Thanks, Casey, for clearing the air. I was prepared to "duck and cover"
when I saw the first few salvos pass overhead. ;=) I wanted to see
where this was going with you and Jim before saying anything. While
generalizations about any group are bad, I think it's true that VARA
has an image problem. I run with CSRG and HMSA, and many of these folks
seem to think of VARA the way Jim did. I have not attended a VARA
event, but I know some good people in VARA I would run with any day. I
find it encouraging that VARA actually DID start a crack down a while
back. I think if this kind of info was made more widely known, you
might attract more entrants from other West coast clubs, and earn a bit
more respect.
One question, though: Has VARA done anything about the Tire Wars of
recent years? Thanks largely to Steve Earle, many US clubs have adopted
tire regulations that mandate early style, high profile, hard compound
tires in some classes. This was done in the interest of preserving the
cars the way they were and not overstressing the suspension parts. The
FIA actually led the way in this area. If VARA is still allowing
low profile gumballs, you may still be perceived as "outlaws" when, in
fact, all you really want to do is race. Has this changed recently?
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