One of the more interesting aspects of attending a full weekend of racing at the track, rather than just going for the main event, is that there is often some sort of vintage racing event going on. Sebring was no different, and there were a few races sanctioned by the SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) that we got to check out.
Vintage racing is something that I am only recently becoming interested in. Originally it was because of simple association - 'Let's go to Lime Rock because Alan is running his MG.' - and now because of keen interest. Quite simply, you will see any and all manner of cars and drivers on the track at a vintage race.
Some cars are very old, some not so much, some are blazing fast and some are so slow you have to wonder if your car out in the parking lot would do better, but they are all interesting in their own way. Similarly some drivers are very much in it to win it, as the saying goes, while others are just enjoying their weekend and having a bit of fun.
Perhaps one of the coolest elements is the huge disparity between the cars. GTP, Trans Am, American muscle and German flat six are all going head to head, with some surprising results on occasion.
This Corvette, for example, was an absolute monster on the track. It managed to make the GT2 cars which are currently being run by the General look a bit slow and tame. There was also a 90s Trans Am series Camaro which was equally impressive, but I failed to get any decent pictures of it.
As per usual, there were multiple Porsches on hand. Here we had everything from late 60s up to a 2003 GT3R. Josh and I were particularly excited to see the GT3R, as it is an ex-Hazardous Sports unit, and still sports sponsorship decals from when it was last run professionally, at Sebring back in 2005.
Robert from Lufteknic supported the team that year, and it was really something to see this car in the flesh, running at Sebring, and with the Lufteknic decals still displayed proudly on the front fenders.
Sadly it did not last the whole one-hour event...a fuel pump is said to have gone down, and rather than risk a blown motor (not cheap) it was retired. More pics of this car in the future...
This little car is definitely one to file under 'huh?' Powered by Ford, and about a million miles from the ground effects, fully enclosed prototype Mazda Kudzu GTP Lite car, which was on the track at the same time.
Yes, this is a Pinto. F-Troop is one of the legendary Sebring camps. We'll have a closer look at some of those in a few days...
This little Datsun 510 was super cool. In my lottery-winner dreams I would defintiely consider adding one of these to the garage.
Flames on overrun...going into the hairpin, BMW CSL Turbo.
I believe this is called a Nimrod. Really. I can't say for sure why it's called that, but it was loud, V8 powered, and had some serious speed. It's from the 60s and looks it, like the sort of car that will take your life if you're not careful.
Did I mention that you can get quite close to the track at Sebring? This is very much an old school track with regards to safety!
Often times the vintage events end up being as much fun as the main attraction. Everyone in the vintage world, it seems, is there to have some fun and get together over a mutual love of the automobile, and that infectious enthusiasm is hard to ignore.
So ends our look at the vintage race at Sebring, and tomorrow we'll look at day two (Friday) for qualifying and some Patron Challenge (Porsche) action. For the full sized versions of these, and MANY more, check out Sebring SVRA Set on Flickr.
_WRS
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