The Vintage Thing.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Monterey. After taking some shots over last week's column, which suggested I had regressed from previous stances about racing - I didn't, read it again - it was nice to be able to attend the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Lagua Seca. (Yes, I know it's the Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, and believe me I'm well aware of Mazda's contributions to grassroots racing and the "ladder" system in American open-wheel racing - such as it is - and I am thankful that they do it and I applaud them for it, but, memo to other corporate entities considering becoming presenting sponsors at racetracks: Please don't do it. And memo to racetracks thinking about doing it: Do everything you can to avoid doing it. Why? Because ultimately the tracks' legacies outlive any sponsorships, or do we have to revisit the Infineon Raceway vs. Sears Point vs. Sonoma Raceway issue again? This just in: Laguna Seca is Laguna Seca. Always was and always will be.)

For most of the racers actively engaged in contemporary racing - which means the constant churn of chasing sponsorship dollars, choosing the right series for you or your team's capabilities and then fielding a team throughout a given racing season - vintage or historic racing is anathema, sort of a backward glance at racing they want nothing to do with. It's almost as if they're afraid that by looking back for even a moment, or lingering too long with the idea, it will cost them their edge and doom them forever. And that's too bad.

Now I'm not saying all contemporary racers feel that way, because I know several very contemporary racers who have a healthy respect for the vintage thing, and who understand that the appreciation for what has come before gives them a perspective that others lack. And that's a good thing. Heaven knows there's always a healthy need for perspective in racing in general.

I'm always amazed whenever I attend a big-time vintage/historic racing event because when you look around the paddock, and see the countless cars, transporters and people you come to the stark realization that for all intents and purposes it's all one-way money. As in cash out. No sponsorships, no entourages, no iPad-toting PR minions, none of the usual accoutrements that accompany professional racing. It's all quite simply for the love of the game. And there's a lot to be said for that.

Laguna Seca was a treat as it always is. The machines competing are staggering in their historic relevance, encompassing almost all eras of racing from the earliest days. My personal favorites? I would get lost in a dissertation about one car or another and I won't bore you with that now, but you can see a glimpse of the action courtesy of the track here.

I will say this, however. As much as I love the Porsches and Ferraris and the other marques of note, there is no question that the cars that grab my attention the most are the sports racing cars of the 50s and 60s, the Can-Am cars (of course), and the production-based V8-powered racers of the glory days of Trans-Am and the Corvette vs. Cobra heyday. It's funny, but what do those cars have in common? V8 power and the splendid noise that accompanies it (although don't get me wrong, a Lister Jag is superb too). Even the most jaded fans at Monterey, many of whom made the trek to the track in some sort of imported exotica, sit up and take notice of the V8-powered machines. How can you not?

I attend contemporary races and like them a lot for the most part, but historic racing is special. It's a giant reminder that you have to know and appreciate where you've been, before you can figure out where you want to go.

People go to races to see and get close to machines that they'll either never experience themselves or that they grew up with and have fond memories of. And much of racing is about the gut-pounding noise and the smells, which is why contemporary motorsport - in all of its homogenized and pasteurized sheen - is leaving many people cold.

There's a lesson in there somewhere for the current movers and shakers in professional racing, and it's really not that hard to understand.
 

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Photo by Dave Friedman courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Riverside California, October 13, 1963. Dan Gurney (No. 97 Shelby American Inc. Shelby Cobra) crests the hill at the famed Turn 7 at Riverside International Raceway in a 1-hour GT race held at the famed southern California road course. Gurney would finish fourth that day with Shelby Cobras sweeping the first three positions in front of him. The winner? Bob Bondurant (No. 99 Shelby American Inc. Shelby Cobra) followed by Allen Grant (No. 96 Coventry Motors Shelby Cobra) and Lew Spencer (No. 98 Shelby American Inc. Shelby Cobra).

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD