I understand there were venues that had lots of spectators, as there are today
despite other distractions. Club racing was rarely that. I sat in the stands
with about 60,000 of my closest friends at Ascot Park one night in August 1965
when Kenny Roberts demolished everyone. I remember looking over my shoulder at
Watts burning. A month or so later I raced the same event and there were five
guys and a dog in the stands.
> On Mar 16, 2018, at 9:00 AM, Kas Kastner <kaskastner at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Just for the record when I was racing my TR-3 at Santa Barbara the field of
> cars was over 300 and well past 25,000 spectators each day, lots of college
> kids. Pomona not quite as many entries but well over 200 and spectators over
> 20, 000 again. This was the middle and late 50's
> , Now there are a lot more things to do so the spectators have drifted away
> and the cars have worn out and proved to expensive to keep up so they have
> diminished, but it was GRAND in its day like a lot of old stuff.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Never be beaten by equipment.
>
>
> Different strokes I guess. I don?t care what the other cars are as long as
> I?m having fun. A CRX ruined the aesthetic? How many people were watching the
> TR3?s run back in the day. I used to go to Thompson and Limerock to watch the
> sports car races. Me and thirty other people. Sepia toned nostalgia is safe
> because it doesn?t have to be real.
>
> I know plenty of snobs who just think anyone who isn?t doing what they do is
> wrong.
>
>>
>> Solipsistic?
>>
>> I would keep vintage racing if I were racing with TR's and MG's etc. I went
>> to a race and finished between a X1/9 and a RX7 and said why am I working so
>> hard to keep my Elva running? Can I race a Dodge Neon or other POS?
>>
>> At the Last VSCDA event there was one Honda CRX in the field. Were these
>> ever raced? Wait I know they were but NO ONE cared to watch. The CRX
>> ruined the aesthetic of the field. Please forward my message to the owner
>> and tell him to get a real car.
>>
>> I grew up in the 80's the cars sucked, they still suck. 1000 years shall
>> pass and they shall still suck. I know very few people who long for those
>> cars and do not wish to associate with them. Old bad wine, is still bad
>> wine.
>>
>> Remember a Snob is merely one who appreciates that which is, good.
>>
>> I do appreciate all Triumphs.
>>
>> Cheers, Henry Morrison
>> Sent from Outlook <http://aka.ms/weboutlook>
>>
>>
>> Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2018 10:43 PM
>> To: Paul Ricco
>> Cc: Henry A. Morrison; Friends of Triumph
>> Subject: Re: [Fot] New Cars, New Parts
>>
>> I?m trying to figure out what Henry is disagreeing with, or what Paul is
>> saying. If you?re leaving vintage racing, why would you care what the rules
>> are or what cars the organizations permit? And if vintage racing is dying,
>> then how is accepting 80?s cars selling out for the entry fee? If you
>> started racing in 86, then the cars from 1950 (probably older than whatever
>> you raced) were 36 years old. Cars from 1980 are 38 years old. Does vintage
>> mean just those cars that were cool when you were a kid? That?s a bit too
>> solipsistic for me.
>>
>>>
>>> Henry,
>>>
>>> Well put. We have really enjoyed 30 years of vintage racing and club
>>> racing. However, I am seriously considering retiring from Vintage Racing
>>> after this season and going back to club racing. I loved the open spirit
>>> of CanAm in the day, but that is not what I got into vintage racing a
>>> vintage 60?s era sports car for.
>>>
>>> We may give our race TR4 a well deserved frame off restoration and it can
>>> be preserved as closely to the way it was raced during the late 60?s and
>>> 70?s as possible. It can enjoy some restful retirement time with some of
>>> the others that we really care for. We can focus our energy on prepping
>>> another race car for Midwest Council or SCCA Club Racing, and not have to
>>> deal with some of the dilemma?s that we are facing with car prep for
>>> vintage. Most club racing organizations have made it very simple. If the
>>> rule book does not say that you can make a specific modification, than you
>>> cannot make it. It makes things a lot simpler.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I just can't disagree with this statement more.
>>>> 1. Vintage racing is dying. There are way fewer cars and races than
>>>> there were in 1986 when I started.
>>>> 2. The newer cars and drivers scarcely know what a road course is.
>>>> Car culture was different after '72 and especially now, just look at the
>>>> current Fast and furious movies that sell the current car culture.
>>>> 3. how many old TR gearboxes from my personal collection would you
>>>> like to have delivered to your place tomorrow? Or buy some of the ones on
>>>> ebay for $150, that seems to be the going rate.
>>>> 4. Clubs that accept cars from the 80's are selling out for the entry
>>>> fee, and in doing so driving me away in the process.
>>>>
>>>> Have a great racing season,
>>>>
>>>> Henry Morrison, Albuquerque, NM
>>>>
>>>> Sent from Outlook <http://aka.ms/weboutlook>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It is good to see that other clubs are allowing newer cars into their
>>>> races. VARA has been doing this for several years so that we could
>>>> survive, keep the club solvent and the cost of racing reasonable. The
>>>> future of vintage racing is an expansion to cars from the 80?s and 90?s,
>>>> they are long past their prime in other venues, cheap and they bring in
>>>> new drivers. They are in fact ?vintage?, like our cars were in the 80?
>>>> and 90?s. More important, these are the guys and gals that lusted for a
>>>> certain hot car of the that era and now have older kids and the bucks to
>>>> go racing. Without these folks our sport will pass along with us.
>>>>
>>>> The same is true of parts. Much of our equipment is worn out and not
>>>> maintainable without great cost and effort any longer. Gear boxes are an
>>>> example. I am down to my last good transmission case for my dog box.
>>>> When that goes, or the gear set is toast, I am making the switch to a
>>>> modern box (same ratios) that I can maintain. Like many of us I have
>>>> missed races because of transmission failures. Tony runs a Ford 8?
>>>> because he doesn?t want to get hurt, and it is bullet proof for racing,
>>>> even has a weight penalty. A gear box switch is inevitable if we want to
>>>> keep our cars on track at an expenditure of time and money that makes
>>>> sense.
>>>>
>>>> There are tons of other parts that make engines last longer (and yes they
>>>> make more power). An old TR motor is nothing but half a Chevy Small
>>>> Block; those guys spent hundreds of millions developing motor parts that
>>>> we can take advantage of. Same is true of blueprinting techniques, there
>>>> are much better ways to build engines than ?back in the day? and if you
>>>> read a book and learn how to do it the bloody lump lasts twice as long.
>>>> Last time I had my motor out I could have put the coated bearings with 25
>>>> races on them back in. At 36 races I had <5% leak down on the rings and
>>>> valves. Started out building the old school way, with old school parts,
>>>> those days are over as I don?t have the time to spend five days in the
>>>> shop for every day at the track.
>>>>
>>>> Oil. There is no such thing as cheap racing oil. Modern oil is the best
>>>> it has ever been and makes the motor last. I had technical help from Lake
>>>> Speed who is the ?man? for Joe Gibbs Driven race oil. The stuff is $18 a
>>>> quart but will last 500+ miles in the car (4-6 race weekends). Just
>>>> change the filter after every race and add on quart, total cost $30.00. I
>>>> can run all the way down to 27 wt. (mixing) but just run the 30 wt. racing
>>>> oil even at +100 degrees in the desert and the oil pressure is always spot
>>>> on. Tight clearances, light oil and great bearing life, well worth the
>>>> cost.
>>>>
>>>> My point in all of this is that ?vintage? racing is changing, both the
>>>> cars and the people. We are going to have to accept and adapt or slowly
>>>> see our sport fade. They willalways be a special place for those cars
>>>> with a 50 year race history, prepared exactly like it raced in 1965. For
>>>> the rest of the grid, and those of us that don?t have cars with history,
>>>> there are going to be cars with certain changes that get us to the track.
>>>> Besides some of us are just SoCal Hot Rodders at heart with a touch of
>>>> ?good ole boy? NACAR ingenuity. Now I need to get back to work on that
>>>> 85% scale TR-4 body in aluminum, or possible carbon fiber???..Everyone
>>>> have a great 2018 season racing!
>>>>
>>>> Ken
>>>> _______________________________________________
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