Vintage Racing at the new Dominion Raceway, Virginia PART ONE

Gentle reader,

I've been into sports car racing since the 1960's when I was a kid. Thanks to organizations such as SVRA: SVRA | Sportscar Vintage Racing Association and HSR: HSR Home as well as one that is new to me, VRG: Home - Vintage Racer Group sports and formula race cars that might have sat in a museum or ended up junked are kept alive doing what they were intended to do: RACE!

Today, October, 22, 2016, a buddy and I attended the first vintage races held at the newest racing venue on the East Coast of the USA: Dominion Raceway. Located north of Richmond, Virginia and south of Washington, D.C. right off the Thornburg, Virginia Exit of interstate 95:

Dominion Raceway & Entertainment

He and I have attended races separately and together over the years at the famous VIR: Virginia International Raceway and Summit Point, which is just over the border, west of D.C. in West Virginia. It too is quite historic: Summit Point Motorsports Park 

I have been keeping up with the development of Dominion Raceway since I first heard it was in the works. They have a very good Facebook page. The folks behind the new venue once owned the old Dominion Speedway near Manassas, Virginia. It was tolerated by the locals because it had been there so long. But developers and folks living in the newer neighborhoods nearby who could hear the races whether they wanted to or not, put pressure on the county officials to shutter DS. Finally an offer for the land was high enough that the owners could resist no longer. Flush with cash, a search was begun for a new location that would be far enough from population centers, but still easily accessible. And they found it. It is WAY better than the old speedway. Thornburg is a lot closer to Richmond, than to D.C. Yet it is a whole lot closer to where we reside than VIR or Summit Point are. 

It took me well less than an hour to get there and back today. For once I-95 was working the way it was intended. The speed limit is 70 MPH and one can cover a lot of miles quickly.

Turns out my buddy, who lives a lot closer than I do to DR, was there an hour earlier than I was, yet we didn't hook up until I'd been there an hour myself. He actually had a lot better location to view the racing action than I did. 

Dominion Raceway, at this point has a 1/5th mile banked oval track as well as an excellent two-mile road course. Within and using part of the oval is a Go-Kart track as well. They have a 1/8th mile drag strip planned which will parallel the main straight of the road course.

Today, there were races at both tracks at the same time, yet the very rural location tended to disperse the sound so hearing protection was not needed. Here is a photo of the very nice, multi-story main building at DR:

 Below is the beginning of the front straight as seen from the top of the grandstands.

 Below are three images of the oval/Go-Kart track. I had stitched them together in a panorama, but this web site doesn't accept the necessary format to display it. So use your imagination.

Now, in order as I came across them in the paddock are a number of the vintage race cars. Note that some have stickers from one, two or all three of the aforementioned vintage sanctioning bodies.

First is a lovely Alfa Romeo Giulia from the 1960s.

 Above and below is an Austin Healy Sprite.

 Above and the two photos below show a classic BMW 2002 racer.

Next, one of the two PORSCHE 914-6 racers there this weekend.

 Above and the three pics below show an old Triumph that has been rebodied for racing.

 Beautiful color of blue!

 I believe the above cockpit was in another old BMW 2002.

Above one of the very pretty Datsun 510 racers. When I was 17, in 1974, I talked my dad into buying a used 1972 510 two-door from the dealership that I worked for. I think I drove it more than he. FUN! Datsun 510's engine is 1600 CC or 1.6 liters. It is 2/3rds of it's big brother, the 240Z's 2.4 liter six cylinder engine. They were built to directly compete with the BMW 1600 and 2002. They did then and still do today in vintage racing.

Speaking of the Datsun 240Z, here is a beauty! It MAY be one of the historic racers from Newman-Sharp (as in Paul and Bob, yes, THAT Paul Newman!) Racing, or a clone or "Tribute". I didn't ask.

It is darned authentic looking.

 Above and below, the driver sits on the starting grid.

One of the UK car companies that continued to build sports cars that never changed; Morgan:

 In the street version of these, a spare tire is mounted on the trunk, or "boot" as they call it.

Note the autumn leaf above? A visual clue to the BRUTAL winds that were blowing today! Still I am SO glad that I went! Nothing like attending an automobile races.

 Above and the three images below show one of the two early Formula Ford racers.

 Check out that snug cockpit above and the VERY classic smooth shape to this VERY purposeful race car. They don't make them like this any more!

Below, are two buddies and their almost matching cars. These two BMW 2002s swapped the lead over and over when they raced.

Next, a race version of my first sports car, a Triumph Spitfire 1500. Mine was a 1974 model, also red. Hard to believe my 6' 3" body fits in that tiny car, but it does.

 I was glad this fellow was working on his original Mini so you can get an idea just how TINY it is.

 This Mini, the only one there, led the race for several laps to our delight.

 Above and below is a race version of a British sports car that Enzo Ferrari himself, called the most beautiful car he had ever seen. The iconic Jaguar E-Type. It did not race today.

 Yes, those ARE Ford Pinto race cars. Well, the green one below is a Mercury Bobcat.

 And, lastly, to close out this first edition of this series, a Datsun 510 next to a BMW 2002.

The BMW driver is no doubt curious why I'm taking their picture. But, one cannot expect privacy at a race! 

More editions to follow, but things to do and it is getting late. Thanks for looking!

Scott