8 CIMARRON TRAIL ZONOTES (CONT) By J on J ones But there is a spirit of respect and racing room in vintage racing that is pervasive and refreshing. In our era of NASCAR-style “rubbin is racin” mentality, vintage is a place where a gentlemanly style of driving is expected. Race hard, but clean. The win at all cost mentality of most professional racing series is not welcome in vintage racing. PCA Club Racing is similar in that officials take a very dim view of contact between cars on track. To the extent that there may be some cases of incidental contact, PCA has a “13/13” process where any driver involved in an on-track incident must report to the National Club Racing Steward of the event. The Steward considers all of the statements from the driver(s), video, and a damage assessment completed by the National Scrutineer. The Steward may assess a 13 month probation, or if the driver deemed at fault is already on probation, a 13 month suspension. The process works – drivers are very aware of their conduct on track and their 13/13 status. An exception would be PCA’s semi-pro Trophy East series where the 13/13 process was not used in 2017 and damage was common. Perhaps a bit late to the vintage game, PCA Club Racing leadership is very aware of the potential number of dormant Porsche racing cars out there, and is anxious to get them re-engaged and on track. Club Racing Chair Vicki Earnshaw is very supportive of the vintage concept and is working hard to get the word out and cars on track. PCA Vintage cars are specified as 1983 and earlier air-cooled 4 and 6 cylinder cars with classes for over and under 2.0 and 2.4 litre engine capacity, respectively. Full details at pcaclubracing.org/vintage. So PCA Vintage Racing offers the best of all worlds with Porsche-only racing conducted under a very watchful Steward and Scrutineer team, and all PCA Safety rules required. There is more leeway in car preparation than allowed in SVRA or CVAR, but still according to the PCA Club Racing Rulebook. We remember as a young lad standing along the fence at Lime Rock (in the pouring rain!) watching S90s and Speedsters splash around Big Bend and up through the Esses. We called them “bathtub” Porsches back in the day, and drivers like Alan Howes, Bill Schmid, and John O’Steen were a thrill to watch. Most of these cars are retired, but watching some of the forums such as 356 Registry, they exist and if not already running in one of the other vintage series, owners might be interested in joining the PCA Vintage class. What a treat that would be. Hallett will host a PCA Vintage run group at Oktoberfast 2018, presented by Jackie Cooper Porsche, October 5-7. Let’s get those old cars out there. - Jon Jones, Zone 5 Representative
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