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 Vintage racing is fun, no doubt about it. Sliding your favorite
classic car around a race track while dicing with newfound friends
sounds like an ideal way to spend all that free time you keep hearing
about. I've been involved with vintage racing since the early 1990s as a
driver, crew member and race official, and have seen the phenomenon
take off from a few poorly attended events to world-wide popularity.
There are dozens of clubs putting on vintage events across the country,
which means you shouldn't have to tow too far to get in on the fun. But
there are some things you need to know to make sure your dream hobby
doesn't turn into a financial disaster even before you get to the track.
The trick is understanding the regulations.
"We don't need no stinking rules," was a funny line in Blazing Saddles,
but that sentiment doesn't apply in any form of racing. The fewer
rules, the more it costs to go racing. That's why NASCAR goes over every
car with a microscope and many small-time dirt-track operators have
given up on enforcement and changed to "claimer" rules where anyone who
is unhappy can buy any competitor's car for a set sum.
Obviously, neither of these tactics is going to work in vintage
racing, where the grid can run from $2,500 MGs to $15 million Ferraris.
The problem, and some would say the strength, of vintage racing is that
it is a fragmented sport divided among many clubs, each with their own
rules and vehicle cut-off dates.
The good news is that smaller clubs are less likely to be
strong-armed by series sponsors or bucks-up competitors into adopting
nationwide rules benefiting only a targeted group of competitors. This
would lead to constant rule changes, which leads to more research and
development, which costs big money. In professional racing, the expense
is not the engine in the car, it's all the engines that never made it
out of the dyno room.
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