Classic cars make a classic race

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

The Circuit Mont Tremblant will be hit with a blast from the past this weekend with the return of the Fall Classic. Vintage car racing enthusiasts from all over the country will take on Le Circuit’s 15 corners in their modified pre-1972 cars, racing at top speeds to cross the finish line first. Two of those racers are West Islanders Chris Rupnik and Robert Searle, who both agree there’s nothing like it.

“It’s really something else,” said Pierrefonds resident Rupnik, a 35-year-old father of two. This will be Rupnik’s second time racing his Fiat 124 Spider up at Tremblant. While he may be one of the youngest on the track, Rupnik said his passion for vintage cars goes way back.

“I find the cars from that area had much more of an appeal than, say, Civics and other cars like that,” he said.

All the members of the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada (VARAC) participating in the Fall Classic are amateur racers who fund their hobby themselves, and there is no prize, except of course for the glory of winning. The cars have all been modified to race and have all the required safety features.

“I feel very safe in the car. I feel safer in that car than in my personal car on the street,” said Searle, a 52-year-old Kirkland resident, of his 1976 BMW 2002. Searle is able to have an exception on the year of his vehicle, because the BMW 2002 model did not change from 1972 to 1976. “And most of the people I’m driving with are better drivers than those you’ll meet on the 20.”

VARAC does not allow contact, like NASCAR does, for example, and will penalize a driver if he or she causes an accident. And with vintage car parts costing a pretty penny, it is in the drivers’ best interests to avoid any bumps and scrapes.

“We own these cars. So if we break them, it’s up to us to fix them,” Searle said.

Along with the actual racing and the mechanical aspects of the sport, both Rupnik and Searle pointed out the camaraderie between vintage car racers is what makes the hobby so appealing to them.

“It’s very relaxed. There’s always a social element,” Searle said, explaining he first got into the sport after watching the Fall Classic a few years ago and then running into a colleague at a business meeting who was also an enthusiast. He helped Searle find out more about getting his racing license,

buying the right car, getting the right equipment, and so on. “Everybody really helps each other out.”

Rupnik, who also relied on a racing veteran to help get him start out, echoed that sentiment.

“They (the veterans) help them get involved, find out what they need, get a trailer, get the cars, the whole thing,” he said. “And, if someone has a broken transmission or something, we’re all there to move things.”

While the high speeds these vintage cars race at may be enough to worry some people, both Searle and Rupnik say their families are very supportive, and will even come watch the races when they can.

“My family attended with me last year. My son was very excited to see me being towed back to the grid after my car had an issue. I wasn’t so thrilled!” Rupnik joked.

The Fall Classic will take place at Circuit Mont Tremblant this weekend. Tickets are $10 for the Friday, $15 for the Saturday, and $25 for the main race on Sunday, and can be purchased at www.lecircuit.com or by

calling 1-866-802-8867.

For more information on VARAC, visit www.varac.ca.