Oh boy... shields UP!
I, for one, am glad for the presence of "Pit Nazis". Since when does the
"fun" for one outweigh FAIR and "fun" for all? I've been a "Pit Nazi" and
I've been scrutinized by many, not just in vintage racing, either. Believe
me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Most folks have to walk a very, very
fine line to do it successfully. Harold Pace, Jerry Greaves, John Rollins
and Jack are prime examples of how to do it well...
I've been an ankle-biter for Jack for over a decade and a half when it comes
to other cars and he has (quite rightly) classified me on the basis of
performance POTENTIAL (Thank God, I sometimes even live up to his lofty
expectations...) first in Fiat 850 Spiders (you have to have a solid ego to
run one of those) and later in the 124 Spider. The SCCA GCR/PCS has ALWAYS
been my guide, my BIBLE, not some Formula Libre, ad hoc, silhouette "idea"
that drives many...
This Libertarian approach to "run what you brung" has gone TOO far, in many
places. There has existed for several years an honest desire by the majority
of participants and organizations (from HSR to VSCCA) to pull it back, at
least a little. SVRA many years ago (and now currently) offers the best
compromise between offering folks a fair, reasonably level playing field for
those trying to make accurate representations of what WAS and accommodating
those who either don't desire or don't care to research what is or is not
correct. The re-affirmation of SVRA's core values is why folks are flocking
back to their events in record numbers (SVRA VIR was one of the only events
nationwide to post an increase in turnout over a previous years event) VDCA
had a bar that was clearly too high (Doug Meis and I still are big
proponents of the "idea") and the market is a very fickle thing... People
talk a good game all of the time, but when it comes to DOING it...
In VDCA (as in SOVREN, CVAR, Florida Region SCCA and to a more flexible
extent, SVRA and VSCCA), there exists firm documentation that paints a clear
picture of what is expected. Instead, the market supports a model that means
people "make" cars with a little of this and a little of that, so that the
performance potential of the car goes way beyond the model that was used by
the original rulesmakers for comparison's sake. Unlike the simplistic
European (FIA) model based primarily on displacement, one of the great
contributions that SCCA made to production car racing was to group cars
according to potential. The potential of each car was tweaked by careful
addition or deletion of various "options", such as the 948 Bugeye brakes,
but was determined by the COMBINATION of carburetion, displacement, wheel
width, track, transmissions and weight, all originating from the state the
car was ORIGINALLY DELIVERED.
It is to Jack's great credit (and a vindication of the much maligned SCCA
model) that the front and middle of SVRA Production Car Groups 1 (small
bore, FP, GP, HP, C and D Sedan), 3 (older open medium bore, CP, DP, EP,
larger FP and older B Sedan) and 8 (newer medium bore CP, DP, EP and B
Sedan) are often covered by a blanket. No longer are there "runaways" but
instead it is not uncommon to see the field have the front five or six cars
within a second and up to eight cars in the middle within a second (Lime
Rock, Summit Point AND VIR Group 1 and Group 3 best times of the weekend)
When someone comes in and "upsets the applecart" outside the realm of being
absorbed within the group (David Jahimiak's Sprite many years ago and now
the Devin comes to mind ;-) the organization HAS an obligation to the other
participants to step in, and if the individual that is the "face" of that
unloved but necessary job is perceived as a "Pit Nazi", so be it. The bottom
line is that you pay your money and you take your choice. Any "wishy-washy"
implementation of the rules results in chaos...
It has been proven more often lately that my strict puritanical views on car
specification and preparation are not what is the norm, even my hallowed
VSCCA allegiance suffers from a dose of reality, now and then. My customers
bring me back to earth by reaffirming that all they want is a good time and
an event that is fun to go to, has a bunch of folks to race with and fits
into their schedule. With an ever expanding schedule and many more dates to
choose from than they (and my increasingly busy preparation schedule) have
time for, they voted with their wallets, which is why we had six customers
at Summit Point and ten customers at SVRA's season finale at VIR. Properly
prepared cars can and do go well, but many people don't know and haven't had
the satisfaction of driving an accurately prepared car to the front (Greg
Solow, Vic Skirmants, Joe Colosacco, John Targett, George Wright, Will
Thomas and a bunch more, are you listening?) The best enforcement method for
keeping "Vintage and Historic racing" from turning into "vintage and
historic Racing" is peer pressure and failing that, the "Pit Nazi"! Rant
off...
-Peter Krause
HSR #46
SVRA #1832
VSCCA #633
VDCA #005
SCCA #139029 ...and enjoy them all, "Pit Nazis" or not!
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