How much has U.S. vintage racing changed over the years? VSCCA, America's
senior vintage racing organization, has changed very little; remaining an
isolated, undisturbed island in today's stormy sea of continuous redefining
of "Vintage Racing." A dipole illustrating the current range of rules for
acceptance and conduct would have VSCCA and HSR representing the extremes:
all other clubs and independent events falling somewhere between.
The policies of VSCCA and HSR are clear, but a large majority of the others
are less defined. With few exceptions, it appears the adoption of more
liberal policies has resulted in a wholesale shift toward HSR's end of the
dipole. Is this bad for vintage racing? The answer to that question depends
on a person's perception of the sport. There are two factions in vintage
motorsport: the people who place high value on historical authenticity; and
those who do not. Although both groups thoroughly enjoy using race cars in
their proper context, there is a difference of opinion regarding competitive
intensity.
Contemporary vintage racing has also become attractive to those seeking an
entry level to motorsport competition. This attraction is especially present
in the vintage racing clubs and events whose primary criteria for acceptance
is a person's ability to pay the entry fee. While this policy can generate a
large entry, what is it doing to the original concept of vintage racing? It
is ironic to remember vintage racing was born from the desire to escape the
escalating intensity of SCCA-racing during the seventies. Has this country's
vintage racing come full circle? Will popularity and the influx of
commercialism kill vintage racing? Probably not, but it has definitely
changed the sport.
Vintage racing is at a crossroad. It is time for those people who still
support the original concept to reinvent the sport of vintage racing. And, it
is also time for the existing organizations to clarify or establish a firm
position on policy.
As a subscriber to this list, I have been reading the postings bemoaning the
various methods of cheating. The search for advantage has always been an
integral part of racing. Excepting blatant transgressions, there is no way to
effectively police cheating in vintage racing. The very thought of wanting
such a thing reflects the current state of the sport. What about an owner
hiring a professional driver to race his car in a vintage group, with orders
to win? And then this same owner complains about some cheater having a
slightly over-bored engine! Is this vintage racing? Sadly, in many cases, it
is.
However, cheating is not among the most serious problems affecting today's
vintage racing. As an example: The potentially volatile grouping of cars is
far more serious than cheating. The mixing of race groups with vintage
racing's normal broad range of driving skills creates a dark senario. Add to
this mix a professional (or somebody who thinks he is) driving at ten-tenths
on a mission to lap the entire field as many times as possible, and the odds
for a disaster are greatly enhanced. The ever popular vintage and historic
endurance races represent the most fertile breeding ground for such a
senario.
Even within a single race group there are different classes representing a
vast difference in performance and skill. What's the answer? Having no answer
will further contribute to the continuing exodus of those who merely want to
enjoy their race car in a friendly environment (ie: sharing the track with
cars and drivers of similar performance). One solution would be forming race
groups based on lap time, not by car type or class but maintaining a
segregation of open- and closed-wheel cars. All cars would be gridded by lap
time in accordance with a group's assigned performance window. This method
would provide parity within a group and automatically (without unpleasant
individual confrontation) place those people of suspect performance in a
group having similar lap times. By adopting this gridding procedure the
racing would be considerably closer, providing more entertainment for both
driver and spectator. For those people consumed by the overwhelming desire to
change dogs into rocket ships, and for all professional drivers regardless of
type of car, perhaps the resurrection of a formula libre group is in order.
And, for the owners and drivers who think of their fellow competitors only as
track-fodder, grid them on the road leading to the gate.
There are other serious problems with the current state of vintage racing.
But I will delay comment on the politics, commercialization, mercenary
activities, fake cars, and wallet-flexing until another time. Rest assured, I
would not have taken the time to write the above if I was not sincerely
enamored with the idea of keeping old race cars alive.
Art Eastman
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