Bill5600@aol.com wrote:
>
> Dear Gary and Dick,
>
> Your comments regarding Stock Cars in vintage road racing are well put. With
> the exception of Hudson Hornets, I feel they should not be a part of the
> vintage venue.
>
> Most "Vintage Organizations" have a purpose statement in their by-laws to the
> effect that they are to encourage the use, restoration, and preservation of
> vintage sports cars. I own two pre war Riley sports cars that I would like to
> race more often. Unfortunately there are few race meetings available that
> schedule a class for these true vintage cars. When organizations promote
> modern stock cars at a 'Vintage ' event and exclude racing cars of the pre
> war era, I think that organization better rethink its purpose.
>
> Many exceptional old racing cars have been retired to their garages because
> of the inclusion of newer, cheaper, and faster cars in their race group.
> Early juniors and 500cc formula III cars face this problem when gridded with
> 1600 cc formula II and formula Fords. Remember when we would see a number of
> great sports racing and GT cars of the 50's at vintage races. With the
> exception of Monterey and damn few
> other events it's off to the Colorado Grand for these great veterans.
>
> Given a choice what would we rather see and hear at our races: 8c Alfas, 450
> Maseratis, Italian Juniors, or a simulation of an modern American sedan
> advertising washing detergent, breakfast cereal, or gum scum?
>
> Lost in the past,
>
> Bill Alexander
>
> Amen.
Your philosophy has a home at VSCCA.
The VSCCA has held the line on the pre'59 cars and is apparently the
only place other than Monterey that has a significant consistent turnout
of preand immediate postwar cars for racing. We now also have a
preservation class for fifties cars with full road equipment that the
owners don't really want to drive as competitively as others. This is
attracting a great turnout.
It has been quite safe to drive a prewar car in our prewar only class,
over the years. And a lot of fun.
My feeling, shared by VSCCA, is, if someone wants to modify an old
sports car so as to effectively turn it into a modern one (disc brakes,
roll cages, heim joints, flares, fat tires, etc. etc.) why don't they
just get into "real" racing and not destroy all these great old cars.
SVRA seems to actually fit a certain middle ground quite nicely, but we
have cars we run with them and cars we run with other organizations. The
problems arise when someone has a square peg and the target is round,
it seems.
|