BILL WARNER NAMED ENTHUSIAST OF THE YEAR BY THE CONCOURS d’ELEGANCE OF AMERICA
The Concours d’Elegance of America Board of Directors has named longtime friend and supporter Bill Warner from Jacksonville, FL as our 2019 Enthusiast of the Year.
Bill has been around automobiles his whole life. As a teenager, he worked at the local Volkswagen dealership in the parts department and also drove the delivery truck. On weekends, he worked as a “gopher” for the dealership racing team and became enthralled with motor racing.
He turned his passion for the automobile and racing into a lifetime profession as an acclaimed author, photographer and race car driver. One of Bill’s many crowning achievements came in 1996, when he founded The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance near his home of Jacksonville, Florida.
Bill has elected to have a class of cars that reflect his ‘all time favorites’ at our Concours on Sunday, July 28, 2019. Please join us in honoring him throughout the Concours weekend, July 26-28.
THE FURTHER UPS AND DOWNS OF MR. WARNER
Bill Warner, The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance chairman and founder, is known for his passion for originality. Whether restoring his Triumph TR8 to original Group 44 standards or lamenting the missing rear turn markers on his Ferrari GTB/4, Warner rarely finds improvement over a brilliant original design.
So to think of the horror when he awoke from surgery last Tuesday and was informed that the doctor used aftermarket parts to put him back together…
Turns out, Warner’s New York trip to make a presentation at the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving & Chowder Society Holiday Party was sidelined when a fall resulted in a broken hip and a trip to the ER. Concerns about originality aside, Bill is in great spirits, doing well and looking forward to putting some mileage on his new replacement hip.
The staff, volunteers and board of directors at The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance want to wish Bill a quick and easy recovery. And we would like to wish all of you a happy and joyful holiday season!
RRDC DAYTONA DINNER INVITATION AND DETAILS
Thanks to the organizational skills of RRDC member Vicki O’Connor, the RRDC will hold its annual members’ dinner at a new venue, the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, in advance of the 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona. This dinner has grown tremendously in the last few years, attracting nearly 300 members and guests.
It’s become the perfect venue for members and their guests to bench race, meet and greet the latest crop of members, and enjoy an evening filled with camaraderie, nostalgia and awards presentations.
The featured award of the evening will be the 26th Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing. Also, the 18th Bob Akin Award and the 48th RRDC Mark Donohue Award will be presented.
The program is scheduled to end before 10 p.m., so that those participating in the Rolex 24 will be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for morning practice.
For the rest of us over-the-hill racers, feel free to retire to the bar.
Below is the dinner reservation form. Please make your reservations and send in your check by January 20, 2019, as seats will be filling quickly.
Please also note that seating will be open this year.
If you have any questions, please contact Vicki O’Connor at voconnor@pro-motionagency.com.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thank you,
Bobby Rahal
President
