Watkins Glen and the Collier Cup

 

Watkins Glen, New York, was the site of the first sportscar road race in the United States after World War II.  It was run on the streets of the town and surrounding community, with the courthouse on the main street serving as the start/finish line, on October 2, 1948.  This race began sportscar racing in America and holds a special place in history for MG.  Eight of the top ten finishers the first year were MGs, the new MGTC, the car that brought the enthusiasm to sportscars.

The first to bring an MGs to the United States, in the 1930s, were the Collier brothers, Sam and Miles.  They formed a racing organization and held races at their estate on Long Island.  Of course, they were at the first sportscar race following the war, both racing MGTCs.  They were placed in class B, for 1500cc - 2000cc engined cars because the 1250cc MG engine in their cars were supercharged, a common race enhancement on MGs.  A close look at the #24 car will reveal the supercharger.

Cameron Argetsinger was a young man who wanted a chance to race his MGTC.  He convinced the town to hold a race on their streets and negotiated with the railroad to not run their trains during the races since the course crossed the railroad tracks.  He accomplished this and promoted a successful race in less than 6 months.  The photo at right is Cam in the 1948 race coming through Millikan's corner.  It was named so after 1948 when Bill Millikan rolled his Bugatti into the hay bales at this spot.

With the racing history of Watkins Glen, and in particular the MG racing history, racing at Watkins Glen had to be on the calendar for the Moore's MGTF on the 2022 racing schedule.

Racing on the streets ended after the 1952 race when a spectator was killed.  It is impossible to have sufficient crowd control on a 6+ mile street course.  In 1956, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix was held at a purpose-built race track.  This track has hosted Formula 1 races to NASCAR.  It remains an important racing venue.  The vintage races, organized by SVRA provided the opportunity for the Moores to experience racing history in the current day.

In addition to the regularly scheduled practice and qualifying session, and two races, Watkins Glen also hosts the Collier Cup, a race in honor of the Collier brothers.  It is a race that is only open to MGs, held as the last race on Sunday.  The weather was not cooperative this year.  A light rain fell the entire day, sometimes a bit heavier, always heavy enough to keep the track wet and puddles.  A set of mounted rain tires are not usually part of the spare parts carried by vintage racers.  Running at speed on a wet track can be quite tricky when on tires designed to be run at high temps on a dry track.  The TF did well and the driver kept the car on the track, a feat not accomplished by all competitors. 

It was an honor to be a part of the Collier Cup - a chance to celebrate the MG marque and the people who have championed it.  

One of the reasons to attend the vintage races at Watkins Glen was the reenactment.  The town of Watkins Glen hosts a Grand Prix Festival that weekend to celebrate the founding of the Grand Prix.  Tens of thousands of people gather downtown for many activities from a Concours car show to presentations by famed people from auto racing.  Late on Friday afternoon, a group of cars gather at the race track for the drive to downtown.  Race cars, some without mufflers nor license plates.

As evidenced in the above photo, Bugatti was the featured marque and was given the prestigious position of leading the group on the drive to downtown.  As the cars were pulling out of the parking area at the track, Jill captured this shot of the driver enjoying the experience.

Only a short distance from Watkins Glen International, the route was on the old street racing circuit.  The posted speed limits were not enforced.  They allowed racing cars to be run at speed.  The yellow decal on the hood is a Watkins Glen reenactment sticker designating that this car was selected to participate in the event.  That is a Jaguar XKE in front of the MGTF.

After the big bend, the cars approach Milliken's corner and the beginning of the crowds of people can be seen.  The people lining the streets, yelling and cheering, adds much to the excitement of the reenactment.

Once the cars all reached downtown Watkins Glen, where the original start/finish line is located, the race cars were parked lined up along both sides of the main street.  The crowds, which had been cleared from the street, then left the sidewalk and surrounded the cars.  For a full hour, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival participants could tour the cars and talk with the owners and drivers.  One of the reasons one owns classic cars is to share them with others.  What an opportunity.

The streets were cleared of spectators and the cars moved out in single file to run two laps around the original 6.2 mile street course.  Without a pace car.  They turned over 100 race cars loose on the streets with no pace car setting a reasonable speed.  What a blast.  What an experience.  

People lined much of the circuit.  There is a tight corner at The Seneca Lodge, a historic and popular spot during the Festival.  People were lined up many deep along the road and sitting on the decks at their lodge room.  One couple even had a linen-covered table with wine and cheese so they could sit in front of their home to enjoy the re-enactment.  The Watkins Glen experience is unique.  

Mt. Equinox Hill Climb

Kobus Reyneke Photo

Hill climbs are an early form of motorsports, competing to determine which car is the most powerful and which driver is the most skillful (or maybe more daring).  MG gained its reputation as THE sports car in the early 1930s with successes on race tracks and hill climbs.  

One of my favorite MG photos is the one of Doreen Evans running the BOC Hill Climb at Chalfont St. Peter in 1935.  Doreen Evans was a successful MG race driver on both closed circuits and hill climbs.  The photographer caught her exiting a corner and heading up the following straight section of the climb.  She has her throttle foot on the floor with the rear end stepping out in an oversteer, opposite lock applied, the overhead-cam engine screaming, dual rear knobby tires digging for traction, tossing rocks rearward.  I can feel the car slide, hear the engine rev, and my right foot stays planted.  The adrenaline rushes.

I wanted that experience.  So, I did.  

Hill climbs do not happen in Florida, our home state.  There are no mountains of sufficient size to provide the steep challenge.  So, a long trip to Vermont was planned to race a historic hill climb, begun in 1950, Mt. Equinox.  The photo at the top of the page is of Glen driving Angie near the summit of the mountain, completing a run up the mountain.

Vermont is a beautiful place with the very green White Mountains.  With such a long trip, time was taken to enjoy the surrounding areas.  Of course, a beginning was to explore Mt. Equinox at a leisurely pace using the tow truck for transportation.   There are gorgeous views from the road up the mountain.

Before the road was paved, it passed over the top of Little Mt. Equinox, the prominent mound to the left.  The first races here were even more challenging than today.

This area is a vacation destination, so why not make it one.  An old inn, very close to the mountain, was selected for the atmosphere.  Breakfast was included, but do not think of one of the modern hotel preprepared, barely edible breakfasts.  This inn had their own chicken coop.  Farm fresh eggs every day, offered in many different preparations.  A warm, relaxed start to each day.

And, the inn provided a great place to end the day.  Without the hill climb, a visit here would still be most enjoyable.  But, back to the cars and the hill climb, the reason for this trip.

Race cars are stressed to the maximum, and sometimes beyond.  Things break.  While waiting for the first run up the mountain, Angie fractured a rocker arm.  The exhaust valve in #4 cylinder no longer opening, the engine began backfiring and running very rough.  Could have been the end of the weekend before the first run up the mountain was completed.  Not having a spare rocker arm made it look like the trip home might be early.

The atmosphere at the Mt. Equinox Hill Climb is very welcoming.  More camaraderie than competition.  One of the other MG T-Series entrants had an entire rocker arm assembly and offered it to the cause.  Other competitors pitched in and repairs were made before the second run up the mountain began.

A call to the grid is given and cars move to the parking lot in front of the visitors' center building.  Looking at this photo, you can see that the VSCCA runs true vintage events.  Cars are limited to 1960 and earlier, with a few select cars up to 1965 added.  It was a perfect event for Angie, our 1955 MGTF.  There were four T-Series MGs entered, a TC, a TD, and another MGTF, also from Florida.

A grid steward works from a list of run times up the mountain to organize the cars so that cars of similar times are started in sequence.  The run up the mountain is a lone task, one car at a time.  If a very fast car starts a minute behind a slower car, the fast car might catch up to the earlier starter.

Then, to the gate that admits visitors to Skyline Drive, the road up the mountain.  The starter, watching the clock to appropriately space the cars, drops the green flag to begin each car's run up the mountain.

Kobus Reyenke Photo

Finally, the few minutes that all the work has gone toward, the run up the mountain.  The road to the summit creates many different challenges in addition to the horsepower-sapping steep hill.  It rises 3248 feet in 5.2 miles of road.  There is a downhill decreasing radius, off-camber corner, quite unexpected when one is expecting to face an upward-sloping road.  There are many tight hairpin corners, some back-to-back.  The section known as “The Saddle” is breathtaking.  The Saddle is a concave area between two summits.  As you approach the first summit, after a straight that has allowed you to gain considerable speed, all that can be seen is the sky.  It is difficult to keep the right foot planted when it appears that you are running off the top of the mountain.

Kobus Reyenke Photo

Kobus Reyneke Photo

Finally, the race car reaches the top of the mountain, trips the electronic timer, and receives the checkered flag.  The run up the mountain is finished.  A short race, but an adrenaline-fueled trip that allows no big mistakes.

Kobus Reyneke Photo

Kobus Reyneke Photo

The cars gather at the top of the mountain, waiting for the last car to make the run up the mountain.  Then the cars make the trip back to the bottom as a group.  The break provides some time to share stores,  troubleshoot issues on the car, and have some good camaraderie.

The goal of experiencing a mountain climb, one of the competitive events that helped make MG's reputation as "the" sportscar, has been accomplished.  The sanctioning body that organized the races, Vintage Sports Car Club of America, did an excellent job.  The event ran smoothly in every aspect.  All of the competitors were welcoming creating a very positive and fun atmosphere.  It was a great event.

SVRA Sebring Speed Tour

Sebring, Florida, February 23 - 27, 2022   The first sportscar race at Sebring was held in 1950.  MGs were on the track competing.  MGs raced every 12-hour enduro race at Sebring for decades.  Much of the MG post-war racing history was created at the Sebring International Raceway.  Partly to experience the history, and to become part of that history, the crew chose to make the first race for the MGTF the SVRA race at Sebring.  And, in part, because the first sports car race that Glen attended was the 1959 12 Hours of Sebring.

But first, a part of the story of the race track must be shared.

Hendricks Army Airfield was built in 1941 to train pilots of heavy bombers. such as the B-17, to serve in WWII.  After the war, Alec Ulmann, a sports car racing enthusiast who was involved in rebuilding military airplanes for civilian use, saw the airport runways as a perfect place to stage a race.  The first race, in 1950, was named the Collier Memorial Race in memory of MG racer Sam Collier.  The original track layout was 5.2 miles long.  The growing needs of the current airport and industrial complex have shrunk the track to 3.75 miles long, a challenging, technical course with 17 turns.  Some of the racecourse is the original 1941 concrete and is rough, tossing the cars around.

Interested in taking a lap around the track?  Jim Pace, who was a highly regarded racer and race instructor, 

provides that opportunity through a YouTube Video.  A Lap at Sebring

SVRA is the acronym for the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association.  SVRA organized their first race in 1978 as a support race for the 12 Hours of Sebring and has been holding races every year since.  In 2022, SVRA will have 19 races, from Florida to Washington State.  https://svra.com/   The Vintage racecar that the crew has chosen to campaign this year is a 1955 MGTF.  Well over 200 cars were entered in a variety of classes and different groups.  Our MG was the oldest car and, therefore, the most vintage racecar at Sebring.  The detailed description of the car would best be accomplished in a separate post and that may be done in the future.  This image shows the car on the pit straight just past the walkover bridge.

The Sebring race schedule had competitors arriving on Wednesday to get in long lines to register, then wait for the slow process of moving the race cars and trailers into the paddock.  Thursday had practice sessions scheduled, three for each race group.  Friday had a practice session and a qualifying session to set the starting order of the first race.  Two races were run for each race group, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.  A long weekend and a lot of track time.  This image is of the TF in race #1 on Saturday.  Fellow MG owner, George Butz, captured this shot.

All of the action at the races doesn't happen on the race track.  The paddock, where the cars, trailers, and crews are located, is always active with work on the cars.  Changing race setup to reduce lap times and effecting repairs keeps all the crew busy.  In this image, the crew looks contemplative, considering the next step.  Geoff Ashcroft, the driver, Tony Cassata, and Dave Burrows are pictured here.  Geoff, Tony, and Dave, all good friends, came to Sebring to aid in the maintenance of the race car.  This image could be one used in a caption contest.

Another photo of the crew appropriate for a caption contest.  Three heads are better than one?  Brain Trust?  Tony Cassata, Dave Burrows, and the driver study a broken throttle linkage shaft and consider repair possibilities knowing that a new part is not available.  A fix was determined, changes made, working correctly for the rest of the weekend.  A true repair will be made after the car returns home.

Sebring proved to be an enjoyable race and a true shake-down for the car before a journey north to experience some favorite race tracks with long histories of MGs racing.  Many thanks to all who helped with the car during the weekend.  A true adventure among classic and fast cars.  Now, the Moore MG is a part of MG Sebring history.

HSR Classic 24 Hours

 

Daytona, October 30, 2021   This blog has focused on classic cars and on fast cars.  This blog post will be the first of a series focusing on classic cars that are fast and continue to prove that by racing in competition.  The above photo has a Corvette C7.R leading a group of cars out of the International Horseshoe corner at Daytona International Speedway.

HSR is a sanctioning body for vintage racing, although the cars that race in their series are not very vintage.  They avoid the vintage name in their title - Historic Sportscar Racing - with historic having a broad definition when it comes to the age of the cars racing.

However, as with all vintage racing, the atmosphere is relaxed with the spectators having access to all areas of the racetrack and the pits.  In the pits, the drivers and mechanics take time to share information and stories.

The pits are like a museum of historic race cars.  This car is a Porsche 935, one of the most successful race cars of all time.  The 935 won races all around the world and dominated the GT classes for years.  A 935 even earned and overall win at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona beating the prototypes one year.

In the prototype class, the Porsche 962 was dominant from the 24 Hours at Daytona to the 24 Hours de LeMans.  There were multiple 962 at the Classic 24 Hours.  They are beautiful cars that are fast and reliable.  They are also rare and desirable, which has moved their sales prices above $1 million.  Million dollar cars out on the race track.

And, those in attendance not only get to see the cars up close and personal, they also get to examine all the engineering and technology as the crews work on the cars.  This is another of the 962s at the Classic 24 Hours. 

  

Another piece of racing history, a 1982 Jaguar XJR,  This car one many sportscar races and was the leading technology of its time.  Again, successful from the Daytona 24 Hours to LeMans.  This example is one prepared and raced by the Bob Tulius organization, Group 44, thus the chosen race number on this car.  Another car in the race must have registered earlier wit the 44 number, so the Jaguar team added a 1 before the number.

It takes a lot of tubing to make exhaust headers for a V-12 engine.  Today's sportscar prototypes are very similar in design due to restrictive rules designed to keep competition close.  Racing began, and continued for decades to be an experiment in how to make cars better - more powerful, better handling, more reliable - with many variations in design.  Jaguar chose to compete with a naturally-aspirated V-12.  Porsche chose a twin-turbocharged flat-six engine.  Again, vintage racing allows one to closely examine the engineering, design, and construction of race cars.

A much newer version of the prototype race car, a Cadillac built to the newer Daytona Prototype standards.  It was originally built and raced by the Wayne Taylor race team located in Orlando, Florida.  This Cadillac enjoyed much success with numerous race wins and a couple of season championships.  Historic, yes.  Vintage, no.

Another car with a very recent racing history, the Corvette C7.R, which raced with much success in the GT class though the 2020 season.  This is one of the first C7.Rs, a 2014 model.  There were two of the C7.Rs entered.  On the track, at this race, they were faster than many of the prototypes.  The machine hooked up to the engine was an engine warmer, running hot water through the engine so that it was warm on start-up.

This 2012 Cayotte Corvette represents an earlier Daytona Prototype formula.  This car design, which had support from General Motors in development, was succeeded by the Cadillac.  It was difficult to get a clear photo of the car because of the girls in outfits matching the car always standing in the way.

A 1969 Lola leads a couple of older Corvettes and a gaggle of Porsches.  Finally, a car that meets many racing organizations definition of a vintage race car - 1972 or before.  These cars all look at home at Daytona because they all raced there in their period.

A Lamborghini leads another gaggle of Porches with a yellow Ferrari thrown in the mix.  There are many vintage racing sanctioning bodies organizing races across the county - HSR, SVRA, VSCCA, VDCA, VRG, VSCDA, and more.  Vintage Racing has become more popular, giving amateur racers a chance to experience racing on some of the greatest race tracks in the world.

A shot of only Porsches, the ever-popular race car of the 911 chassis.  The design of the car evolved over decades, although the  basic body design was always similar and recognizable.  There were many race cars built, and they were reliable, a formula for having many still racing today.

Vintage Racing - a new and popular segment of the motorsports and classic car hobbies.

Find a race near you to experience yourself.