Vintage motor racing is very unique in the world of motorsport. Many of us like to believe this rarefied racing environment allows us to enjoy most of the benefits of “mainstream” racing without many of the detriments. However, there is one curious downside to vintage racing that very few people ever give any consideration to. This is the fact that, while our old cars are periodically renewed to perfect racing condition, we, as drivers, are not always as lucky.
“What the hell does that mean?” you ask incredulously. Well, while it’s never a popular point of view, none of us are getting any younger (though many of our cars are!). While this doesn’t necessarily pose a direct problem, with increasing age comes the increased likelihood of health problems. This is unfortunately true for racers, just like everyone else. Without doubt, there has never been any point in time in motorsport history, when there have been as many older, active drivers as there are right now. As a result of this, racing has never seen as many age- and health-related on-track problems, as we have seen in the past few years. If you have been racing even a modest amount over the past five years, then the chances are good that you have either seen or at least heard of someone having a heart attack at the track. The truth is that the act of racing (even vintage racing) is just as physically arduous now as it was 20 or more years ago. But how many of us can say that we are in as good a shape as we were 20 years ago? It doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t race, it just means that we should take a few extra precautions.
