I've spent a bit of time today actually reading some recent posts to the
vintage-race list, rather than just sweeping up the bits falling out of the
server. Some of the comments brought a bemused smile to my face, as I
reflected back on the weekend.
We had an IVR event out at Wendover, Utah. Intermountain Vintage Racing is
the expansion of the 'IVR' acronym. I'd point you to http://www.team.net/ivr
but I'm just as far behind on keeping the web page current as I am on all
other autox.team.net matters. So it goes.
The 'Vintage Racing' bit is somewhat of a misnomer. The only car there that
might come close to being considered vintage was likely my own Spitfire
autocrosser. It is a cobbled together creation from choice bits selected out
of years of accumulation, and prepped to SCCA Solo II rules. Actually, for
this weekend I was running 6" wheels instead of the usual 8" ones, so that
made it a bit closer to vintage. We had some first generation Mazda RX7s, a
Mustang from the eighties, a pair of Formula Fords with inboard suspension -
not the kind of stuff you see at a "real" vintage event. Cheating? You can't
cheat if there are no rules to be broken. Haul it out there, convince us that
that the wheels will not come flying off your first time through Conair
Corner, and we'll let you run. Run what ya brung, as they say.
If you and the car are not prepped to a minimum standard for racing with
others, all we can offer is the Touring class, akin to SCCA Solo I. 2 or 3
cars on track at intervals, fewer safety requirements, have a ball. Those
drivers that do sign up for Touring usually do have a ball. Some BIG smiles
come off the track, trust me. Well, more on the track in a bit.
IVR is a small, loosely organised group of enthusiasts who like to drive
sports cars of various description at speed. There is no race track available
in Utah. We run on a course, roughly a mile long, laid out with cones,
weaving through the potholes and broken spots in the concrete of the old Air
Force base out in Wendover, Utah. Diehard club members have spent a few hours
out in the sun mixing concrete on occasion, so there aren't any bad spots on
the line. The paddock sits in the shadow of the Enola Gay hanger. Some of
you may have heard of that plane.
We run race groups and touring groups throughout the day. We have yet to deny
anyone track time. Things wind down mid afternoon as drivers run out of tire,
or gas, or car, or energy, or whatever. I have yet to hear of anyone leaving
wishing they had gotten more track time. Geez, that's an obvious lie. Some
folks have wrestled the broken racer onto the trailer, wishing they'd had more
track time. We are still picking up bits of aluminum from Doug's bellhousing
after that clutch failure, but that's different.
Saturday evening, a few of us who were not staying at the casinos had a bit of
dinner, chicken and steaks on the grill, a fermented beverage or two. For the
August 12/13 weekend, I'm planning to take out the Weber kettle and smoke a
brisket for Saturday's dinner. Wish I could charge $10,000 a couple for that!
Hmmm, I *could* charge $10,000 a couple, for the benefit of Team.Net and the
Fat Chance Garage Tool and Beverage Fund, but I bet I'd be eating the whole
brisket myself. Sigh. Or is that "Burp?"
The small numbers of entries and the casual atmosphere make for some great
times. The major downside, however, is the small number of entries and the
casual atmosphere. There are issues with the scarcity of workers, the levels
of driver experience and so on. Were we to suffer a serious incident, my guess
is it would mean the end of the club, a major setback to the possibility of
road racing of any type in Utah, and my new email address would likely be
mjb@the.big.house. I only lose a little bit of sleep over the ramifications
of what we are up to.
It's a chicken and egg scenario. If we had a nice facility, we could attract
lots of drivers and put together events like those of other sanctioning bodies.
If we put together events like those of other sanctioning bodies and attracted
lots of drivers, we could get investors to build a nice facility.
Sorry to have gotten so long winded. For now, I'll continue to work with IVR
as best I can, providing a place where those with the spark of desire shining
brightly in their eyes can go out and show themselves, and those who share the
vision, what they've got. Someday, perhaps, I'll get a handle on "The True
Meaning of Vintage Racing." For now, here's a start, the final paragraph from
what is currently my favorite of Peter Egan's pieces, "The Mille Miglia and
the Great Yellow Beast," Road & Track, Nov. 1995:
Those old men and women along the road remember. They weren't waving
to us. They were waving to the ghosts of those who once drove our cars
absolutely as fast as they knew how to go.
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