New in 2012: Sprite Midget Race Series

By Stan Mason

In 2011, VSCDA racers in Austin Healey Sprites and MG Midgets saw their numbers grow. GingerMan had nine Sprites on the track, twice as many than the previous year. Blackhawk Farms, which always has a strong presence for Spridgets, had 13 entries, tying their 2006 event, Grattan had nine Spridgets, beating its average, and ELVF eight entries. VSCDA has one of the strongest sustained Vintage Sprite Midget Racing Groups in the Midwest, and we would like to continue on that path by initiating a new VSCDA Race Series in 2012.

In creating the series, our goal is to improve racing within Group 2, with the goal of having more racers attending key events to promote more fun wheel-to-wheel racing within our Spridget Classes. We also want to continue the great camaraderie we all enjoy after each race session and at our group cookouts. These social gatherings not only allow us to get to know the competitors and their crews but also to offer them support.

Observing the past 10 years of VSCDA Sprite & Midget Racing has shown that Lake Michigan seems to divide some of us. The majority of racers on the west side of Lake Michigan race at Blackhawk Farms and Road America. The East Siders usually race at GingerMan and Grattan. The new 2012 Sprite Midget Race Series combines these regions and focuses on tracks that are the most challenging for our nimble race cars.

The 2012 Sprite & Midget Race Series will include May 4-6 at GingerMan, June 15-17 at Blackhawk Farms, and August 17-19 at Grattan, which will be the final race of the series and feature our Awards Ceremony. The points awarded are gleaned from some of the VSCDA Vintage Vee's rules, with one point for each lap completed during Qualifying, Sprint Race and Feature Race (not to exceed 8 points per session). These Race Series Points are for fun and reward durability. Points will be accumulated for the best 2 out of 3 races. This allows a competitor to have a throw-away race weekend, where mechanical issues may have occurred or a conflict in date made it impossible to attend that event. This is our first attempt at putting this series together; we know that we will learn and improve with feedback from participants through the year.

We also are fortunate that the MG Vintage Racers' 2012 Focus Event will be held on August 17-19 at Grattan, which will allow us to meet with those not familiar with our VSCDA Family. In addition, we will be encouraging Sprite and Midget Street Cars to join us at the track to observe all the racing, with Car Coral Locations TBD. Additional details on the VSCDA Sprite & Midget Race Series are available by e-mailing Stan Mason at stanbmason@aol.com.