Captain Lawrence has grown at
breakneck pace, so it’s only fitting that the brewery’s logo appears on a race
car careening around courses up and down the East Coast these days. While
Captain Lawrence also sponsors lacrosse teams (see Notes From the Tasting Room,
Vol. 25) and disc golf squads, the brewery’s support of a competitive vintage
race car is unique—partially because the hot rod is piloted by Vince Vaccaro, father of brewery
founder Scott.
Vince competes in the 8-event
Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) series, kicking off last week at
Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, then bringing together
an array of very cool vintage race cars at Virginia International Raceway next
month.
Vince—the inspiration behind the
brewery’s beloved Belgian-style ale St. Vincent’s Dubbel--is quick to point out
that no one is mistaking SVRA for NASCAR. Nobody is trading paint, or banking
prize money, or moping after a loss. “While it’s very competitive wheel to
wheel racing, it’s a lot of guys having fun,” he says. “It’s good friends and
camaraderie.”
The racer bearing the familiar
Captain Lawrence Brewing blazing keg is a 1972 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000, which hits
a top speed of around 130 mph. It’s got a 2L engine and twin Weber 45s (I
honestly have no idea what that means), cranks out around 200 horsepower and
has a five-speed transmission. Like former Jet Mark Gastineau, The Great Wayne
Gretzky and secret agent Maxwell Smart’s sexy counterpart before it, the Alfa
Romeo sports #99.
While NASCAR races take place on
oval tracks—one unending left turn, to those who don’t exactly embrace the
sport—SVRA vintage races are on twisting, turning, elevating and descending
road courses that range from 1.5 to around 3.7 miles. Other events this season
include races at Watkins Glen, NY, New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ
and Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
While NASCAR’s bumping and scraping
is legendary, contact is intensely frowned upon in Vintage Racing Association
derbies. Overly aggressive driving that
results in a crash sees the offender booted off the track for the weekend.
Vince likens it to a non-contact amateur sports league—intense competition, a
few beers and stories afterwards.
Vince is a familiar face around the
brewery, handling the books and providing unofficial quality control on the
Freshchester Pale Ale and other beers. It’s a quiet Thursday afternoon in the
tasting room, a few days before the St. Patrick’s Day madness, Led Zeppelin’s
“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” on the house system, the CL boys cranking out more
and more beer in the back. Vince sips a smoked porter; his face lights up when
discussing his hobby. “I grew up around race cars,”h he says. “It’s something I
always wanted to do.”
Vince took second place in his class
at Sebring, but is quick to make light of his accomplishment. Perhaps his
greater contribution to the circuit is the beer he brings for post-race
camaraderie building. While most of his colleagues pine for the Captain’s
Reserve Imperial IPA, he says the water weight lost during racing—it can be five
pounds—makes the Pale Ale his bev of choice.
“Quite a few of guys know about the
brewery,” he says. “They wait for me to come along with beer—I’m a very popular
guy.”
The CLB Racing branding appears in
the car’s front fender and on the side of the trailer hauling the Alfa Romeo to
the next race. One truck driver on I-95 in North Carolina offered an emphatic
thumbs-up that signaled a familiarity with Captain Lawrence. When the rig
pulled ahead, his New York plate was visible. “I had a laugh at that,” Vince
says.
Across the room, Scott tastes a new batch of the Rosso E
Marrone sour ale, and appears pleased with the concoction. He’s amused with
Dad’s weekend pursuits as well.
“Whatever makes him happy,” Scott
says with a smile.
No comments:
Post a Comment