>
> To me "vintage racing" means racing vintage cars - otherwise it would
> be "vintage prading" or some such. Hooray for the Europeans - we
> could learn full appreciation from them.
> JH
>
>
> HENRY "JH" BAHN
I think the issue is not how hard we run the cars, but how much
sportsmanship we exhibit.
In the era we seem to be recreating, sportsmanship was very important.
Gentlemen racers (very few ladies in those day, Denise McC being one of the
few) vied for trophies and the honor accorded winners. Accidents happened,
but rarely did two cars come together due to overly agressive driving. It
was usually lapses of judgement or mechanical failures.
Once sports car racing went commercial (thanks Roger, I hope your IPO for
the race team makes you even richer) winning became the ONLY goal, and
sportsmanship became extinct.
Running a vintage race today is very difficult, since it requires convincing
people that going fast, wheel to wheel racing, and having a checkered flag
doesn't mean that you can do whatever it takes to get ahead of a competitor.
I used to blame the organizers for having winners and year long
championships, but I'm not sure they're to blame. It may merely be that
those who don't remember the "good old days" think that winning at all costs
is the way racing is supposed to be. It twarnt always so...
I've thought about trying to start a "Gentlepersons Race Driver Society",
with a symbol of a top hat in a Nardi steering wheel. No dues, meetings,
etc. Just a patch or decal for the car and a quarterly newsletter listing
drivers to avoid.
Jim Hayes - Alfa nut
jeh@fotec.com tel:1-800-537-8254 fax:1-617-396-6395
Vintage racing '57 & '62 Alfa Spiders
On the web: http://www.std.com/fotec/jim.htm
All generalizations, with the possible exception of this one, are false.
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