Gt6steve@aol.com wrote:
>Personally I see this whole argument as a case of elitism. Naturally if
>you've got a Logbook you can raise your nose and sneer at the
>Johny-come-latelies without your particular pedigree.
>To my way of thinking, Vintage Racing is about racing cars of a particular
>VINTAGE because those are the cars we enjoy
>There are clubs in our country who cater to the appeal of a pedigree car
but
>I trust they'll never welcome me and my 11 year old GT6 into their ranks.
>Good for them, I wish them success but I'm glad there are venues for
everyone
>to find a niche.
I agree completely. Here in the Midwest, we seem to play well together.
I race with VSCDA and Midwestern Council's vintage group.
Sorry if the following makes the purists cringe. In 1997 I found a
flared shell of an MGB for $600. I was drawn to the car because flares
look cool! No other reason. Oh, and it's a '74! The PO had some plan to
transform his street car into an E-Prod racer. It never got there. I
took over and finished out the car as a vintage racer, flares intact, in
bright blue. It's a damn good looking car and have received numerous
compliments on its appearance everywhere I've been. I've gone racing with
an MGB that I've race prepared, just like the "racers" did in the 60's.
Pedigree? No, sorry.
Midwestern Council's vintage group is pretty much a mixed pot anyway and
never had eligibility issues. VSCDA is "accommodating"..with stipulations.
If I run in Group 2 (with Sprites, old TRs, 356s and other MGBs), I run in
something called Class 2X. In other words, I can't win somebody else's
class. Fine, Perfect, I just want to be on the track with my buddies and
have no delusions of winning anything anyway. The point here is
"ACCOMMODATING" not "EXCLUSIVE". It's so simple.
In the last four years I've participated in more than a dozen events each
with the two organizations. I've experienced wonderful track time and
enjoyed the wonderful company of my fellow vintage racers. I'm not aware
of a single complaint about my participation.
Exclusivity has it's place. I'm just glad it's somebody else's place.
Kelvin Palmer
Riverwoods, IL
'74 MGB #34 Blue (Beginning to acquire real racing "patina")
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