VSCCA 2010 Events by Shaun Henderson - AKA - OldGeezerRacing
Does an article like this belong in a magazine called Victory Lane? I think so because the cars on the Rallye are all part of the greater VSCCA family and indeed some see regular track time as well.
The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge is everyone's idea of a Grand Country Inn as drawn by Norman Rockwell whose home is very close nearby. And of course the museum dedicated to his work.
Ahead of my Citroen ID 19 on the starting lineup for the morning run was the incomparable 1932 Bentley 8 Litre that Richard Buckingham has rallied on four continents over the last 20 years including a run from London to Jordan in the company of HRH Duke of Kent. Behind me sat (or growled) the glorious 1969 Ferrari of old pal Bill Scheffler, Chairman of the annual Fairfield Concours d'Elegance. Distinguished company indeed.
The morning was bright and sunny and cool enough for a wonderful drive in the hills and dales of Litchfield County, surely the closest thing in America to the famed Lake District of the U.K.
We had driven the Citroen 120 miles that morning from Greenwich and she was running like a top, a little warm for a beret but perfect for a straw hat.
Ed Hyman & Bob Webber have a combined devilish sense of humour and we were asked to solve many ( 50) obscure visual questions in the 50 miles before lunch. Since I was driving solo it seemed prudent to follow the experienced R.B. in the Bentley, he was having nothing of that tactic and promptly stopped by the nearest farmhouse. Ok I thought lets follow that handsome Canadian Alfa Romeo, within 3 miles we had done four three point turns and were lost. Ok try again which is when racing pal Stu Forer zipped up in his vintage SCCA Miata.
Strange little car as I am used to seeing Stu on the track in his knock out 1954 Jaguar XK120. Stu is a superb racer and drives that way on country lanes too. So the underpowered Citroen was a little hard pressed to keep up but as lunch beckoned we tried hard. What fun and all at legal speeds.......?
After the usual convivial lunch at the Boathouse in Lakeville where I extolled the virtues of racing with Bill Scheffler the second journey began culminating in a visit to Lime Rock Park for a chin wag with the Aston Martin Owners Club. Watching others race always gets one attention but one car in particular was riveting. A familiar Aston DB 4 GT was circulating at very high speed with a passenger but stopping every 3rd or 4 th lap? What was this? Well it turned out to be a personal hero of mine non other than famed Brit racer Brian Redman. We all aim for consistency of line, shift points and braking but Brian personifies those driving skills. If you put a nickel on the apex of a bend Brian would cover it every time.
A lovely dinner followed at the Red Lion with guest speaker famed racing coach Bruce MacInnes regaling the group with amazing racing stories. He even managed to have me sign up for a Skip Barber three day course in a Miata, charming fella'.
Bright and early on Sunday morning the group took off for a scenic ramble along pretty country lanes. The Rallye is one of the highlights of the VSCCA calendar and beautifully organized by Ed Hyman & Bob Webber.
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as told in Victory Lane - http://www.victorylane.com/ 
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