I joined VSCDA in 1981. My first event was Blackhawk Farms which then (pre global warming) was held in mid-October. At that time vintage was pre-1960 and the 37 entries were divided into 3 groups.

Group1 was pre-war and had 11 of the entries. Remember, Founder and President John Kleen’s 1939 BMW 328 was then 42 years old. It’s now over 70 years old and John isn’t far behind. Each group had their own race which was a Handicap race, the cars starting at various times based on their projected lap times. Then the groups were mixed and we ran “High Speed Trials,” where each car was required to do a specific number of laps in a given time. At the end of the day the track was kept open for another half hour and everyone was allowed to do touring.

We were our own corner workers so when you weren’t out on the track you manned the corners for the other group. A concourse was also held for all the race cars and a suitable prize was given in each class.

We no longer can expect almost 1/3 of our entries to be pre-war and only Tom Moore is still racing from that initial group. However, pre-war (except for the T-series MG’s) are all over that 70 year mark and it is fantastic to see them still on the track. We need to hope, however, that we can encourage new drivers to develop a feeling for these cars and their history and keep this as part of the VSCDA tradition.

This year we will have three Group 1 events, Blackhawk in June, Autobahn in July, and ELVF in September. I encourage all pre-war racers to support these events to the extent they can. I also encourage other VSCDA members to consider racing a pre-war car. It is an experience you’ll never forget!