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been thinkin'--opinions please

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joe_hartsell

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the idea of having a car that is a little more flexible than my current SCCA ride has become a little more pressing now that my Grand-daughter is showing some talent in go-carts. Thinking that a properly built Spridget could work in Vintage, as a track day car, and an occasional foray in SCCA to keep my license current.What do you guys think ?
 
A limited prep Spridget would be a good crossover car, but it's not like you are going to find alot of those out there which will not need alot of work. Alot of the deals are either full prep suspension cars, which alot of the vintage guys frown upon, or been sitting for ages in someones basement/garage/barn/yard.

Unfortunately, not British, but if I was looking for a multipurpose car, I would look at an early 70s IT sedan, like a BMW 2002 or a Volvo 142. No need wide flares, most all the parts are there for track days/drivers ed events. Can be built like tanks for safety sake. Plentiful, cheap-ish, decently supported by aftermarket, and accepted by most vintage groups. One weekend its an ITB car, the next its running as a Historic B-sedan. There are other cars that would fit that mold, but I just listed two models that are popular in my regional series.
 
The one thing I think is important when folks move over to vintage is to adjust attitude.
It's super-critical and it seems to get overlooked as "not important".

Many vintage club including mine (VRG) do not award trophies, or series points or championships.
We don't care about those things.
For racers moving over from NASA, SCCA, etc, it's best to keep in mind that having fun is key in vintage.....not winning.

I club-raced for many years and have a pile of trophies. But by the time I moved to vintage, I really didn't care about that anymore.
Obviously, It's fun to try to beat the other guys......we're all racers. For example, I started 4th on the grid out of 50 cars in the MG-only race at PVGP. It's <span style="text-decoration: underline">real</span> racing and I worked my butt off to get that start position, but I didn't push <span style="text-decoration: underline">so</span> hard as to risk my car or other guy's cars.
But I'd say it's much more important to go home in one piece than to gain another spot in the finishing order. When I raced in NASA, it seemed like that was the opposite.

Hope vintage works for you.....it's great fun!

Click Here to see what 65 horsepower gets you at Watkins Glen.
 
good point about the older ITB cars but i have always liked British cars(screw loose perhaps). first car was a Hillman Minx and have always had at least one British car, and my first racing was Vintage in a Mini. still do some Vintage in my buddy's cars but he is into big bore cars which isn't my idea of entry level for a teenager ! the fun factor is really what is driving this and i like it when the car goes back on the trailer in one piece.
 
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