EPaul21988@aol.com wrote:
> Dave Fain writes:
>> If they made it to the event in the first place,
>> they are good enough.
> A Triumph is a Triumph and most of us enjoy seeing every single one.
I agree with the comments above, but I had a different
perspective at the 1997 VTR Nationals:
It seemed to me that nearly all of the cars present
WERE in the concours lot, parked with their respective
make, etc. This was very different from 1996, when
only a very few cars were entered in the concours, and
most cars were in a "participant's choice" lot. (This was
mostly due to hurricane Bertha's arrival at the show...)
At VTR'97 Nationals, there were lots of "drivers" on the
concours field. My car sat next to Bob Kramer's brown TR6,
which is another regular driver, but definitely not a show
car. Many other drivers were being shown. Some were not
judged, at the request of the owners.
My car was on the concours field (a first for me) and
was judged. There is no mistaking my car for a show
car once you stand within 15 feet of it. The judges
didn't complain about spending their time judging my
car, even with the huge areas of paint flaking off
the air cleaner, valve cover, etc. Probably every
single component under the hood has surface rust on
it, excepting possibly the distributor cap. :-)
Nobody criticized me for putting my car on the show
field, despite the dozens of significant chips/dings
on the body, many other paint defects, unrestored
undercarriage with 27 years of surface rust, or the
many other inaccuracies. Nobody said to me "Why did
you ever put that car on the show field? It is a
disgrace to the event!"
Looking under the hood of my '70 TR6, there is no mistaking
it for a show car -- it is driven a lot, and I spent a
total of about 60 minutes cleaning it for the show, which
consisted of an exterior washing, drying it off to avoid
spots, windexing the windows, and using 2 paper towels
to clean the worst of the gunk out of the unrestored
engine compartment. I must confess I didn't even get all
of the dead bugs out of the grill from the 2410 mile drive
to Texas from New Hampshire.
But, my car wasn't alone in this regard. There were lots
of other cars on the concourse field that clearly showed
dozens of years and tens of thousands of miles of use
since they were last "spruced up." I would say that only
about half the cars on the field in my class (early TR6,
probably 15 cars) would qualify as "show cars." And one
of those "show cars" was driven 2191 miles from New Jersey!
However, the comments by Dave Fain and Bob Paul are
correct -- not every car was on the show field, even
though I was very glad to see the number of "drivers"
that were. But, I suspect, the reason some other
cars weren't on the show field is because the owners
themselves decided not to put their car on the field,
so that they wouldn't be "embarassed." I must confess
that it is humbling to put one's favorite car next
to a show winner, where what looked like a great car
when parked in a lot full of Tauruses and Escorts
suddenly looks like an old, dilapidated wreck when
put next to a showroom-condition example of the
same car... But, what needs to be overcome here is
what I have always faced in the past when considering
entering such an event -- self-imposed embarrassment
and shame.
Why did I put my car on the concours field this year?
Well, last year at the VTR Meeting in Albany, VTR
Chief Judge, George Rabey, highly encouraged everybody
to put their cars in the concourse. He said that
the judges wouldn't complain about judging "lesser"
cars, and that people wouldn't laugh at your car.
He was right -- not one person criticized me or my
car on the show field. Once I got over my own
initial embarassment at having such a poor car
compared to the others there, I felt good about
having it sit there with its companions.
Anyway, to my utter surprise, I scored 311/400
points in the concours, earning a silver certificate!
Sure, I may have been around 13th out of the 15 or
so early TR6s there, but if I had entered a
participant's choice show, I would have surely
received nothing at all. Personally, I think by
awarding certificates based on raw score, VTR does
encourage all cars to enter, since the certificates
are awarded even down to 250/400 points.
I found an attitude of acceptance for my daily-driven
car in the concours. I know that what kept me from
entering the concours in the past was my own personal
"shame" in having such a poor car compared to the
show winners, rather than anybody else ever telling
me to stay out of the show and stop wasting the time
of the judges. I would highly encourage anybody who
wants to enter the concours to do so -- if you
present your car at its best, nobody will criticize
your car -- if they do, it is they who have the
problem, not you! (However, if you ask somebody for
an honest opinion, be prepared for it!)
> Judging, or awarding trophies ONLY on the basis of
> accurate factory specifications excludes too may
> Triumph lovers.
There is a "modified" class at the VTR National.
This features cars with all kinds of individual
customizations! Actually, however, this may have been
the "toughest" class there was at VTR '97, as most
of the cars were in exceptional condition, albeit
unoriginal.
> I don't know how best to open up the shows so
> any and all Triumph owners feel comfortable
> participating, but I do think it is important to
> do so.
I think the above hits the issue squarely on the
head -- "Triumph owners feel comfortable participating."
The problem isn't an attitude from others of not
accepting a less-than-pristine Triumph, but of the
owners themselves feeling "ashamed" of their own
far-from-perfect car. Well, as one such owner,
I highly encourage the others of you out there to
put your car in next year's national -- you won't
be disappointed!
> Here's a question, and I am not being critical.
> What expenses do the entry fees pay? I read $75
> per car at VTR, was that correct?
The $75 per car is correct. This is for a four-day
convention (Wed -> Sat) and includes the events
listed below at no additional charge. When one
considers the entire 4-day event, $75 is a bargain.
If all you care about is the concours, $75 is a lot
of money, but, then again, if all you care about
is a concours, maybe you should go to Pebble Beach
instead of the VTR National. I may be off-base,
but it seems to me that the VTR National features
a lot more than just a concours...
(I mention these in chronological order, not order
of "value")
Registration Packet, with lots of free samples,
discounts, etc. Also included dash plaque,
car badge, name badges, etc.
Funkhana -- parking lot fun, w/trophies
Pool Party -- great food, one free drink, etc.
Photo/Craft/Art Contest, w/trophies in 3 categories
Tech Sessions -- about 4 excellent tech sessions,
offered at multiple times on such topics as
carbs, transmissions, lucas electrics, etc...
Autocross -- a full day autocross event, with
3 runs per participant, and trophies in about
15 different classes
TSD Rally -- a great event, with more trophies
Fun Rally -- more fun, and more trophies. This
event featured stops at the Pate Museum and
the Great Race Musuem, at no additional
charge. The Great Race Museum even let us
SIT IN THE CARS! Where else can you get to
climb on a one- or two-of-a-kind 80-year-old
automobile and get your picture taken?
Sundance Square tour -- no trophies, but an
organized driving tour event!
Panoramic Photo -- you get to have your car in
the picture, but will have to pay more if you
want a copy...
Auction -- bargains galore!
Special Presentations -- One each by Jack
Bough, retired from Lucas, and Paul Richardson,
son of Ken Richardson -- each a unique opportunity
for a special glimpse into Triumph history!
Vendors -- a number of good parts vendors, offering
significant discounts at the show
Concours -- just one of the many events you get
for $75...
Plus, in addition to the above, you get to meet
hundreds of Triumph enthusiasts!
--ken
VTR WWW Maintainer -- http://www.vtr.org
'70 TR6 Daily Driver
2410 miles to VTR'97 (Longest Distance Driven)
2nd place in TSD rally (w/my son, Benjamin, age 8)
311/400 in concours (about 13th of about 15 in class)
'74 TR6 Daily Driver
--
Kenneth B. Streeter | EMAIL: streeter@sanders.com
Sanders, PTP2-A001 |
PO Box 868 | Voice: (603) 885-9604
Nashua, NH 03061 | Fax: (603) 885-0631
|