Well, Lime Rock was great. If you like to look at , listen to and
smell old cars. Wandering around the paddock while a "race" was on I
was in constant danger of sensory overload. Saw Duane Walzer and his
lovly 100-4 bbut no other SOLers. Impressions:
The idea of Vintage racing is fine: drive as fast as you feel
comortable, don't worry about winning and DON"T bend anything. However,
it's even better when a few of the drivers in each event feel
comfortable almost flat out and want to be the first across the line. A
drifting Healey or Alfa with the motor near the fragmentation point is
wonderous. The "motorers" are fun to watch, but there's something
missing. a Ferarri at 1\2 throttle is just another red car.
The best racing was with the Brit Healeys ( I could be predjudiced).
They were always getting sideways and a bunch got mildly pranged in the
first lap of the sprint.
You can see more machinery inside the cockpit of a Bugatti Type 35 than
under the hood of modern car. Levers, gears, brake cables, strater,
flywheel, fuel and oil lines, pump handle (fuel pump ?). Oil
everywhere. Anybody who "restores" this car should be shot.
I don't like the Miata anymore. Saw a couple in the spectator parking
after a day in the paddock looking at the "real thing". The Mazdas
looked puffed up and clumsy. Mentioned this to my wife (final arbiter
of taste in our household) who said "I told you so!" Her first comment
on seeing one was "what did they do to an Elan?"
She fell in love twice over the weekend in the "For Sale" area. Once
over a 120 FHC. It was wonderfully restored but well ou of reach.
Next over an S series Bentley. It was tantalizingly close ot accessability
but seriously infested with tin worms. I'd rather have an R series
anyway.
Three days of this wasn't enough. Guess we'll have ot go to the Glen
this week.
Mike Tobin
planck!hercules!tobin@acsu.buffalo.edu
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