Greetings HMC Racers, Fans, Gals and Guys

Some Random Thoughts

Historic Muscle Car and Saloon Car racing is the ultimate in amateur motor racing. There are many factors, which I think make it so. To a historic racing driver, each race can be as important, satisfying, or challenging as any other. From the high profile, mega event races, down to the smallest of club racing events that provide sheer exhilaration from driving our race car well. There is, to be sure, a unique satisfaction being in a competitive field, with the challenge of great road racing circuits in this country. Most of us race for our own satisfaction and to achieve our goals. Some race to win, but at a pace that our talent, car set up, physical condition, other competition, etc allow us to on the particular day.

Where we finish may give us bragging rights in the post-race pits and at parties, but it does not guarantee another great result in the next race!

The advantages of the Historic Muscle Car class are the secret ingredients in making our sport the greatest form of amateur racing in this country. There is a great variety of saloon cars in a given era and one can choose from several different models and styles, spanning the 60’s and 70’s, in which to go historic racing. The car one owns doesn’t become obsolete, nor need constant improvements or modernisation if raced in “the true spirit of Historic” and that’s what we in HMC are about. Most don’t drop in value with rule changes or passage of time - in fact they can escalate in value. Back in the day these cars, (the real ones), raced for trophies, glory, points and championships and sometimes prize money. Many of these legendry drivers won some, lost some, became legends along the way and I have no doubt they prized that experience. But the series and sanctioning bodies changed the rules all the time, moving the goal posts and rendering last year’s winner and vehicle obsolete. The vehicles usually decreased in value and got moved onto lesser known series and became more modified, taking years out of their racing life and value, until some ceased to even existed.

The other plus factor for owning and racing a “Historic Muscle Car”, is that no constant, expensive, time-consuming updates are either required or desired (though some may desire!). Remember there should be no evolution in historic racing. In contemporary main stream racing, for which the motive is almost always to WIN or go faster and quicker, there are a couple of sayings which apply. “going faster cost more money. How much do you have?” “To win takes all your money and all your time”, plus in the best of historic saloon car racing worlds, we take pride in our cars and their history (if known) and we enjoy the privilege of racing them with other like-minded people. So I challenge all the competitors to give this some thought, and maybe be willing to sacrifice that third place plastic trophy, or that second race win for something far more valuable: The camaraderie and gentlemanly enjoyment of an amateur sport with like-minded friends.

Those are some of my random thoughts of sorts, but as always, race in the spirt of true Historic Muscle Car racing and always enjoy the day and your vehicle.