In a message dated 01/12/00 9:42:46 AM Pacific Standard Time,
S800Racer@aol.com writes:
> The real problems that exist in vintage racing are the cars that
> regularly compete in vintage events with a variety of non-period
> performance
> modifications. They are not hybrid BMC/Chevys but they are also not
> faithful
> to a set of rules from the appropriate period.
>
>
The question is what the appropriate period is. You have actual race cars out
there with long racing histories that started after the "appropriate period".
My MGA, for instance, was turned into a race car by me in 1973. It was at
that point about as old as my daily driver 1988 Fiero is today. For many
years I was the only MGA racing in Canada (when I took it to the Canadian
run-offs one year, they were astounded to see it).
So - should I be able to race it as I could have done 'in period' back when I
was 10 years old, or as it raced for 3 decades? Fortunately in my case, I
never installed grotty great flared fenders or any such, so it really isn't
an issue, but many cars were not hitting the track, except in the hands of
the factory or the well-heeled, until a decade after they were built, and
many had long and distinguished careers thereafter. They were developed to
the rules that applied when they were raced, not when they were manufactured.
Obviously you don't want a pack of vintage iron prepared to current SCCA
spec, but my point is that there should be some period, ending later than the
actual production date of the car in question, to which they would be allowed
to prepare.
Or alternatively, you COULD limit all the newly built race cars to the period
of the car, and only cars that were actually prepared and raced before, say,
1980 or some such, with verifiable history, could use the later rules. That
doesn't seem an entirely satisfactory answer either.
Bill
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