Sorry for the delay in responding but I was at Sebring for the first
PCA Club race of the 1996 season (also runs under "vintage" rules...
but that's a WHOLE other story...).
In any event, I reviewed your original mail and the responses and would
like to put my 2 cents in. When you say "vintage" you must remember
how the events were conducted during the period as well as which cars
ran, etc. Most cars were driven to the track, raced and then driven
home. In order to accomplish this amazing feat, may parts were
borrowed and many hours of labor were donated between the competitors.
This did not stop the racing from being fierce - just not
unsportsmanlike! So the people were always a part of this period of
racing and I'd like to think that this is part of the Vintage Racing of
today. I know that this is true in the Southeast with HSR, SVRA and,
hold onto your hats now... SCCA!!! (Did Jim Hayes just get the
vapors?)
OK, I'm talking about the Florida SCCA Vintage race group, not the
"club" racers. Our program is very active (9 events, 5 tracks this
year) and is relatively simple in philosophy:
1. Every participant receives the same award regardless of finishing
or qualifying position. The awards vary from neck coolers to
flash-lights, clipboards, storage boxes, jewelry boxes,... any
items usable and relatively inexpensive.
2. The cars must be prepared either as they were actually raced up
to 1973 (through 1972) or as they "would have/could have" been
raced in the year of manufacture (if no actual race history).
3. A driver review committee, composed of active, vintage group
drivers will review any/all on-track incidents (contact or not)
and make recommendations for any action. However, participants
are encouraged to resolve any issues between themselves prior to
requesting aid from the committee (this has worked wonderfully so
far).
SCCA Vintage has its own race group so we are not on the track with
drivers possessing other philosophies about racing; we watch out for
each other and try to help each other when we can. We have cars of
vastly different performances ranging from a Chevron B-16 to one of the
original Beach FVs and about everything in between. We tend to all
paddock together and socialize between sessions and races. I like to
think it is a "vintage" relationship.
We have had several drivers move on to other, more competitive forms of
racing to satisfy their need for more aggressive competition; we have
also had several return to Vintage from the other groups to satisfy
their sense of reasonability and regain that sense of "community". It
is just that.
Sorry for the commercial... The only force that can mold the form of
Vintage racing are the participants themselves. We have to make it
what we want it to be by conducting ourselves in a "vintage" manner.
Good, clean, SAFE racing with people we enjoy being with - who could
ask for more!!!
*8o]
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