VSCCA Fall Finale: a Pre-War Celebration
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#277 Mike Bartell, 1934 MGPA; #67 Dorien Berteletti, 1934 Hudson Indy Car; #20 Tom Ellsworth, 1935 Ford Amilcar Special. mean the TC MG contingent are allowed but VSCCA Fall Finale: not the TDs and it would allow the HRGs and possibly some very early specials. Expect to see a similar arrangement for the VSCCA A Pre-War Celebration Fall Finale in 2020. Time will tell. The prewar racing was its usual display of Lime Rock Park, Connecticut nomex-clad decorum but the excitement level was memorable. Frank Mount’s 1939 MG- September 26-28, 2019 the event and also encourages the spectators TB Special, “Babe,” was seen to be running – story by JP Donick to give some thought to joining the on-track quickly. Mount seldom puts a wheel wrong – photos by Phil Maddalena activities, even if only in the “touring” classes. This year’s event saw a This third year of the VSCCA Fall Finale prewar class of 27 entries doubling as a Pre-War Festival came off for the racing. The variety beautifully. The weather was a bit dodgy early was impressive, with a on but the idea of a focus event on Pre-War number of Bugattis, a Cars is showing itself to be an idea with legs. Riley or two, a Hudson, The concept was born a few years ago in an Amilcar an HRG, conjunction with Victory Lane Magazine several impressive and publisher Dan Davis, who graciously even historic Specials, and a agreed in the second year to donate a trophy for number of MGs. Most, the class. Aside from encouraging members though, admittedly not to bring out their prewar mounts for racing, all, were actual prewar the VSCCA has also encouraged non racing examples. There was a members to attend the event with their own need to accommodate #215 Carl Whitney, 1955 Lotus Mk IX. prewar cars and to take part as spectators. some of the slower The club provides plenty of parking for them postwar vehicles and that was arranged. It and he and the old MG have been together in the paddock. A paddock full of vintage is hoped that future years will find this class long enough to be very very well acquainted. spectator cars adds greatly to the ambiance of growing into a “pure” prewar grid. The club Watching him at the wheel is a joy. has already gotten some VSCCA President Sandy Leith brought out distance down that path and the ARCA-era Ford-Bugatti Special he has confidence is high that the been campaigning now for quite some time. situation will be even better This year had been a frustration for the two in the 2020 season. One of them due to any number of mechanical example of that confidence ailments. Ben Bragg, who looks after the old is that the VSCCA will be beast, finally managed to get her sorted out returning to sanction a piece and Leith had a number of good runs, once or of the legendary Pittsburgh twice in pursuit of Jason Urban’s impeccably Vintage Grand Prix in presented MG P-type Lester Special. Schenley Park in July. The Bragg had the venerable “Old Gray Mare,” rules for the prewar group out. It’s a Ford V8-powered special that Lem in that event will be very Ladd fabricated back in the thirties to take stringent. It will be all prewar on the bigger money cars in the ARCA of except for the earliest of the the time. Ladd set a record with it on Mount #2 Sandy Leith, 1931 Bugatti Special. postwar cars. That would Washington before the war and often showed 42 February 2020 • Victory Lane a clean, if slightly scruffy, set of heels to the Bugattis and Alfas. The “mare,” as she’s often fondly called, had some success after the war in the hands of George Weaver and several others. There’s even a wonderful story of VSCCA-founder and later president, Bill Leith in his college days, borrowing it to drive from Boston to Providence, Rhode Island, to take a very fashionable young lady out on a date. We understand the young lady’s father was less than amused but that she had a marvelous time anyway. They were simpler days. In 2019 the car continues to run at the front of the pack and Ben Bragg has managed to keep her in reasonably fine fettle. We note, though, that the “Old Gray Mare” appears about as scruffy today as she did in the photos from her glory days in the mid-thirties. photo by JP Donick Tom Ellsworth’s Ford/Amilcar Special is another of the ARCA-era entries for this event Pre-War Road Racing and had a great and untroubled weekend. Celebration Trophy Along with the Leith Bugatti, the “Old Gray Mare,” and Peter Ross’ J2 MG, there were at The 2019 Annual Victory Lane/VSCCA least four genuine ARCA cars present. Pre-War Road Racing Celebration Trophy Berteletti’s Hudson Indy Car looked to be was awarded at the VSCCA Fall Finale and running very well on Friday, we think we Prewar Festival on the 28th of September. heard of some mechanical sadnesses with it The winner this year is Jason Urban, who on the Saturday. Berteletti has been running was competing in his 1935 MG P-Type this car in VSCCA events since at least the Lester Special. He was chosen from a early 1980’s and quite possibly from the mid- field that boasted 27 entries, including photo by JP Donick seventies. An example of the VSCCA prewar Bugattis, MGs, Hudson, Amilcar, and spirit in action, we can recall him bringing a number of other marques. Urban has the legendary Harry Lester. Lester’s MG it to the very first Pittsburgh Vintage Grand competed in the P-type for a number of specials after the war managed to write Prix over thirty years ago. We don’t believe years around the VSCCA’s schedule in their own chapter in MG’s racing history. he has missed a season with it in the interim. everything from wheel-to-wheel races, This prewar example is one of his earlier His runs on Friday had him fighting it out with hillclimbs, and rallies. The MG is always vehicles and contains bits from several a couple of the MG stalwarts, at least one of magnificently presented. In the best prewar P-type MG models, the PA and PB anyway. whom noted that a car that large isn’t easy to class tradition, he maintains the car himself The special body further sets it apart. pass. We add that a driver of Berteletti’s skill and is responsible for its most recent Urban’s MG is seen at any number of doesn’t make the effort any easier. restoration. VSCCA events during the season and even The VSCCA Fall Finale wasn’t all about The car is called a P-Type Lester Special manages to take him and his wife to dinner prewar. The rest of the entry were divided as its genesis was in one of the prewar from time to time. into two classes, “fast and faster.” Most of PB MG models that fell into the hands of – JP Donick the Porsches, the Morgans, and the later MGs made up the former. The latter included the various Alfisti as well as the Sports racers and the MG crowd. In the faster class we noted Rileys, and several of the most mouth- the Formula cars. Jim Bok driving impeccably in his Lotus 7. watering Bugatti road cars that one can In the slower of the two classes we enjoyed We were also very much impressed by Mitch imagine. the sight of the Morgans having some fun with Eitel’s spectacular 1959 OSCA monoposto. Adding their own measure of enthusiasm to Rounding out this the weekend were several hundred Connecticut wonderful weekend were Cub Scouts. For the third year running they the many vintage cars to scheduled their annual weekend camping trip be found in the paddock. to Lime Rock to coincide with the VSCCA Some managed a few finale. Perfectly behaved and well supervised touring laps behind a pace they had the run of the paddock and enjoyed car. Don Law’s prewar seeing the cars, talking to the owners, and, in BMW 327/28 looked many cases, getting their photos taken at the breath-takingly beautiful wheel of a race car. amongst the other prewar The Pre-War celebration at the VSCCA cars. It had been driven Fall Finale has truly come of age. From it the three hours over to is growing the prewar class at the upcoming Lime Rock from Boston Pittsburgh Vintage GP in July and a deeper and likely didn’t miss a Pre-War class at Lime Rock’s 2020 Historic #645 Jeffrey Sienkiewicz, 1959 MGA; #745 Larry beat. There were Bentleys Festival. We can expect even more delights Eckler, 1958 Morgan +4. around, a couple more in 2020. www.victorylane.com Victory Lane • February 2020 43 Ferrari 250 TR60 Commissioned by Regis Fraissinet in 1982, this car offers great provenance, wonderful patina and blistering performance. #722 Larry McKenna, 1959 Stanguellini; #512 Paul Glynn, 1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder Veloce. Entrants List D. Dingman/1959 Osca GROUP 1 J. Feng/1957 Alfa Gilulietta DriVEr/Car B. Gelles/1959 Stanguellini J. Amarosa/1959 Triumph TR3 P. Glynn/1957 Alfa Romeo Giulietta C. Brown/1957 Morgan +4 Spyder Veloce R. Campbell/1959 Renault H-Mod J. Goodman/1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Special Spider Veloce M.