| BMW CCA CLUB RACING |
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| A Primer of Vintage Racing Etiquette updated: 02/08/05 |
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12/03/99
by Peter I. Krause
In the last several years, marque-specific and vintage
racing programs have experienced a marked increase in the number of chargeable
incidents on the racetrack, both of the single-car and multi-car variety. This,
for many, is not acceptable. As we see an increase in both the number of events
and the number of entries per event, it is likely that this problem will
increase unless steps are put into place to curb the dreaded "red
mist."
The two most effective measures of controlling this
downward spiral consist of education and the threat of penalty, including
exclusion, from single or multiple events. My focus is on education, with
penalties reserved for those inevitable few that just "don't get it."
The 13/13 Rule.
The tenets governing conduct in the early days were simple.
The "13/13 Rule" was clearly stated and understood by the participants
in the literal form: "If you are involved in an incident sufficient to
cause damage to your car or any other car, you will be prohibited from
participating for the rest of the weekend, prohibited from entering the next
event, and placed on probation for 13 months. If you are involved in another
such incident during your probation, you will be suspended for 13 months."
Certainly not the sort of result anyone in the burgeoning
sport would wish for. Later, the
statement was modified to include the words "at fault," so that either
the benevolent dictator running the event or a committee of the driver's peers
could assign and adjudicate blame upon the poor unfortunate who suffered either
brain fade or road rage.
When marque clubs such as Porsche Club of America and the BMW
Car Club of America began their "Club Racing" programs, the vintage
philosophy as interpreted at that time was adopted, with specific mention of the
"13/13 Rule."
Unfortunately, with the rapid rise in the number of vintage
events came a corresponding increase in incidents. In order to make the sport
more friendly and inviting, a number of the vintage sanctioning organizations
adopted "points" systems, or graded infractions up to and including
probation and suspension; many simply changed the wording of the rule to read
"damage your car or any other car, and you may be prohibited from
participating."
One of the larger sanctioning bodies on the East Coast
publicly stated at a meeting of the Vintage Motorsports Council that they would
not report incidents to the shared list that the VMC maintains and circulates
among the member clubs, because "racing is racing." Failed reasoning
leads to a breakdown in behavior.
I am of the firm opinion that people will behave and perform
in a manner consistent with clearly laid out expectations. I am involved with
numerous orientation programs that focus more on instilling and inculcating the
vintage spirit in people who have already had racing experience (some of it
significant) or are graduates of professional schools.
My job is to move people towards focusing on a higher plane,
to overcome the raw and emotional, competitive "hunter gatherer"
instinct that makes them see holes in traffic that just aren't there, to make
them take a breath and relax instead of cursing a back marker under their breath,
and to make them think instead of going off willy-nilly and causing a hazard
where none yet exists. It's harder. than you might think, because for some the
desire to win overcomes the desire to take part. That is where vintage differs
most greatly from SCCA and other forms of club racing.
First, newcomers must realize that in vintage there exists a
place for everyone who shares an interest in getting out and enjoying old cars.
If someone wishes to bring a road legal Triumph TR4 with a full windscreen and
interior (as well as a roll bar, fuel cell and driver equipment) that passes the
safety requirements of the sanctioning organization, they have just as much
right to buzz around Daytona at a sedate pace as the torrid progress of an ex. Logan
Blackburn National Championship winning MGB.
There are so many classes, so many levels of preparation and
so many driver experience levels, that if it is a level playing field you're
after, you won't find it here. Often, innovative classing leads to excellent
racing, as in the perennial favorite Dodge Vintage Festival at Lime Rock Park on
Labor Day. A benevolent "dictator" classes cars according to the
potential of the car/driver combination (lap times within a narrow range)
ensuring close competition and an exciting show. With new people joining the
"circus" every event, there is always someone to race with.
As in most forms of racing, there exists a small group of
people who consistently run at the front followed by a large group comprising
the middle of the field, then a couple of stragglers (mechanical or otherwise)
who often provide excitement for the leaders.
Skill and Manners.
Second, blocking, dive-bomb passes and other unfriendly
maneuvers have no place in the vintage scene. I define blocking for the group as
"altering the placement of your car more than once to deprive another car
of racing room." Again stressing that the watchword is cooperation, not
confrontation: to weave back and forth across the front straight at Lime Rock is
inexcusable, as well as embarrassing to the lead (in the beginning) car.
Racing is a test of skill; vintage racing is a test of skill and manners.
The point where the overtaking car's reach overextends its
grasp and inevitable contact ensues is usually the result of a failed
"dive bomb" pass. The art of passing takes years of practice to
develop, and the fact that most drivers involved in a passing incident have two
entirely different stories surrounding the circumstances of their contact shows
just how completely emotion can overwhelm reason.
A "dive bomb" pass occurs when the overtaking car
pulls out from a significant distance back and, by charging into the braking
zone, brakes impossibly late from an impossibly high entry speed. Suddenly
realizing that a minor misjudgment is about to turn into a monumental disaster,
the driver of the overtaking car locks up the brakes and slides into the
back/side/front of the blissfully unaware leader. In SCCA, this would be
considered an "overoptimistic" pass; in vintage, it's not acceptable
behavior.
In building an experience base, the need to identify, analyze
and form an action plan on how best to pass is crucial. The best way to do this
is to study the person you wish to pass over the course of several laps.
Obviously, this task is easier where closing speeds are significant. As the
speed differential narrows, heightened awareness and a calm, measured assessment
is required before one can commit to a pass that may or may not succeed.
In vintage or marque club racing, you are likely to see the
same folks on track from event to event. Most of the time, the practice times
will establish a particular order that will continue throughout the weekend.
It's rare that someone will have a light bulb come on in the middle of the
weekend and magically find several seconds, so race at your level and be happy.
Over the course of several years (and several plateaus), I
would expect to pick up some time at the same events from year to year, but I
discourage newcomers from becoming married to a particular lap time as an
expectation or guarantee of performance. Too many variables exist.
Very often, newcomers to the sport wonder aloud why someone
in a similar car can be so much quicker than they are. I respond by saying that
speed is a matter of planning and comfort with yourself and your abilities, your
car, the track and, of course, the friends that you'll be racing with on that
track. I stress the "internal" contest the moving of individual
benchmarks, the marking of progress and improvement Racing is a mind game.
Trophies Don't Matter.
Third, where we finish is relatively unimportant. Some
groups, such as the Sports Car Club of America's Vintage program, eschew
trophies, grid positions and even qualifying times, thus institutionalizing the
philosophy that the preservation and use of the car is more important than the
selfish whims of the driver. The Florida Region of the SCCA Vintage Group hands
trophies out to everyone who enters, to foster the idea of togetherness and
camaraderie.
Does this take away from the contest? Anyone who has seen
Tivvy Shenton and Bob Girvin doing battle at the VSCCA Spring Sprints would
swear that they were racing for the Winston Million. And they don't touch!
Charlie Kolb pilots his Chevron around Sebring with nothing less than the skill
he demonstrated at the same venue 35 years ago. You don't see this at a Club
Racing Regional.
The rest of us are not likely to be so gifted or talented as
to rewrite history, let alone as experienced. I stress that many of the cars we
drive have made their mark many years ago and nothing we are likely to do with
them in a current series will change history. We are 11 weekend warriors"
and we must remember that the pleasure of taking part must exceed the desire to
win at all costs.
This attitude has been strained recently in not only vintage,
but also Porsche Club Racing and BMW Car Club of America Club Racing as well.
Peer pressure is a very effective tool, and there are many other more
appropriate venues in which to "make a splash" than vintage.
The vintage spirit is just that, the desire to enjoy our
cars, on and off the track with friends. At vintage events, far too many newcomers
get carried away with large transporters, uniformed crew, and large
entourages, merely to learn that they are missing the point. One of the more
successful programs in terms of retaining the flavor of racing for fun is the
BMW CCA's program, with Scott Hughes and Don McCoin doing an exceptional job.
VSCCA and CSRG are also well practiced in maintaining the proper perspective.
More importantly, VSCCA doesn't suffer for a lack of entries despite having the
most conservative eligibility and preparation rules.
Contact Is Wrong.
Fourth, the final expectation that I stress in orientation is
that under no circumstances is contact desirable, acceptable or even forgiven.
Even if the sanctioning body fails to penalize a driver for going off and
tapping the guard rail because he or she entered the comer too hot and ran out
of road, that failure does not relieve responsibility from the driver. Even if
the sanctioning body assigns "points" for a minor "coming
together," contact is wrong.
The best way to explain this to the group is to assign
personal responsibility for each and every action that occurs behind the wheel. Single car
incidents indicate that someone lost concentration, misjudged their
car placement or speed, jerked the wheel or otherwise ran out of talent.
Stressing constantly the importance of building speed
gradually throughout the weekend, culminating in peak performance on Sunday
afternoon should be the goal of every racer.
Going out Friday or Saturday morning with the idea of
releasing pent-up emotions or psychologically "playing" with others in
the group or class has no place in vintage or marque club racing. Plenty of this
thinking exists where the level of competition is much higher and cars are
looked upon as tools, extensions of the driver to be used up and thrown away in
the quest for more personal recognition.
Personal responsibility is facing up and measuring constantly
whether or not the risk outweighs the reward. Many participants attend only
large events once or twice a year, and thus present a wide disparity in speed or
skill. It is your responsibility as "the loose nut behind the wheel"
to plan and act in a manner that ensures your own safety and the safety of those
around you.
Training is Paramount.
The recent efforts of the Vintage
Motorsport Council to fund
an instructor training program for the benefit of member clubs is welcome and
important. The institution by HSR of "the winner's circle" seminars
led by E. Paul Dickinson as well SVRA's continuing efforts with the development
of their "driver's orientation" and "chalk talk" programs
are but a few ways that vintage sanctioning and marque club racing programs can
show that they are serious about driver development.
The clear delineation of expectations raises the bar for all
of the participants. VSCDA's Spring Driving School series is a well known and
popular program, even though it includes no track time at all. Most importantly,
sanctioning bodies need to reach out to the experienced competitor, to
periodically remind them why they are here, and if a pattern of bad behavior
demonstrates that they don't "get it" to enforce the rules as written.
This applies also to car preparation, but that is a whole new story.
About the Author.
Peter Krause currently serves as the chief instructor for
Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), licensing chair for the North
Carolina Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), track chair for the
Southeast Region of the Ferrari Club of America (FCA), a senior instructor for
Car Guys, Inc. of Roanoke, Va., and operated the Skip Barber Circuit Orientation
for the Dodge Vintage Festival for the last several years.
Krause has been responsible for the development and
implementation of several programs, including dramatic "chalk talks"
and track walks designed to introduce enthusiasts to the art and science of high
performance driving on behalf of marque clubs and several vintage racing
sanctioning organizations. A Ferrari and Alfa Romeo mechanic, Krause owns his
own 6000 square foot facility in Raleigh, N.C., specializing in the preparation
of small displacement sports racing and production cars of Italian extraction.
He has received the BMW Cup, awarded at the BMW Vintage
Festival at Lime Rack Park in 1991, "The Professional Mechanic of the
Year," awarded by SVRA in 1993, and most recently, in 1997, the Vintage
Motorsport Magazine "Spirit of Vintage Racing" award, recognizing his
contribution to the education of vintage drivers both novice and experienced.
Krause is licensed by the SCCA, SVRA, HSR, BMW CCA and VSCCA and has won his
class in the Rolex Vintage Endurance Championship in 1993. He also has numerous
class and overall wins over the last 10 years in SVRA, SCCA, HSR and BMW CCA
competition. Krause currently leads the Vintage Production class of the Paine
Webber Endurance Championship.
He has also been on probation for contact incidents twice in
the last nine years. Live by the
sword, die by the sword.