I too am in CVAR. We are fortunate to race at TWS with a NASCAR width front
straight for the starts. As with most vintage race groups, the cars at the
front set the pace that fit's their needs the best. Some of the cars in the
group I race in are better off with a very slow start, like me. We often
have Lotus Seven's up front and they like to start very slow. The Porsches
hate it and they bunch up behind the Sevens. It really isn't very safe but
we get away with it because the track is wide. I have enjoyed passing
bunches of cars and moving to the front before Turn One only to be picked
off by the same cars once we get up to speed. I can only get away with it
because we are allowed to pass as soon as the green drops. If I were forced
to hold position until I cross the start line I'd be stuck farther back at
turn one and some poor 911 driver wouldn't be so upset that he was passed by
a TR. It would be easy to add a rule that you cannot pull out of line to
pass until the start line, but the counterpoint is that the faster cars from
the back (the ones that DNF'd earlier) will cause a worse problem at the
first turn.
Our other track, Hallet is more difficult. We start on a downhill straight
and feed into a hard left that is best taken one car wide. The starters
there seem to like to bunch the cars up very tight.
I think the rules that Larry mentioned about sending drivers home have
helped to make CVAR safer. We have our share of cheaters, but the cars are
still mostly close to the target. I think the 4 tires off rule/Stop and Go
penalty and 3 off equal parking for the day helps control the excessive
driving I've seen elsewhere. I've mentioned it before, but at VIR, the same
Morgan Plus 8 spun in front of me three times in 2 days, twice in the same
session. No stop and go penalties, he just got back on track and came after
me again. Spinning cars are unsafe.
Bob Kramer
rkramer3@austin.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Young" <cartravel@pobox.com>
To: <greenman62@hotmail.com>
Cc: <BillDentin@aol.com>; <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 10:56 AM
Subject: Re: BRIC pile-up
> The national organization is VMC. I don't know that much about it, but
> apparently it doesn't have any teeth. I believe these types of problems
> have been discussed in their meetings. Art Summerville of CVAR is always
> talking about the laissez-faire attitude that other organizations have
> about cheater motors and aggressive driving. CVAR sent a lot of big bore
> cars home when they started pumping engines last year. At CVAR a spin or
> four wheels off means you come in (stop and go the first time) and metal
> to metal contact means someone goes home. With my TR3, I'm happy to be in
> a very low key pre-1961 group at CVAR. I really enjoy vintage racing and
> the attitude of most drivers. I wouldn't be in it, if overly aggressive
> drivers were the norm.
> Larry Young
>
> greenman62@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>> I can almost guarantee there will be repercussions in vintage racing in
>>> the USA.
>>
>>
>> Certainly everone will be doing a bit of self examination. I hope
>> nationally, Group 6 will...
>>
>> In my mind, the sanctioning bodies are in a difficult position. How tough
>> can they get? A lot of folks in vintage racing are there because of
>> dissatisfaction with the way things are in "real" racing.
>>
>> Maybe it's time for a national organization of sanctioning groups (if
>> there isn't one already) to standardize classes and enforcement of these
>> standards.
>>
>> To be sure we will see less and less significant cars on track in the
>> future... and that's a damn shame.
>>
>> Greg Petrolati
>>
>>
>>
>> Greg Petrolati Champaign, Illinois
>>
>> That's not a leak... My car's just marking its territory...
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