Racing in rainy conditions presents unique hazards to road-course racers. A wet track naturally has less grip to offer, and adds the danger of hydroplaning to what is already a challenging driving situation that much more difficult. Specialized tires that can wick water out from underneath the contact patch are vital. So is the ability of the driver to restrain themselves from any kind of action that endangers both man and machine. In the world of classic race car exhibition events, many drivers would be happy to not bring their cars out at all, instead keeping them in the safety and security of the garage. Luckily for you and I, not every owner thinks that way. Some will actually put on the rain tires and make good use of an open track, whatever the weather. Bless them for that, too.

Seeing a BMW 3.0L CSL dicing with a Fox Mustang on a wet road is interesting enough, for sure, but both are essentially modified road cars that ran in Touring classes. Seeing a Jaguar XJR-9, or a Ferrari 512bb NART dicing it up on a soaking wet track? That isn’t normal in any scope of the imagination, yet here we have them screaming around Imola, throwing a long and tall roostertail of rainwater spray into the air. You want to know the difference between an enthusiast and a gearhead? The enthusiast is just happy to be at the track with cars of this caliber. The gearhead is over the moon when a real-deal Ford GT40 pulls through the puddles and onto the racetrack in anger.