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Formula Vees Race Through VIR's Downhill Esses -
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Tfiere is a certain color to
sports car racing that is quite
unlike anything in the world.
Some call it the sport man's
most dangerous game, others
call it his most thrilling, but to
those who watch, it is much
more.
It is the tingling smell of ex
otic methanol and alcohol fuel
blends and the deafening sound
of high performance engines
being turned to razor
sharpness.
It is the thrill of seeing a
green flag send 30 drivers and
machines screaming down the
straight and into the first turn
and the agony of seeing one
spin off the course.
The drivers themselves are
as varied as the faces of a
. deck of cards. Many are m
. j ycngrf ew ; are !- old, and some
are women. All put a tent over
their cars while they
themselves sleep in the open.
Their uniforms differ only in
colors and degrees. Some wear
tennis shoes, some boots, All
wear flameproof suits and
crash helmets.
Ask one why he races and
often the reply will be simply,
"It's my job," or "It started
as a hobby and now I can't
stop." Many will say they don't
know why.
The cars these men drive
are as exotic as the fuels they
burn. Some are bizarre hybrids
of several different cars, while
others are street machines
tuned for racing.
Some look impossibly small
for racing. Only 24 inches high
at the top of the roll bar, they
look pitifully inadequate for
the 140 mph they can travel.
The racing courses are long
and tortuous. In most there is
a corner and a gear change
coming every three or four
seconds.
Virginia International
Raceway, rated by many
drivers as one of the nation's
top sports car circuits, is 3.2
miles long with 12 major turns
and two long straightaways.
The fastest cars will reach
over 170 on the straight but the
lap record is only 87 mph.
The spectators come from
far and near to see the VIR
races. Many are college
students who just want a lazy
afternoon in the sun away
from the grind of classes. Beer
and blondes keep them com
pany. Some are hardened racing
fans, who know they will be
treated to some of the most
exciting driving in the racing
world. Occasionally they wave to
the drivers whizzing past, and
often a gloved hand, will be
uplifted in return.
And when it's all over, the
drivers load the , r a c i n g
machines on trailers and head
. . for the next -"circuit, , the spec-,
tators throw out the empty
beer cans and head home and
the track closes down until the
next races.
It's a world all its own.
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Curses! Foiled Again!
Photos by Steve Adams
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zTextiby Steve Price i : ?
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You Meet Hondas On The Nicest People
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Exhaust Manifold Of A Formula Vee
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Woman Driver Checks Dials Before The Race
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Spectator Watches The Race From Her Car
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