PAGE 7 CIMARRON TRAIL ZONOTES By J on J ones To even the most casual motorsports observer, the advent of big-time Vintage Racing is nothing short of amazing. The Monterey Historics and Rennsport Reunion have driven much of the attention, but years ago there were local or regional “vintage festivals” that featured many cars of significant history and provenance, including track time for these cars to stretch their legs. These events served the excitement of the drivers, but the spectators too – the chance to see the racing cars of their youth back on track was intoxicating. Whether a basically stock MGA or a Cooper Formula Junior, vintage racing was popular with fans. The appeal of these festivals, driven by attendance and popularity, quickly outstripped their local flavor and “car show with a little track time” image. Since the ‘70s, many organizations were formed that have developed the vintage concept to a fine art. There are a number of vintage racing organizations, both local and national in their size and attendance. The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, formed in 1978 as the Southeast VRA, currently boasts 2,500 licensed drivers and a schedule of 12 events throughout the US at some of the best known tracks. SVRA promotes “Safe, Fair, and Fun” wheel to wheel competition. The cars are allowed to be in “as raced” condition and preparation consistent with the generation and historic class alignment for each car. Safety equipment, however, is current specification with up-to-date FIA/SFI belts, helmets and other safety gear required. Last year the SVRA event at Indianapolis had 700 entrants. That’s a lot of vintage cars - we’d be curious to see a dollar value. In our area of the country, the Corinthian Vintage Auto Racing is popular and offers a 9 event schedule in Texas and Oklahoma. Like SVRA, CVAR focuses on the fun and fair aspects of racing with an emphasis on safety first. They openly recruit new drivers and encourage people to move from being a spectator to a driver. There are many elements to the vintage racing appeal. Racing has never been cheap, but vintage racing seeks to keep a lid on the “arms race” of car development by enforcing the aforementioned “as raced” requirement. People familiar with Sports Car Club of America racing may have faced the deep pockets syndrome of needing the latest hot setup for their F-Production Sprite every year to stay competitive. This spiraling cost scenario ultimately caused the creation of a tube-frame, mid-engine Mini Cooper some years ago (Joe Huffaker if I recall) that obliterated every other Mini out there. As a result of this approach and the consolidation of classes, there were many cars no longer eligible or competitive with SCCA and therefore idle. Vintage Racing has provided a solution to that situation, and a good one. Another factor in play is that some racing organizations have been prone to overlyaggressive and damage-inducing driving. As these vintage cars have increased in value, so too has their owners squeamishness about contact. No one wants to race their priceless Elva Courier if there is a chance it’s going to wind up bashed. Not to say vintage drivers are timid, hardly.
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