How Many Formula Fords?

Does it take to fill three grids? Apparently VSCDA believes that the number is well over 200! In addition to the three formula Ford grids on the schedule there are grids for Classic Monoposto and F70. Only Indy Lights cars will not have an opportunity to accumulate championship points, though they will be able to run with the F70 group.

Obviously, this formula Ford year has been celebrated at many events by having special grids and races but the number of entries for Road America blows away the next largest group at the SVRA Indy event by more than double. One can only wonder what a 60 car draft looks and feels like!

With so much on-track and off-track activity on the schedule we will not have a Monoposto party this coming weekend.

I hope everyone (and especially the organizers) has a great weekend! Remember if you haven’t gotten enough track time there is a Monoposto event at VIR the following weekend and our season ender comes up two weeks after that at the Circuit of the Americas

Travis Engen

President,

Monoposto Racing

Three Big Weekends Ahead

Next weekend at Watkins Glen begins a Monoposto three race sequence at truly

demanding but different tracks: Watkins Glen, Road America and Virginia International

Raceway. Watkins Glen hosted the first post WW II road race in the United States on October 2nd , 1948. The first professional race at The Glen was conducted by NASCAR in 1957 on the year-old permanent road course and since then Can-AM, Trans-Am, Indy Car, Formula 1, IMSA and many other series have competed there. Beginning with the Start/Finish on the main road through Watkins Glen the original road course is marked by signage and is drivable. Friday's event schedule includes a downtown Watkins Glen Festival and a police escorted re-enactment of the original racecourse for selected race cars. (Our formula cars don't have enough clearance to successfully participate and anyway we're scheduled to be on the track during the time of the re-enactment.)

The permanent road course we will be racing on has a number of challenging corners

with iconic names: the bus stop, the carousel and the laces, toe and heel of the boot, for

example. If you’d like some help mastering the circuit look up me or any of the drivers at GMT racing in the paddock and we'll try to help with advice, videos and a few tips. I expect that as in past years GMT’s paddock location will be about 200 feet to the north of the snack bar and across from the media center.

Knowing where GMT is located in the paddock will also be useful because the

Monoposto party will be held there after racing on Saturday. F70 and Indy Lights drivers will

have an early to the party advantage since the Classic group is on track at 4:25pm. The hosts for the party are Sandra and Mike Taradash, Christina Murdoch and Paul Subject, Sarah and Kurt Fischer, and Cindy and Marc Giroux. That’s quite a group but there are 50 open-wheel cars on the entry list so there is some thought that it will take a village to host the party. In addition to having food and drinks we will be presenting one of our 2018 champions with his trophy so please come and congratulate him. Keep an eye out for future messages and postings about the VSCDA's Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival at Road America and the SVRA's Heathcock Classic Gold Cup at Virginia International Raceway. Finally, don't miss our last event of the year at Circuit of the Americas, the SVRA's U. S. Vintage National Championship the first weekend of October.

How Will You Handle the Jump?

In less than a week the XXXIII Au Grattan Vintage Grand Prix hosted by VSCDA will begin. Grattan is a wonderful club track just about 20 miles northeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The track is 2 miles long with 10 turns and nearly every one of them is blind, off camber or both. There is even a jump, where formula cars from FB to FV clear the ground, that is followed quickly by a 90-degree righthand turn. Do you brake before or after the jump? That was the question I was asking myself on my first trip there. You need to find out for yourself.

In addition to the intricacies of the circuit, the VSCDA event hosts a Formula Vee Challenge race and a "FF Birthday" race as well as the usual sprint races. There is so much track time on offer that, if you have never been to Grattan before, you will be able to learn the circuit.

There is a fishing competition for the kids in the pond and a swimming pool to cool off in later on. Saturday night features the Hagerty Banquet.

Tom and Gretchen Pixley will host the Monoposto party in their paddock area on Friday night so plan on a great time with your fellow Monoposto members.

Travis Engen

President,

Monoposto Racing