Is there a vintage class in Autocross?

Something where my Stock MGTD with 54 horsepower and 2000+ pounds  skinny tires.   Can go and play without embarrassment?   

Heritage classic street?
https://cdn.connectsites.net/user_files/scca/downloads/000/015/312/2016_Heritage_Classic_Rules.pdf?1464904752

Is a regional only class so some regions may not offer it but you could always check with your local region.  

Just register for time only and have a blast.

That's exactly the kind of car that could bring me back to autocrossing. I wouldn't care about competing with anyone but myself.  

moxnix said:

Heritage classic street?
https://cdn.connectsites.net/user_files/scca/downloads/000/015/312/2016_Heritage_Classic_Rules.pdf?1464904752

 

a regional only class so some regions may not offer it but you could always check with your local region.  

that exactly answers my question. Thank you! I'll check with my region and see if they participate. 

It seems most regions will have a "non-comp" class where you will get run times, but not be classed against anyone else. 

Folks sometimes need to remember while the SCCA Solo rule book is somewhat restrictive, it is designed for national level competition. Individual regions often have more leeway when it comes to how they want to run their events. My region will occasionally run with outside car clubs (Porsche, for example) and those cars will be classed together (or within their own classing groups) and are not subject to any SCCA Solo classing rules, just safety requirements. 

I run rally cross with a Volvo Amazon. There's no special class for old iron, but I rarely finish at the bottom, even with the oldest car there, so in my own mind that's a form of winning. 

Old cars sometimes have an advantage over new stuff. They're often narrower, lower, have more driver feel, and communicate better. They also often have better visibility. 

I know, I know...stop sharing all the secrets!

frenchyd said:

Something where my Stock MGTD with 54 horsepower and 2000+ pounds  skinny tires.   Can go and play without embarrassment?   

You wouldn't be embarrassed, and you wouldn't be DFL either. The only person embarrassed would be the guy with the BMW who kicked over 5 cones and lost to a mid-century British car with a tractor engine. 

i havenever understood "being embarrassed" about the car you brought to do competition things. IT's yours and you're having fun with it. Why do you care what others think? Just go have fun and don't over think everything..... Ok, I see the problem.

Carry on.

Go out and have fun.  You won't be embarrassed.  You will probably attract more attention than you want.    

If you go out and run in the time only group, I'll bet you'll get quite a lot of attention and admiration. I'd love to see something like that at an autocross, and I bet a lot of other folks would, too!

In reply to bobzilla :

I sat and watched my sister try with the MG TD I restored for her,  to perform in an autocross.  Granted she wasn't a great or even good driver, but she tried hard. 
   Anyway she was racing against another girl in a automatic Honda Civic who had just got her license. 
 The hard part is listening to the serious guys  make fun of their best efforts.   Impatiently waiting their turn at the track.  
  My sister heard those comments when she was waiting and she realized how chauvinistic a lot of guys were.  So instead of staying and improving she claimed a headache and drove home. 
  Much as I'd like to imagine all racers are good people the reality is they are made of a cross section of the population.  

In reply to frenchyd :

I don't know how long ago that was, but at every single event I've ever been to, be it LeMons, Rallycross, or a Cars n' Coffee, I have yet to hear a single chauvinistic or misogynistic word out of anyone.  Heck, at the last CnC one younger woman won a trophy (well-deserved I would say) for her pristine 1986 Pontiac Fiero.  Mrs. VCH brings her '68 Camaro and people love to talk to her and learn about her car and its history. 

I'm sure there's some ass hat racers out there, as you say, simply because there's ass hats in the world, but I sure haven't met them.  Implore her to try again, and maybe if you hear anyone being an ass hat, kindly remind them that attitude doesn't belong there.  Or really, anywhere.  We're all racers, regardless of what our naughty bits look like or what we like to do with them. 

We have a guy that shows up in a 1947 MG TC, wire wheels and all.  He runs a Heritage Class.  That machine sounds great and is a joy to watch.  Not fast by today's standards, but he is probably having the most fun!

volvoclearinghouse said:

In reply to frenchyd :

I don't know how long ago that was, but at every single event I've ever been to, be it LeMons, Rallycross, or a Cars n' Coffee, I have yet to hear a single chauvinistic or misogynistic word out of anyone.  Heck, at the last CnC one younger woman won a trophy (well-deserved I would say) for her pristine 1986 Pontiac Fiero.  Mrs. VCH brings her '68 Camaro and people love to talk to her and learn about her car and its history. 

I'm sure there's some ass hat racers out there, as you say, simply because there's ass hats in the world, but I sure haven't met them.  Implore her to try again, and maybe if you hear anyone being an ass hat, kindly remind them that attitude doesn't belong there.  Or really, anywhere.  We're all racers, regardless of what our naughty bits look like or what we like to do with them. 

Yeh,  Decades ago when some  men thought such behavior was acceptable .  She's moved on since.   I'm aware that some are impatient to get back on the track and may not take kindly to hold ups.  
 so it's better to check than to just barge in. 
   I will do something with the TD  in the Heritage class, though if the Land O' Lakes region has such a thing.  

trucke said:

We have a guy that shows up in a 1947 MG TC, wire wheels and all.  He runs a Heritage Class.  That machine sounds great and is a joy to watch.  Not fast by today's standards, but he is probably having the most fun!

I really want a TC.  They just look...right. 

volvoclearinghouse said:

trucke said:

We have a guy that shows up in a 1947 MG TC, wire wheels and all.  He runs a Heritage Class.  That machine sounds great and is a joy to watch.  Not fast by today's standards, but he is probably having the most fun!

I really want a TC.  They just look...right. 

 I own a MGTD for the past 60 years. I'd like to keep it for the rest of my life. 
   But I've always wanted a MGTC.   They have this drop dead look with their 19 inch wire wheels and insolent attitude.  Nothing else even comes close.  
 Besides the book the Red Car by Don Stanford  is the first book I read and it helped me work on my dyslexia.  Every few months I re-read it. 

On a local basis, in Southern California, we support two groups for the older cars. Historic One is for cars up to 1974. There is an exemption for cars like the MGB and Z cars that had continuing production after that date.  In my case I used to run a 1975 BMW 2002 with this class.

Then we have Historic Two for cars 1975 and later.  This has give the NA Miata's a place to run now that they are nolonger competative with the NB's.  My 1982 BMW 320i ran in this group, my 1988 BMW 325 is also able to run in this class.  

The verbage for these local classes can be found in the suplimental reg on the www.solo2 web site. I have run with this group for a number of years and my 1970 Datsun Roadster, a 1600, is being prepaired to run in Historic One.  My car will run in H Street against a number of Morgans that run in E Street.

I wish the SCCA would clarify the Heritage Classes, but that is a subject for an other day.

jr02518 said:

On a local basis, in Southern California, we support two groups for the older cars. Historic One is for cars up to 1974. There is an exemption for cars like the MGB and Z cars that had continuing production after that date.  In my case I used to run a 1975 BMW 2002 with this class.

Then we have Historic Two for cars 1975 and later.  This has give the NA Miata's a place to run now that they are nolonger competative with the NB's.  My 1982 BMW 320i ran in this group, my 1988 BMW 325 is also able to run in this class.  

The verbage for these local classes can be found in the suplimental reg on the www.solo2 web site. I have run with this group for a number of years and my 1970 Datsun Roadster, a 1600, is being prepaired to run in Historic One.  My car will run in H Street against a number of Morgans that run in E Street.

I wish the SCCA would clarify the Heritage Classes, but that is a subject for an other day.

 

 

 

I'm glad SCCA stays out of that.  Take my MGTD for example.  It's a 1953. And has been "updated" with the MK2 head and intake.  Plus various rebuilds over the  years has bored the cylinder walls out to .120 over. And the head has been resurfaced a fair bit. While the camshaft periodically has the lobes reground from wear.  
 In other words it's no longer showroom stock.  
however there is a whole lot more that could be done.  I hear some engines are making 120 horsepower to the stock 54 horsepower.  
    How would they ever properly classify those cars?  How often do they show up?   And is it a bunch of them or just one at a time.  
     Vintage racing doesn't typically worry about such details.  Only rare classes where engines are common like Trans Am  or Formula Ford.  Plus I've never in 60 years seen an engine torn down in a protest.  
   So who really cares?  

frenchyd said:

volvoclearinghouse said:

trucke said:

We have a guy that shows up in a 1947 MG TC, wire wheels and all.  He runs a Heritage Class.  That machine sounds great and is a joy to watch.  Not fast by today's standards, but he is probably having the most fun!

I really want a TC.  They just look...right. 

 I own a MGTD for the past 60 years. I'd like to keep it for the rest of my life. 
   But I've always wanted a MGTC.   They have this drop dead look with their 19 inch wire wheels and insolent attitude.  Nothing else even comes close.  
 Besides the book the Red Car by Don Stanford  is the first book I read and it helped me work on my dyslexia.  Every few months I re-read it. 

A TD with wire wheels comes close, and 15" tyres are much better and easier to source.  But you're right, those 19" are crazy good looking, even though they must ride like buck boards.

Which were the "bicycle fendered" cars?

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

All the cars produced had curved fenders ( well except old #1 (1925 one only made) 

  The rest were modifications by racers to lighten the car and reduce aero Drag. 
    
Actually the ride isn't that much different between any T series car. ( straight axle TA TB TC ) and the IFS TD &TF assuming similar condition. 
   What is a major difference is the steering  on the straight axle cars with 19" rims. 
     Go-cart quick is probably the most commonly understood.  But a novice driving one for the first time will often find himself  changing lanes completely.  

In our case, on a local bases, no one will take much notice to your "updates".  Your car will have a challenge keeping up with Morgans.

Everyone does.

In reply to jr02518 :

1250 cc versus 2000, ?  Year for year the Morgan wins. Except on style.  While the Morgan is classic. The TC just has that fantastic drop dead style. 

Go, have fun, don't worry about class.

Here's a little often-forgotten part of the SCCA Solo rule book. It's under 1.1.1:

In other words, if a region wants to have a historic/vintage/whatever class, assuming the SCCA safety rules are met, it can happen. 

This might take a minute, but I will try....

First, The SCCA has taken many rounds of input and has decided that cars fall into different levels of preparation. They are Street, Prepaired, Modified .... There are more, but for this discursion that will be enough.

No cars are stock.  New or old. They no longer attempt thread this needle.  They do group cars together by a combination of parameters.

Your MG and my Datsun Roadster, a 1600 would be in H Street.  The Morgan's, based on displacement of the engine run in E Street.  A PAX, or handy cap (modified annually) is used to adjust everyone's raw times so you can compare one time against another. If I had a Datsun Roadster 2000 it would be classed in E Street, based  on its larger displacement.

The PAX discussion, like the SCCA discussion will not be attempted by me.  But I will enjoy others chiming in!