As promised, here's my scoop on the SCCA/Volvo Historic Series @ Pocono.
I took the yellow Alfa Giulia Spider which has a SCCA cage and full
blown safety equipment, plus is fast enough to keep up with most
traffic. Had no trouble with tech or getting a "Novice Permit" to race
on for the weekend.
The race group consisted of lots of Volvos (no surprise!) 3 P1800s and 2
122S's, plus 3 BMW ITA cars, a Sprite, EP MGB and TR3, an E-Type, Morgan
+4, Fiat 124 Coupe, three Mustangs, two Corvettes and more. Quality of
the cars was quite good, as good as most vintage events I've attended.
And many of the cars had a longer history than most "vintage race cars"
with even the original racer in a few of them. It was one of the biggest
groups for the weekend.
The quality of the driving was very good. Fast and competitive, mind
you, but just as sportsmanlike as most of the other events I have run -
and more than some. Only one car (one of the BMWs) made a questionable
effort at a pass, blew it and had to take the escape route on the first
infield turn. I saw him coming in my mirrors and avoided him easily. He
apologized later and we talked about the "kamakize" passes being
inappropriate for vintage classes and he agreed. Spins were no more
frequent than at typical vintage events.
We got two sessions a day, about 20 minutes each.
As you can guess, I had a good time. As good a time as can be had
running a roadster on a super speedway in 50-60 deg. pouring rain. We
were all slow in the turns and infield, but not too much slower on the
straights than in the dry! During the Sunday race, I passed all three
BMWs on the straights- when they were topped out at about 115-120 mph
and I could run 130 - although the roostertails were spectacular! I was
told by one driver she was surprised by how much "draft" the Alfa had.
I finished 8th on Sat and 9th on Sunday, and admit being pleased at the
results. Esp. considering the competition and the level of preparedness.
One thing they do that we perhaps should see more of in vintage is a
forced socializing- caused by the impounding of the first four cars in
each race group. ALthough SCCA does it to prevent tampering in case of
protests, it created a great social gathering where all the competitors
got to know each other.
I was amazed at the interest my Alfa got, as nobody seems to have run an
Alfa Spider in SCCA in twenty years in NE.
I plan to run events at Watkins Glen, Lime Rock and NHIS. It's fun. ANd
they run 2 days, not 3 or 4, which I prefer too. (Work, the curse of the
racing class!)
And Roger, we need some Sprites for class 3.
Regards, Jim
PS: I forgot to say the entry fee was $45. Thank you Volvo, Michelin and
Motorweek!
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