The following content was provided by BaT contributor kobus.
It’s been a while since high school – a time in the late 1960s when I longed to race cars.
TV was banned in South Africa so my buddies and I got our car fix through visits to Kyalami and by reading Road & Track (which arrived about a month late by ship). For some background, check out the three articles I wrote for BaT on period racing in South Africa, the 1969 9 Hours of Kyalami, and the 1970 9 Hours of Kyalami.
I’ve desperately wanted to get a taste for racing, though I’ve always known I’m too chicken to be the fast one. As with many bucket list items, life always got in the way. Not enough money, never having the right car, not knowing how to go about it.
When I got to the USA in 1978, my fix came in the form of Lime Rock Park vintage racing, which I attended as a spectator with regularity. The 2019 Lime Rock “Fall Finale“ was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I simply had to take the plunge, so I joined the Vintage Sports Car Club of America (VSCCA). As fate would have it, COVID-19 forced the cancellation of its spring driving school, leaving me few options. Fortunately, my friend Charles Bordin said that if I attended a racing school he’d let me run in the Empire Cup at Lime Rock. Game on.
Bertil Roos had an opening at New Jersey Motorsports Park for a three-day, socially distanced race school and it was a blast. I never thought open wheel cars could stick to the road like that, or be so much fun! The second day of their two-day advanced race school got rained out, but I’m now eligible for a Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) license and can race at VSCCA events.
I still didn’t have the proper car, but got an entry into the Empire Cup, so my Porsche 356A Cabriolet boulevard queen was tagged for racing duty. After dropping $3,000 for protective gear and a “pre-race” checkup of the 356 by Gaswerks, I was ready to race.
Although grouped with the slowest bunch, I was surrounded by very fast MGAs and a gaggle of other race-prepped rockets. Of course, my 356A was the only cabriolet without a roll bar and with only a very ineffective lap belt. Three practices, two qualifying sessions, and three races, here we come!
Tech inspection caused some head scratching. GoPro mount and up-to-date protective gear, check! No roll bar? No fuel cell? No multi-point seatbelts? No number? No fire system? Lots of other race stuff was missing too, but I somehow got through with an explanation. Never having raced a car, never having lapped Lime Rock before, and driving a decidedly non-race car made for two very interesting days.
Porsche 356s have become fairly rare at vintage races, but at this event I was in good company with James Stein’s silver 130-horsepower hot rod and Mike Jacobellis’ 160-horsepower super hot rod.
My first practice was a bit nerve wracking as the fastest cars lapped me several times. I tried keeping a steady pace at around 1:36 per lap while I searched for the racing line. With a freight train of vehicles approaching at almost every corner it was difficult to put together a clean lap. Best lap times for the group varied from 1:11 to my snail’s pace, but at least several were just a few seconds faster than me. By the last race my times dropped to around 1:22.
I got yelled at for “not holding the race line” during the earlier sessions but fixed that during the last two races. Turns out you’re not supposed to be polite and let the freight trains by. Keep your line unless someone pokes a nose in next to you. Lesson learned.
The most satisfying part was learning to drive my 356A at speed, yet well within its limits. It felt a bit loose mid-turn, and after some guidance by Porsche experts, I learned that these tubs love turning under power. Powering through turns is an amazing experience as the rear tucks in and sticks onto the road. Mastering Big Bend and the Lefthander to set up for a fast exit through the Righthander will take some time. The most fun turn is the Uphill. Hitting the steep hill and then “flying” through the turn is such a thrill.
Make sure to check out all my photos from the event in the gallery below!
Now I’m intent on acquiring a chariot I can race regularly. Comments and advice from the “Fall Finale“ article ranged from Formula V to Spec Miatas, and I even followed a recommendation to build a CycleKart. I’m still leaning towards a vintage car, and my criteria hasn’t changed much from October when I first made the commitment, although I now understand I’d prefer a fast car that I don’t have to push to keep up.
Time to shop!
-Kobus
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