SCOTT ATHERTON RETIRING, RRDC RUNOFFS DINNER, DONOHUE AWARD SELECTION, TEAM USA OPEN-WHEEL CHAMPIONS, RACER.COM GROWTH SPURT, SATO AT RLL

RRDC DINNER AT SCCA RUNOFFS

The annual SCCA Runoffs dinner is set for the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Virginia International Raceway – 1245 Pine Tree Road, Alton, VA. The festivities will take place in the Pagoda Building’s upstairs dining hall above the main paddock snack bar.

Cocktails at 6:00 pm; dinner at 6:30. Guests are welcome. Cost is $45 per person, payable at the door.

Please RSVP by Wed., Oct. 2, directly to Calvin Stewart at calsworld05@yahoo.com or call 248-613-9226.

Or to Ruth Stewart at mi_amiga56@yahoo.com or call 248-571-6882 if you have any questions.

 

2019 MARK DONOHUE AWARD SELECTION

Members attending the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Virginia International Raceway may participate in choosing the 2019 Mark Donohue Award recipient. Each year since 1971, the Club has honored the one driver at the Runoffs who RRDC members feel exhibited the outstanding performance of the weekend in terms of personal spirit and performance behind the wheel.

Winning the Donohue Award comes with automatic regular membership in the RRDC. It is not necessary to be a Runoffs champion to win the award.

Calvin Stewart (see above) will keep you informed as to how and when the voting will take place. Voting members please contact Calvin.

 

SCOTT ATHERTON RETIRING FROM IMSA

IMSA president Scott Atherton will conclude three decades of leadership atop North American sports car racing at the end of this year. His full-time career in motorsports spanned 34 years, but he will stay involved as a member of the IMSA board of directors for 2020 and beyond.

Eight years ago, Atherton, who headed the American Le Mans Series on behalf of its late founder Don Panoz, negotiated the sale of the series and its many properties to the France family, owners of NASCAR and the former Grand-Am Rolex Series, which merged with the ALMS to form the current version of IMSA.

“As anyone involved in professional motorsports knows, it’s not a job – it’s a lifestyle,” Atherton said. “For the past 34 years it has been an honor and a privilege to work with some of the most iconic venues and personalities in the industry. I am thankful for the countless men and women I have worked with who enabled me to have a career that has far exceeded my wildest dreams. But I especially want to thank my family who have supported me every step of the way. IMSA is stronger than ever and I am confident it will continue to grow and prosper.”

 

AMERICAN DRIVERS SWEEP NORTH AMERICAN OPEN-WHEEL TITLES

For the first time in more than a quarter century, American drivers have swept all of the major open-wheel road racing championships in North America. Furthermore, all of this year’s champions – Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) in the NTT IndyCar Series, Oliver Askew (Andretti Autosport) in Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, Kyle Kirkwood (RP Motorsport USA) in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Braden Eves (Cape Motorsports) in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship – are former winners of the Team USA Scholarship, which is supported by the RRDC.

“It has been an incredible season for our graduates,” said Team USA Scholarship founder and RRDC member Jeremy Shaw. “I could not be more proud of their accomplishments. It seems astonishing that in addition to Josef, Oliver, Kyle and Braden sweeping the open-wheel titles, fellow Team USA alum Dakota Dickerson has added the F3 crown to the F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda he won last year and Jonathan Kotyk recently clinched the F1600 Championship Series, too. Of course, none of this would have been possible without our loyal band of supporters, many of whom have been part of this program for many years, so a huge thank-you to them. Long may it continue.”

 

RACER.COM EXPERIENCING A DRAMATIC GROWTH SPURT

RACER’s digital products are experiencing an unprecedented growth spurt this racing season including RACER.COM, Facebook, Apple News, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. Engaged digital audiences are regularly exceeding a million users a month with dramatic increases in both unique users and new users.

The record-setting traffic increase is being led by fans of the NTT IndyCar Series according to Racer founder and CEO Paul Pfanner, but growth and engagement has been significant across all the motorsports’ spectrum – NASCAR, Formula 1, IMSA, SRO America, Trans Am, SCCA, WEC, Formula E, vintage/historic racing and off-road racing.

 

INDYCAR SILLY SEASON