I love announcing drag races. I love everything about that activity but I do harbor a deep secret that this video brought to the surface. See, the first ever racing events I announced were SCCA road races and I did them for a few seasons. This video brought back the feeling I had when calling some of the most exciting and insanely tight races I  remember from my SCCA days. As exciting as a monster drag pass is, there isn’t a damned thing in the world like two guys literally slicing and dicing each and every lap, over and over. The fact is, one of those guys is going to screw up and one of them will finish clean. Watching this video is to watch one of the most aggressive and awesome battles we have ever seen on a road course and the two combatants could not be any more different. Honestly incredible stuff here.

We were tipped off to the video by Rik Ryall who lives in Malta and saw our video featuring the Mk1 Escort last week. He was inspired to send us this link from the 1971 British Saloon Car Championship race at the now defunct Crystal Palace race course. The field is absolutely effing awesome because it is so diverse. For starters there’s Martin Thomas in a Chevy Camaro (which we believe was an ex-US Trans-Am car)  that has a small block. There’s a Boss 302 Mustang in the field as well but he’s not as much a factor. The other cars are things like Minis, Mk1 Escorts, a Vauxhaull, and some one off stuff like a rear engine Escort, another powered by a 3.0L V8, etc. The cars are indescribably different, yet the top three machines are so evenly matched, this 15 lap sprint is a dog fight from the first turn and it even has a surprise ending. Seriously. You have to watch this thing all the way through.

The Camaro is massive as compared to its competition. It makes tons more horsepower and torque and that is evidenced on the straights. The Camaro literally motors away from the other cars like they’re all driving with the brakes on. In the corners the story is different. The little Escort and Vauxhaul eat up the entire lead by the time they come back to the big front straight. The tale of two approaches and they’re about dead nuts event through the vast majority of the race. This is beyond cool.

The thing that makes this video that much better is the race call by Murray Walker, one of the most famous racing announcers in the world. Most people know Walker from his work with Formula One but we have featured his voice here on British Touring Car videos and now this one. I don’t have a damned sight near the skill and acumen he does but I can say that I know exactly the feelings he was experiencing during this race. There is NOTHING better that seeing a pair of drivers playing this level of high stakes chess with their cars. It isn’t dirty, there’s not bumping or flashing of the chrome horns, just two guys who absolutely want this race more than anyone or anything else.

For anyone who wants to complain about how road racing lacks entertainment or is somehow boring, put this in your pipe and smoke it.

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THE BEST VINTAGE ROAD RACING VIDEO WE HAVE EVER SEEN….BY A LOT.