North Midwest

Regional Contact

Regional Vice President – Doug Elcomb (click here to contact)

Races

Gratton – Gratton, MI – Sanctioning Club – VSCDA
Saturday, August 17th – Sunday, August 18th, 2013
Click here for entry details

News

I am now in beginning my 33rd year in vintage racing. It had never been my intention to race but I happened upon a Lotus 18 Jr being stored in a friend’s garage and I thought it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. It was also simple enough that I could do all the repairs and maintenance myself. The vintage race group had only recently formed so there was a place to run it. The only open wheel vintage eligible cars at that time were the early Juniors and the occasional F III car.

What I hadn’t realized at the time was that the car would connect me to the greatest people I would meet. It would lead me all over the world to circuits that had only been names to me and connect me to one of the greatest eras in motor racing. In the six short years the Junior class existed they represented the most extensive and diverse collection of ideas and innovations and at what was then a reasonable cost. It also developed an entire generation of great Formula 1 drivers.

We began with a group called Formula Junior Forever in 1982, then the Monoposto Register, and then Monoposto Racing which incorporates the Juniors as one of its classes. When my son started racing I bought a second Lotus 18 and had them prepared and painted identically. For a number of years we had enormous fun working on and racing the cars together. He rapidly learned every aspect of the car and developed a strong feeling for the history as well. We also discovered that young is good.

Grattan is one of those hidden gems. It sits more or less in the middle of the country but it is no middle of the road venue. In my estimation as a long time FJ man, it is THE perfect FJ track with turns that were almost made for our cars. And because it is centrally located to several large metro areas, it is easy to get to. Cap that off with modest costs for not only racing there but lodging costs and restaurants, it is a FJ match made in heaven.

If you have any questions whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. See you at the track!