Of all the events at the 2006 Monterey Historic Automobile Races the one I enjoyed most was for "pre-1940 sports, touring, and racing cars." It's utterly fascinating to watch vintage race cars that we've only seen in photos or museums take to the track, to be driven at speed and in real competition. The drivers sit high where, unlike in modern racers, we can watch them wrestling the wheel through the turns and in the case of the real oldies, even manipulating gear and brake levers located outside the cockpit. Cornering on skinny tires with little traction they can be a real handful but for the spectators it's great entertainment. Even the sounds, so different from modern, high-revving engines, are fascinating. The car in our photo is a 1916 National and yes, there are two people in the cockpit. If a car orginally raced with a riding Mechanic, then that's the way it races now. Talk about a scary ride!