Helpful stuff
This is not the definitive list of all the resources to help you get started, but below are the typical kinds of things that our members used to get into the sport and to support themselves. We have broken things down a bit for you, but one amazing resource that is worth visiting in person if you live in Northern California, is the Sonoma Raceway, Motorsports Industrial Park... it is unique in the US to have a center like this, right next to a world class race track.
Where to race ?
The main clubs and series in Northern California, are CSRG, The Crossflow Cup, and the USRRC. Vintage cars are also accepted with CFRA, most of the track day clubs (they don’t generally accept open wheel cars, but anything with Fenders is good). The main clubs on the west coast are also HMSA, SOVREN and VARA. Once you have some experience, premier events like the Sonoma Speed Festival and the Rolex Reunion are open a well.
Where to buy a car
Finding a car can be great fun. Below are some of the ways you can hunt down the perfect car and get great advice along the way.
Come to the races, there will almost always be cars for sale, and people with advice on who has one for sale
There are sometimes surprises on Craigslist, Ebay, even Hemmings sometimes has a cool car or two
Race shops (listed below) and car clubs and forums like ApexSpeed often have inside knowledge on who has a car that might be willing to part with it.
Race-cars.com is fully dedicated to race cars and many great vintage cars are listed.
Sometimes auction site www.bringatrailer.com has race cars, the week we wrote this they had a sweet Austin Healy Sprite and a Formula V
Winding Road and Racing Junk both have listings from all over the web
Fantasy Junction curates some of the worlds most important collector cars, race cars included. The Trenary family are also quick, experienced vintage racers and a source of great advice
Motorsports Market is a specialist race car broker, and Art Hebert himself is an experienced racer
Grand Prix Classic and Canepa focus on the dream budget end of the market, so definitely amazing to browse and an option if you have a larger budget.
Vintage racing and classic car publications all have classifieds and are full of articles and ads for all sorts of useful things. Take a look at Victory Lane, Vintage Motorsports, Vintage Racecar, Classic Motorports
If are wiling to import a car, or just want to lose an entire evening browsing, Race Cars Direct in the UK always has a ton of listings.
Specialty Brokers such as Race Car Locators and Vintage Race Car Sales
Race shops that specialize in Vintage racing
There are the rare individuals who do it all... build engines, weld cages and set qualifying records. But for most of us mere mortals race shops are an important resource. Whether you want to do all your own work, or you simply want to drive the car with full race-day support. Whether you need parts, machine work, suspension alignments, car storage and transportation, driver coaching, repairs, or hand holding as you develop your skills and your car, race shops can play a part in making your race weekends safe, competitive and great fun. Shops come in all shapes and sizes, from one person specialists, or even shops that focus on just one brand or type of car to large full service organizations. And don't look beyond your local British car, German, British, Italian or Japanese car shops, a lot of them have a ton of race expertise. Below is by no means a definitive list, but it will get you started if you live and race in Northern California.
John Anderson Racing - Provides a full range of services for vintage open wheel race cars
Huffaker Engineering - 2 generations of Huffakers made this a world famous shop
Competition Touring Cars - Great full service shop runs a broad range of cars
McGee Motors - Supports vintage cars as well as modern race cars
Shippert Racing Services - Provides driver and coaching centered support
Auto Spa - Is a general race shop with a strong vintage experience
Virtuoso Performance - Vintage focused, full service shop
Examples of single marque or type specialists - Troy Ermish, JWE
Throttle Therapy Garage - A boutique race support shop, contact tomfallonsa@yahoo.com
If you know of a shop that should be listed here, please let us know.
Drivers Gear
At some point you will need a helmet, driver's suit, gloves, and the various tools and gizmos (like a GoPro) . Below is a list of resources that are not just useful for Vintage Racers, but have wholeheartedly supported our club. Again not an exhaustive list (just google Nomex Racing suit!) but a start
Wine Country Motorsports - Is a super market of everything a race needs, lots of fun to browse
Stand21 - Is a world famous name in driver's gear, and a great supporter of CSRG
