All I can say is now I know what the fuss is about. VIR is an incredible
track. The VDCA calls this event the Wild Hare Run, I don't know about
hares, but a very brave turkey wandered out on to the track in front of me
too close for comfort, luckily no splat was recorded by my car.
Kudos go out to Mike Jackson and the rest of the gang making VDCA happen.
This is what vintage racing is to me. The event was low key, more track
time than you want, with lots of good, clean racing fun. Sharing the track
during open practices, the Enduro and the Wild Hare race with cars waaaay
faster than ours was comfortable, even at high closing rates I felt the
faster drivers were courteous, but Leo Oddi might take exception with that!
We ran a gimmick race, the Wild Hare Race, where Mike lined up the cars
slowest to fastest. He calculated the time each car SHOULD take for 6 laps,
then launched each car on this schedule hoping everyone would come around
the last turn on the 6th lap at one time! The slowest car left the gate,
and more than 6 minutes later, the fastest car left. The race was won by
Terry Jackson, a Florida auto journalist/author in his GT350 driven with
hand controls. It was an awesome sight.
Triumphs showed up in earnest, and we did the marque proud. Dick Naze,
having recovered from his blown clutch last year ran his TR2, Dean
Tetterton in his TR3A, Don Marshall and me in our TR4's, Leo Oddi ran his
beautiful TR250, and Group 1 had a pair of Spitfires, Rob Stewart in his
blazingly fast MkIII, and Tim Slater ran his early roundtail. The only car
that was loaded on the trailer before the end of the weekend was Dick Naze,
he suffered a broken Detroit Locker on Saturday.
Leo came in from the Enduro with a bit of Sports Racer yellow paint on his
right front wheel and rear wheel arch, but I am pretty sure the other guy
took the brunt of the matter. Leo came back in the feature and ran several
seconds faster than he did all weekend, good show, Leo!
A fabulous weekend was had by all, the weather felt like June, not April.
Three cloudless days of racing, and it actually got hot on Sunday!
I'd urge anyone to try one of VDCA's events, I am sure you wouldn't be
disappointed. Not only would you have a great time, but you would be
supporting bunch of great guys running a non-profit, all volunteer race
sanctioning body. If your idea of a good race weekend is high profile,
public events where you have more rules and less track time, there are
other options. But if you want to run with real VINTAGE cars, in a friendly
atmosphere, put a VDCA race on your schedule.
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