INTERVIEW WITH SPARKS MORGAN

by NICK LINDSAY

Long-time ALSCCA club member, Sparks Morgan, recently sat down with Nick Lindsay for a chat about his decades of autocross competition and cool old cars.

Have you always been into cars?
I’ve always liked cars. Unfortunately, or fortunately, my interest in cars was based on budget! Cool old cars weren’t cool back then. If you were going to sell it, it was gonna become valuable AFTER!

First time you ever heard of the SCCA?
I received a Porsche 914 as a graduation gift, and my friend invited me to an autocross event at the old Bessemer Airport. It was an ALSCCA event. Preston Lawley was the “big dawg” in the club back then and was instrumental in the organization. Preston even had a body shop, and he often did favors for club members.

First involvement with SCCA?
Getting involved with the Alabama Region.

What were early autocross days like? Early sites?
Bessemer Airport (OLD), Eastwood Mall, Century Plaza Upper Lot (employee lot), Birmingham International Raceway (BIR), Streets of Birmingham Green. We could autocross in the streets with a parade permit. I helped organize it. News crews came out and filmed in-car on the course. They couldn’t hold onto the massive camera of the era! Also, most stores were not open on Sunday, so it was easier to run on Sunday at mall sites.

Early course design? (Faster or slower)
Early course design was Slalom based. Small parking lots required slower courses. These were first gear courses only.

National Runoffs
I remember being at Nationals in 1979 at Hutchinson, Kansas. The course was so fast, my 914 couldn't compete.

Note: From our interview last season with Charlie (SCCA 100%er at solo nationals) the SCCA only bought into Solo Nationals in 1985, so this was actually in the legacy era of the sport!

The Porsche 914 was a great car. What made it stand out to you over the Corvairs, Mustangs, etc?
It was a C Stock car. Shocks were the only thing that could be changed! Most people ran stock cars back then. Prepared class was tons of money. There was No PAX back then!
There was nothing faster in stock class in the southeast. No 911s, no Corvettes, and only the Jenson-Healey could keep up. The Porsche 914 was also the car I already had, which helped.

Which vehicles were you most interested in back in that era?
The cost of other vehicles kept my interest to my 914.

(Sparks did wheel to wheel racing for a period) Did wheel to wheel racing satisfy a thirst for speed that otherwise couldn't be quenched?
I had a Camaro in F Production. What is now known as Time Trial events were called Solo 1 events back in the day. It was fun, but nothing irreplaceable. There was higher gravity of mistakes with faster speeds on the racetrack. Camaro Hoosiers were always expensive. Concern for my safety was also a priority. I found that Autocross was just as much fun in terms of driving at the limit without such a penalty for going OVER the limit.

Any time away from the sport?
1982 was my first year away. In 1980 I finished 2nd in Dallas, Solo 2 Nationals. After sitting on a cone penalty on day 1, I came back to finish within 1/2 second on day 2!

Note from Nick: That’s some FAST driving, as it's really hard to do this at national events when your competition doesn't leave much meat on that bone!

Sparks: In the old Solo days they marked circles around the cones and if any part of the cone was out of the circle it counted against you, the driver. After 1982 I went on to raise some kids.

What brought you back out to SCCA events?
My friend Glenn Stephenson was doing it. I’m retired now with a little more time. But the budget for motorsport isn’t a growing pile of money by any means. Glenn put me onto the Miata I own now. It was a great example of a clean straight bodied white NA6 Miata. It had just had a great deal of maintenance performed, and it was pretty cheap. It’s a 1990 Miata. The original Miata.

Anything you'd like to change with your Miata?
It already has an aftermarket sway bar and Konis! The A/C works, which is a huge flex for the Alabama climate. It’s mechanically sound. I’m planning to upgrade the tires at some point. It’s still on 500 treadwear tires but I enjoy sliding the car around on old tires. I have to give credit to Cameron Hall at Miata Fix. They did most of the work to get the Miata so solid.

What is your impression of our events with your experience abroad? Criticism is welcomed!
The new events are well organized, "running on rails!" structure and have everything we need, and timely. Not much gets in the way of having the fun! Drivers meetings are light and have all the pertinent information. The beloved ALSCCA annoucer, Dorian, kicks it up several notches! I think the courses are laid out well and well marked. (Back in the day, folks didn't mark cones which had potential to lead to controversy.)

Anything you miss about the older era of SCCA?
Not really. The modern era is convenient with the internet for notifications and live timing. Start and finishes can be virtually anywhere without wired timing lights allowing for more creativity in course design.

Anything you'd like to bring back?
Not really. The Miata is way faster than the 914. New tires have gotten SO much better than the old ones!

Anything you'd like to see happen with the future of SCCA?
It’s expensive to enjoy a modern car and it requires a lot of computer tooling that is also costly and often proprietary. The tires are expensive enough already! An emphasis should be placed on economy of competing ALWAYS, but auto manufacturers should also make fun cars easier to work on. The car folks actually will tinker on them!

The growing trend of folks of the younger generation who do more sim racing should give SCCA a chance and maybe bridge the gap from sim racing to real racing. If you have a fun car, go enjoy it in the real world!

Having a Novice class to get folks engaged is a great tool. An emphasis around the novice experience is key to reaching new participants and sharing the fun!

If new folks might be afraid of failing in front of people, this can be a mental challenge. Some people have a great deal of anxiety about it. SCCA events are very laid back and the community is super friendly! This makes newcomers very comfortable when trying new things. The club's future looks healthy, and I hope we never lose that approach!