Learning from excellent instructors. Disciplined study and practice. Full concentration. Preparation for fierce competition. Performance anxiety.

Sandra “Sandy” McNeil ’62 isn’t getting set to play her oboe on stage – she’s ready to burn some rubber in one of her five classic cars that she regularly races all over the country.

While running a successful Long Island music business with partner and Potsdam alumnus Joseph Rosen ’62, McNeil decided she needed to find a hobby to keep the sometimes-overwhelming details of owning a company at bay. Her first choice was skiing. It was during this pastime she became friends with some people involved in racing. After an invite to come and crew for them, she knew it was something she wanted to do.

“It was fun. The people were nice, and they were active,” she recalls. “In racing, you have to totally focus on what you are doing at that precise moment.”

McNeil’s love of cars and the sport of racing has been chronicled in several publications, including “House in the Hamptons”(June 1982), “Victory Lane” (September 1990, October 2003 and November 2008), “The New York Times Magazine” (September 2002) and “Classic Motorsports” (January 2004).

It’s now been more than 30 years since she first took the wheel of a Formula Ford car, and McNeil has now turned her interests to vintage race cars from the 1950s and 1960s, the type of cars in which she and her husband and crew chief, Jim, share an interest. While he is a fan of the mechanics and history of the cars, she is into the roar of the engine and shifting of gears when cruising in the driver’s seat.

“I found a soul mate who loves vintage race cars, and I love them even more now because I know their history. They don’t just sit in a room. We can see them in motion and hear them. With my music background, hearing a car is as important as seeing it. Hearing the acceleration and engine is thrilling,” she said.

McNeil currently owns five vintage race cars that she races regularly: a 1958 Cooper Monaco, 1960 Alfa Romeo SZ, 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, 1963 289 Cobra and 1963 Lotus 23. She loves them all and doesn’t play favorites.

“Each one has its individual personality. I love them all. Even though they are different, each is special in its own way,” she said.

As a “fairly serious amateur,” she keeps specific notes about each of her performances, cars and racetracks, which span from Infineon Raceway in Sonoma Valley, CA, to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT, and everywhere in between. The couple is even considering trying their luck on some speedways in Europe.

The courses she races are for road racing; that is, they have many turns, elevation changes and straightaways. Depending on the particular track, McNeil can achieve speeds of more than 100 miles per hour but makes a substantial effort not to crash these historic cars.

“The car is more important than winning the race. You are racing a significant piece of history,” she noted.

McNeil plans to keep making waves in this traditionally men-dominated sport and using the lessons she learned at her alma mater and through her business venture to keep her sharp and grounded.