For an official view of VSCCA rules/regs on eligible cars, contact Jerry
Greaves. I can supply an address off line.
My understanding (not official) follows:
The VSCCA was formed in 1959 as an off-shoot of the SCCA, which in turn
had been formed from the remnants of ARCA. The original purpose of the
SCCA was to preserve the cars and spirit of pre-WWII racing (ARCA). In
the years just after WWII there wasn't much else to race except pre-war
machines. As time went by the SCCA 'strayed'
into accepting newer cars. The VSCCA was formed to essentially stick
with the original intent of the SCCA. Since 1959 was the first year, it
became the cut off year for car eligibility.
The spirit of the VSCCA has always been that 'the cars are the stars'.
That's not to say that it's always true or that mistakes and weird
anomalies haven't occurred. There is a car classification committee
(chaired by Jerry Greaves) who job it is to except or reject any car not
already classified, or, in some cases, to re-evaluate past decisions.
(It's my understanding that the MGA 'ban' came about when it was
discovered that fully 50 cars had been approved and that represented a
disproportionate number of the total. Sort of like HSR and Porsche???).
Bear in mind that this eligibility only applies to speed events.
Rallies, tours etc. are open to any member in any car. I can only
speculate as to why some 1959 cars are ok and some are not. I've heard
the same rumors and theories as some of you may but I've never read or
been told by an official how the decisions are made.
I should also note that the eligibility rules are sometimes waived
depending on the event and the whim of the event chairman. This usually
occurs when the event is co-sponsored or turn out is low. (As an aside,
the VSCCA event I'm co-chair of, has even stricter rules: we don't even
allow all eligible VSCCA cars!)
One final thought. Unlike most (all?) other vintage race groups, the
VSCCA is an all volunteer, non-profit organization.. No paid employees,
no office, no staff. This can sometimes be frustrating when you are
trying to organize something or get some up to date information but it's
also part of the spirit of an earlier, less hurried time that in some
ways the club is trying to preserve.
Dick Waite
VSCCA #580 - MG TD
VSCCA #588 - '32 Ford Sprint Car
VSCCA ???? - '35 Ford/Riley Special
VSCCA ???? - '35 Ford Indy Car (sort of)
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