As a relative newcomer to vintage racing, having just completed my first full
year competing, here are my two cents worth. Dean Watts is not only a very
good, close, personal friend, but an eloquent spokesman for our sport. Dean is
one of the founders of CSRG, as well as HMSA. His credentials are unparalled
and has in his stable quite a number of CORRECTLY restored vintage race cars,
specializing in four cam Porsches.
Dean is the type of person who would give you virtually anything you need to
get your car onto the track, even if you were competing against him and would
probably beat him (though not likely!). The man's smile is never ending and I
have yet to see or hear him 'speak ill' of any competitor.
Dean is not saying that vintage race cars should appear as they did the day
they rolled off the showroom floor. Rather, (as an example), stuffing a 260
Ford engine into a Sunbeam Alpine does not a Tiger make. An example of what
Dean refer's to is his Abarth Carrera coupe. The car is as close to how it
appeared on racing grids in the early 60's as is humanly possible.
Dean and I discussed preparation when I was restoring and building my Alpine.
My car is prepared as close as possible to how it would have been in an SCCA
sanctioned event in the 60's. Weber carburetors? As much as I would love to
put them on and benefit from the power gains, until someone can show me where
the factory homologated them I'll stick to the original Zeniths.
If I can install a stronger axle or spindle, a stronger wheel, imron instead
of rubber bushings, something that will hopefully keep the car from breaking
with catastropic results I'll do it in a heartbeat. This not only protects my
investment, but helps protect my (AND YOUR) safety while on the track.
My Alpine will never win..... The car doesn't have the power and it's too
heavy. Most of the Porsches will blow the doors off of it in a straight line.
I'm not out there to win. To quote Dan Radowicz from CSRG: "My goal is to pass
someone. If I make a successful pass, then I've had a good weekend". Or
expressed another way...... The only real measure of performance is personal.
My goal on the track is to race as technically perfect as I can. If your in
front of me I'll "pressure you", but I'm not going to push you until you make
a mistake that sends you off course. My pass will be safe, and I may restrain
from passing you if there's question in my mind about it. Afterall, the prize
money is the same regardless of finishing position.
The race that will long stay in my mind as a personal achievement was last
month, at Sears Point, in the rain. I finished 2'nd overall behind a 1932 Alfa
Romeo G.P. car. I could outbrake and outcorner him, and he could blow my doors
off in a straight line. Many were the times I could have passed him but
didn't, because it wasn't the SAFE thing to do! I did pass several times, and
was repassed on the next straightaway. Out of turn 11 on the last lap I was
ahead and it was a dragrace to the finish. We both went home with all of our
own paint and a memory that won't soon fade. And when he came to my pit the
next morning and congratulated me on a supurb race, that meant more than a
victory!
To say that we are not competing, that we are only "displaying" our cars at
speed is erroneous. We are racing; period: end of the F_#$_NG hunt! The
difference is; are we competing to win at any cost, or are we competing
against ourself? If your goal is victory at any/all cost, check this website
for an entry form: "SCCA.COM". If your goal is the same as mine, to "bury the
needle" on your "funmeter" and have a good time, I'll see you on the grid!
Carl McLelland
CSRG #247 series 1 Sunbeam Alpine
http://carlynneracing.homestead.com/home.html
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