On 7/10 I attended the Connecticut Autocross and Rally Team (CART) HPDE event at Pocono Raceway along with Gary Hagopian and his daughter Margo. Driving my MGTD vintage racer (no roll bar in the Jag...required) among a group of about 40 much more modern cars was a blast! I had more track time in the car by lunch than I sometimes get at a two day vintage event. The CART group was great to run with. Everyone adhered to the passing rules and there were no incidents during the day, other than the usual assortment of mechanical ills. I even got to pass a car or two and finished in the middle of my group, based on timed laps, in a 53 year old car!
These events are a great way to find out what your Jag, and you, are capable of in a safe, controlled environment. You can go as fast or slow as you feel comfortable with and have all day to learn about your car and gradually go faster. There are generally people available to go on track with you to help you learn the course and give some pointers on how to drive the circuit. Do not however expect this to take the place of a real driving school.
I would encourage anyone with an interest in performance driving to attend one of these events and really "try on" your car.
Frank
62 E OTS
51 MG TD