That was great. That really took me back to a time before I was born. I wish there were still races like that now-a-days. Maybe just a local city circuit would be a great race to see.
I would love to see a rebirth of such an event, but it will never happen nowadays
We have become too safety conscious, we want to live forever, and engaging in a high-risk lifestyle is socially incorrect. But watching that old film almost brought a tear to my eye when I recalled the feeling of pulling on an open-faced helmet and goggles (without a Nomex driving suit) and strapping into a car to drive as fast as it would go right up against the ditches and trees. That was the whole point of racing back then--coming in first was great, but for most of us, just being out there with your balls hanging on the bumper was why you were doing it. I don't imagine that SCCA would confirm my recollections, but danger and the thrill of driving really fast was what drew us to the sport back then. We couldn't come close to the speeds SCCA racers are doing now, but the new drivers aren't looking at trees, ditches, and Armco steel barriers right at the edge of the track. They know that if they overcook a turn, the worst they have to deal with is a tirewall.
I remember some wag at an SCCA meeting a couple of years ago expressed why he didn't want to come out for our autocrosses: "Put some contact explosives on those cones," he said, "and I'll be signed up."
Without danger, the thrill pales.
