I believe it would be misleading to place to attribute too much to the
Watkins incident. Most vintage drivers I have met are those that have raced
for quite a while in other formats. The racing history of some rivals that of
their machines. SVRA has a very comprehensive "rookie" program, similar to
the incident-free events requirement spoken of earlier.
If there is any acknowledged difference between vintage racing with autos of
all sorts from street cars to past record holders and all-out competition
groups using the latest technology, it would be the mechanical breakdowns.
The cars in vintage tend to range from ancient to very old. Most vintage
events I run do not allow newer than 1960 production dates. So encountering
oil, parts, or poor braking qualities kind of goes with it. In those cases
where track conditions are less than ideal (such as rain) the quirks of any
of these cars are accentuated.
Henry
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