Safe Vintage Racing Needn’t Be Vintage

No, your 1950 Allard K2 did not come with a roll bar or head rest; and yes, you want to keep your vintage car as original as possible. However, this is no excuse for offering yourself up on a platter when the unexpected occurs. You are expected home and at work in roughly the same condition as you left—if only a bit more sore and stiff. For not much more than the cost of one race weekend, you can get yourself a rather good “insurance policy” in the form of proper safety equipment. This includes, a lightweight helmet, HANSTM device, proper 6-point harness belt, a good racing suit, an extra layer of fire-rated underwear, red driving gloves (good for signaling), and a pair of Nomex® driving shoes.

In the last two years, I have attended several vintage racing events put on by HSR, SVRA, VRG, and VSCCA. I was there with our trackside support truck selling HANS devices, belts, and all of the other safety equipment mentioned. I drooled over exquisite examples of classic marques such as MG, Lola, Ferrari, Bugatti and Porsche. And, was surprised to find two-year-old Indy Lights cars, and recent NASCAR Cup Series cars at the HSR events. What I did not expect to see that first year was a level of driver safety equipment that in many cases was nearly as vintage as the cars. The good news is that in 2006 most of these organizations woke up and started to toughen their safety standards.