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[ Read with much excitement, each sentence as though it were climactic. Music - hard driving ROCK (instrumental) plus sounds of racing (revving engines, etc.) during middle of copy ]
V.I.R.! [ECHO]
V.I.R. is coming! Sports Car Club of America racing returns to Virginia International Raceway October 14th and 15th with the sights and sounds of two days of racing, two days of freedom. The hills east of Danville, Virginia will echo with the sound of Corvettes, Porsches, Camaros, and Lolas challenging over three miles of turns and straightaways. Enjoy two beautiful days of sports car racing at VIR October 14th and 15th for only five dollars, including all privileges.
MILTON, N. C., October 7, 1972 -- The Washington D. C. and North Carolina Regions of the Sports Car Club of America will sponsor two full days of racing at the Virginia International Raceway on October 14 and 15. VIR is located just 14 miles southeast of Danville, Virginia, off N. C. 57 at Milton, N. C.
Racing will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday with practice and qualifying runs for cars in Groups 1 through 4. Group 1 is open to Formula Fords, Formula Super Vee, and Formula SCCA. These cars are single seat, open wheeled racing cars. Group 2 is open to E through H Production cars which are street type sports cars, C Sedans or closed touring cars, and C and D Sports Racing Cars which are cars especially designed for road racing competition. Group 3 is open to Formula Vee cars which are open-wheeled cars powered with the Volkswagen 1200cc engine. Group 4 is open to A through D Production, A and B Sedans, and A and B Sports Racers The highlight of Saturday's racing will be the last race of the day, the Formula Fling. The Formula Fling is open to Formula Ford cars and Formula Super Vee cars and will offer the winners a share of $500 in purse money.
Sunday's racing will consist of four professional races with a purse of $3000, with the practice and qualifying sessions beginning at 8:30 a.m. The Sports Car Special Race holds a purse of $500 for G and H Production cars and C and D Sports Racers, and is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. After lunch, three races will be held. The Vee Prix Race offers a purse of $500 and is open to Formula Vee cars. The Small Sedan Sprint offers a purse of $500 and is open to B and C Sedans and a new class, the Showroom Stock Sedan, a car that races in complete showroom trim with the addition of safety equipment. The final race on Sunday is the VIR 200 Challenge, a 200 mile race offering a fantastic purse of $1500. This race is open to A through F Production cars and A Sedan cars which will be grouped according to engine size.
With a total purse of $3600, "TWO FLAGS OVER VIR" will offer the spectator a full weekend of Sports Car Racing. Advance tickets are available in all towns in the area or by writing Mrs. Sally Zorowski, 4513 Pitt Street, Raleigh., 27609. Free camping is available at the track on Friday and Saturday evenings.
MILTON, N. C., October 8, 1972 -- Russ Norburn of Durham, N. C. will show all on-lookers how fast a BMW 2002 TI can go at the "TWO FLAGS OVER VIR" Race Set for October 14 and 15 at the Virginia International Raceway.
Norburn, who has been involved in racing all of his adult life, has been a consistent winner in Hillclimbs, Regional, and National races since 1964. He has participated in Trans-Am Racing since its inaugural year in 1966 when he and Pete Feistmann of Asheville prepared and drove a Ford Mustang, the fastest private entry in the series. In 1970., Norbum switched to BMW and had numerous top finishes in the Under Two Liter Trans-Am and concluded the season by finishing third in the Olympics of auto racing, the American Road Race of Champions. In 1971 Norburn won his class at the Daytona Paul Whiteman Trophy Races, qualified first in class at the Mexican 1000 in Phil Dermer's BMW, and co-drove to a class win in Dermer's BMW at the Texas World Speedway Alamo 200. In 1972 he drove the same car to a second-in-class win at VIR. Also in 1972 Norburn co-drove with Bob Hinnig and brought home a first at Donneybrook, Minnesota., and a second at Lexington, Ohio, in the Thiokol-sponsored Javelin.
After recovering from an accident that completely destroyed his Javelin and seriously burned himself, Norburn made his return to racing really count. On October 1 Norburn set a new B Sedan record at the Chimney Rock Hillclimb that proves he still has the ability to streak across the finish line.
'"TWO FLAGS OVER VIR" will offer a purse of $3500 to the winners of the five professional races as well as an additional $100 to the top qualifier, given by the Racer Store of Rockville, Maryland. The winners of the four regional races will receive trophies. Racing action will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, with advance tickets on sale in all surrounding towns or by writing Mrs. Sally Zorowski, 4513 Pitt Street., Raleigh, 27609. Free camping is available at the track on Friday and Saturday evenings.
MILTON., N. C.., October 12., 1972--"TWO FLAGS OVER VIR" set for October 14 and 15 at Virginia International Raceway, has drawn entries from experienced drivers, many of whom are glad to return to the challenging 3.23 mile road course.
Peter Van Der Vate of Falls Church, Virginia, driving a Triumph Spitfire, has held many class records at VIR. This experienced endurance driver has been National Champion in G Production two years., but says, "I would rather race at VIR than any other track." Another driver who feels the same about VIR is Russ Norburn of Durham. Norburn, who has raced Trans-Am in a Mustang, Under Two Liter Trans-Am in a BMW, and has been racing hillclimbs, regional, and national races since 1964, finds VIR to be one of the most challenging courses in the country. He says, "Many road courses are contrived--VIR is a natural road course, and this makes it much more interesting to drive."
Also entering from Durham is Jim Glanton, driving a Porsche 911S. Glanton recently broke the C Production record at the Chimney Rock Hillclimb and is eager to challenge the record at VIR. Another North Carolina entrant is Bill Cannon of Charlotte. Carmon will be driving a C Sports Racing Bobsy/Alfa.
Entering from the Virginia area is Folis Jones of Chesapeake. Jones has held a National license since 1965 and has driven tracks all over the United States. This Navy Chief will bring along his chief mechanic and wife Evelyn to help maintain his self-designed and built Fornmla Ford. Another Formula Ford driver, James Lyles or better known as "Dirty Ramon", hails from Silver Springs, Maryland. Lyles maintains his own car with 16 years of mechanical experience and has been "driving for fun for three years."
Racing action will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday with practice and qualifying. Official racing for the $3,600 purse and regional trophies will begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. Advance tickets are available in surrounding towns and at the track gate. Free camping at the track is included in the ticket price.
[along with a letter that points out that VIR has always been of great interest to college students who have felt free at VIR to pitch their tents and do almost anything that they want]
MILTON., N. C.--If you were to drive over near Milton,, N. C. this weekend about sundown, you would probably think from the smoke in the air that they are having the worst forest fire in history. But no one in town seems too concerned about the whole thing--no firetrucks going out., no rescue wagons-the town is as calm as always.
They are getting pretty used to it by now. They are pretty used to seeing the smoke from five to ten thousand campers hover overhead. And the grocery, store doesn't even quiver over the surplus sale of pork and beans, Vienna Sausage, beer, and Cold Bear. They know there is a race over at Virginia International Raceway--happens all the time.
As you pull off highway 57 onto the long dirt road to the track., the calm tums into a steady hum of cars, campers, old mail trucks, motorcycles, and hitchikers., Every vehicle is piled to the ceiling with camping gear, some with fancy four-bedroom jobs, some with the plastic kitchen table cloth.
A wam feeling passes over you as you pass the gate and the ticket-takers. You saved enough by buying an advance ticket to eat on next week. As you weave your way in and out of several hundred old tires marking the road., you cross over the race track on a bridge and gaze out over a big rolling pasture. This is it--this is VIR. You move on down the road to get closer to the paddock where all the race cars are stalled, just like a row of cows at the fair.
There's money in this race. That means there are more cars entered. All the mechanics are working like little ants., heads stuck down in the big car mouth, grease all over everything except the car. The cars are clean and ready to race except for a few last minute adjustments, everything from formula cars to Pintos.
You pull your car over in a good spot and then figure you will just stroll around until dark., looking at the cars, asking questions. You also want to find your friends before dark--they said to meet at the pond, There's going to be lots of good fun tonight and then you will wake up with the sun and the smell of bacon frying. Racing starts about nine. This is going to be a good weekend., you can tell.
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