It’s that time of year in the Pacific Northwest when the weather is just right for vintage racing. July 4th weekend, 2022 turned out to have the best of everything. Friday: sunny and hot; Saturday: overcast and cool; Sunday: rain. For a variety of racing conditions, it doesn’t get any better than this.
A Landscape Monet Would Have Painted
A Track for People Who Love Racing in the Rain
For people who like racing in the rain, it doesn’t get any better than a “warm” summer rain. At Pacific Raceways, conditions can be challenging and only for the brave with a good set of rain tires. Some racers love it.
Special Entries:
Three special cars appeared to run exhibition laps over the weekend. Above is the historic Arciero Brothers Dan Gurney-driven Lotus 19, powered by a Coventry Climax Engine and raced successfully by Gurney in 1962. It’s in the livery of Gurney winning the 3 Hours of Daytona.
A Special Porsche 356
Last year, Ernie Nagamatsu brought up Old Yeller II from Southern California. This year he brought the 1958 Brigadier General James Kilpatrick 356 Porsche raced in SCCA “E Production” from 1964 to 1996. It participated in two SCCA National Runoffs.
The odometer added to the car when the General began SCCA racing read over 55,000 documented racing miles over 32 straight years. It is believed to have the most racing miles on any Porsche 356. Dr. Nagamatsu races the car unrestored. It’s a pleasure to see it in this condition. It seemed to run great all weekend.
An AWESOME Race/Season Winning Formula One Car
The Jackie Stewart Tyrrell 004, driven by John Dimmer of Tacoma, Washington. Stewart won his second Formula 1 title in chassis 001 in 1971. He moved to Tyrrell 004, then 005 and finished second in Formula 1 in 1972.
The Tyrrell is powered by a naturally-aspirated 3-liter Ford-Cosworth DVF V8 and a Hewland 5-speed manual. Gridded with a 1966 Brabham BT15, two Formula Mazdas, and other open wheel cars, the Tyrrell is an awesome ride, a very exciting car to see at this facility where Formula 1 cars from the 1970s are rarely vintage raced. It must look positively menacing in a rearview mirror, but only until you are passed. When Dimmer puts the hammer down, it moves.
A Brabham BT 15
The 1966 Braham BT 15, a repeat racer from last year’s event, marks the stark contrast between classes and technology in open wheel racing. Tire size grew on the Grand Prix cars of the 1970s to require enough rubber to make two sets of tires for an early 1960’s Grand Prix car.
Rough guess—the DVF motor in the Tyrrell makes 2x the power of the motor in the BT15. The DVF was and is an awesome motor. The mixing of the classes and eras of these cars added a lot to a weekend of viewing.
Featured Lotus Cars
Lotus was the featured marque for this event. An appealing mix of Lotus and similar sports racers, very well-prepared and driven, were gridded in a mixed class that looked odd sometimes with C1 Corvettes, Formula V, and even a Midget, but made for interesting race viewing, pitting raw power against chassis sophistication—or not. How about acceleration and top speed vs. fast cornering and braking?
Overall these were three great days of vintage racing with great variety in cars, track features, and weather conditions.
