A CHECKERED PAST – AL UNSER JR. We’ve all heard of the hold that alcohol and drugs had taken on Al Unser, Jr.’s life – to the detriment of his career and family. It was inevitable that at some point he would publicly face these personal demons. That time has come. Unser sat down with […]
Six talented young American drivers will assemble this week at the new Polecat Training Center facility in Lynchburg, Tenn., as part of a continuing process to select two Team USA Scholarship winners for 2021. Following two days of assessments, which will include driving on the technical 2.1-mile road course aboard the Polecat Racing Academy’s well […]
JIM PACE TO BE HONORED AT CHATTANOOGA The late Jim Pace will be honored Oct. 16 in pre-race ceremonies for the Chattanooga Motorcar Festival’s Pace Grand Prix at the Bend to be run on a two-mile street circuit he designed inside a bend in the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. Pace was event chair and […]
Four RRDC members are among the nine motorsports luminaries comprising the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America induction class for 2022: Helio Castroneves, Peter Brock, Jack Roush and the late Denise McCluggage (left to right, below) Castroneves, the latest member of the 4-WIN Club at Indy, is the open-wheel category inductee. Brock, designer of the […]
The Annual Lime Rock Members’ Lunch is set for Sept. 5th during the running of the Historic Festival 39. Here are the details: WHAT: RRDC Members’ Lunch WHERE: Lime Rock Park, Conn. At the Historic Festival 39 In the Lime Rock chalet – on the infield hill above the paddock WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021 […]
The RRDC Class of 2020 included eight regular members, four associate members and four honorary members. Here are the new REGULAR MEMBERS: ERIC BACHELART – Indianapolis, Ind. Is the 1982 Belgian Formula Ford 1600 Junior Champion; 1984 Benelux Formula Ford 1600 Champion and placed second in both the European and Belgian Formula Ford 1600 Championships; […]
If you watched this past Sunday’s British Grand Prix, I think you’ll find our latest video most interesting. The title “How to Stay out of Crashes” In the video, five Champion Drivers from top racing series around the world explain the key to racing wheel-to-wheel without crashing: “Know who you’re racing against.” As IndyCar driver Pato […]
The 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed came off without a hitch in the face of discouraging odds given the state of the worldwide pandemic. Tour host Steve Austin of Portland’s Great Vacations called it “a brilliant, exciting, magnificent event that in most people’s books could never have happened.” Festival of Speed organizer and RRDC member […]
ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR TEAM PENSKE Josef Newgarden’s first-place finish in the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio Sunday came on the 50th anniversary weekend of Team Penske’s first IndyCar victory – Mark Donohue on July 3, 1971, at Pocono. Newgarden, who had suffered recently from stumbles while leading, fended off a late-race charge by Marcus Ericsson for […]
Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford probably signed more autographs than any of the luminaries at the Speedway for the 105th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. J.R. helped create the Official Souvenir Program cover for the race’s 2021 edition, hand-drawing the cars of four-time champions A.J. Foyt Jr., Al Unser and Rick Mears. Rutherford, […]
Helio Castroneves raised the Indianapolis 500 post-race festivities to a joyous new level in celebrating his historic fourth victory in the 105th running of the Memorial Day classic. After a couple of cooldown laps, “Spiderman” parked his No. 06 Sirius/XM Honda just past the yard of bricks and launched his now-traditional climbing of the fence, […]
Bobby Unser died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Albuquerque, N.M., his wife Lisa reported. He was 87. RRDC President Bobby Rahal commented on Unser’s passing: “We at the RRDC are saddened by the death of a national hero and icon, and one of our longtime members. Bobby Unser was a champion race-car […]
VIC ELFORD NEEDS OUR HELP RRDC members Marshall Pruett and Brian Redman are asking for our help: Our longtime member Vic Elford is in need of support “from the legions of friends and fans who’ve marveled at his exceptional talent and grace for more than half a century. “With the return of an aggressive form […]
Robert W. “Kas” Kastner, a giant in American motorsports, passed away Saturday at age 92. Kastner came up through the ranks from mechanic all the way to head of NPTI, Nissan’s dominant IMSA GTP program in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. An organizational wizard, Kastner headed up both racing teams and manufacturer programs, winning […]
LE MANS: TOM KRISTENSEN, by Tom Kirstensen with Dan Philipsen, is now available in the U.S. with foreword by Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. Between 1997 and 2014, Tom Kristensen won the world’s toughest automobile race, the Le Mans 24 Hours, a record nine times and finished on the podium on five more occasions. Every time his car […]
WILLIAM JEANES’ THE ROAD TO PICKLETOWN The Road to Pickletown – A Southerner Confronts Cowbells, Clowns, Cuba, Christmas, and Mississippi; written by longtime automotive and auto racing journalist William Jeanes, is not what one would expect to come from the pen of a car guy. Yet, here it is – a selection of the many […]
LYN ST. JAMES IS 2021 AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS HONOREE For the first time in 26 years, The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will celebrate a female honoree, the inspiring Lyn St. James, at the 26th Annual meeting, May 20-23, 2021. An accomplished race driver, St. James has used her celebrity to help advance the careers of […]
JUDY STROPUS TO BE ON “RACE TALK WITH TRISH” Our recently selected Motorsports Hall of Fame of America honoree Judy Stropus will be featured on “RaceTalk With Trish” on the Racing History Project Podcast Channel Wednesday, March 3rd at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Call-in number – 425-436-6385 Access code – 5762616# (enter when prompted) Or […]
Simon Gregg has announced the formation of the Peter Gregg Foundation and Peter Gregg Gallery, paying tribute to his legendary father. The Foundation will foster the careers of aspiring engineers by providing mentorship plus roles with current contending race teams. “The Foundation will have an annual contest that will award five scholarships to deserving young […]
[From the NTT INDYCAR SERIES weekly newsletter] RRDC President Bobby Rahal’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) racing team will celebrate its milestone 30th anniversary with the start of the 2021 season. The team, which began competing in 1992, will field two cars each in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and GTLM-class of the International Motor Sports Association’s […]
Janet Guthrie and Judy Stropus were announced as members of the 2021 class to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America this September at the Festival of Speed in Pontiac, Mich. The virtual announcement was held Saturday at Daytona International Speedway before the start of the Rolex 24. Stropus, representing the new […]
ROB DYSON TO CHAIR INDIA, NAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY MUSEUM Rob Dyson has been named chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, having served on the Museum board for 10 years. He succeeds Tony George who had been board chair for 35 years. George will remain involved as Chairman Emeritus. [motorsport.com front page image] Dyson’s personal […]
Howie Liebengood, Jr., a 15-year veteran of the U.S. Capitol Police, died Saturday in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrectionist attack on the Capitol building. He was off duty Saturday. Officer Liebengood was a member of the 2018 RRDC membership class. He raced extensively prior to joining the USCP in 2005, winning the 2000 […]
OSCAR KOVOLESKI 1932-2020 On Dec 28, we lost one of the great characters in motor racing – Oscar Kovoleski. An RRDC member for 50 years, Oscar had been in an assisted living facility in Scranton, PA, for a couple of years. He was 88. “Oscar Koveleski was a treasure,” said RRDC President Bobby Rahal. “His […]
STRONG SHOWING FOR RRDC MEMBERS AT THE SCCA RUNOFFS Despite a truncated 2020 SCCA National racing program, a herd of Club Racers answered the call for the National Championship Runoffs at Road America, Oct. 5-11 – 577 in all. Andrew Aquilante led a Phoenix Racing assault on the podium scoring a hard fought victory from […]
“RACING GOES SAFER” WEBINAR SET FOR MONDAY, NOV. 30 The “Racing Goes Safer” motorsport safety foundation, EPARTRADE and Racer Magazine are teaming up to present a safety webinar during the Online Race Industry Week, November 30 – December 4. “A Crash Course in the History of IndyCar Racing Safety” is the title of the webinar […]
JIM PACE (1961-2020) remembered by his friend and business partner Byron DeFoor On July 25, 2020, I stood on the front straight at Road America in Wisconsin and witnessed the most terrifying crash that I had seen in many years. Jim Pace flipped over driving a historic Shadow Can-Am race car, and thousands of people […]
TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP AT BRANDS HATCH FOR 49TH FORMULA FORD FESTIVAL BRANDS HATCH, DAY 1: Podium for Lee, Fourth and Fastest Race Lap for Aron WEST KINGSDOWN, England, Oct. 24 – Team USA Scholarship drivers Jackson Lee (below) and Bryce Aron were faced with some changeable conditions on the opening day of the 49th Formula […]
TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP GETS FEET WET AT SILVERSTONE SILVERSTONE, ENGLAND, Oct. 10 – After two weeks of mandatory COVID-19 quarantine, Team USA Scholarship drivers Bryce Aron and Jackson Lee gained some valuable experience today in both wet and dry conditions during the final two rounds of the BRSCC Avon Tyres National Formula Ford 1600 Championship […]
THREE TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS FOR 30TH YEAR The Team USA Scholarship reaches an important milestone in 2020, celebrating 30 years since Jimmy Vasser was confirmed as the inaugural scholarship recipient in 1990. Despite the global pandemic, three young American racers nonetheless have been chosen to compete in England later this Fall – Bryce Aron, […]
TATIANA CALDERóN IS LATEST SiF ASK A PRO Tatiana Calderón, Test and Reserve driver for Alfa RoNEWmeo F1 team and driver for Richard Mille Racing Team, is the latest driving instructor for SAFEisFAST.com. Calderón was part of the first all-female LMP2 driver lineup to compete in Le Mans this year with Richard Mille Racing Team, […]
BRIAN TILL Oct. 11 – “Hard to believe it’s been a year. One year ago, I experienced my last radiation treatment at the Taussig Cancer Center at the Cleveland Clinic (I pray!). The folks there gave me a diagnosis, a plan, hope and ultimately my life back. And while I know that I will always […]
Sunday, August 23, was an historic day in motorsports – the 104th Indianapolis 500 was run without spectators. New IMS owner Roger Penske had to dig deep to pull this off with no gate. The television and sponsorship revenue were the only real income. But then, that’s Roger. Even though he’s all about the fan […]
SiF – ROSS BENTLEY’S SPEED SECRETS – PART 3 We conclude our very well-received Ross Bentley “Speed Secrets” series with some obvious tips that often elude us all. BEING COMFORTABLE WITH FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE If the car feels really comfortable to drive, it’s probably not fast DRIVE THE CAR, NOT THE TRACK Chasing that perfect line […]
KATHERINE LEGGE INJURED IN TESTING CRASH Katherine Legge was injured Wednesday in a high-speed testing crash in the Signes corner at Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France, breaking her lower left leg and damaging her right wrist. Legge was driving an LMP2 ORECA 07-Gibson which she shared with Richard Mille Racing co-drivers Tatiana Calderón and […]
Fellow Racers, The response to Part One of Ross Bentley’s Speed Secrets has been fantastic – check out the comments on our YouTube Channel. Now we present Part Two. In this video, Ross explains the advanced skills that separate the very best from the rest. He also covers visualization and learning to manage your change […]
ROSS BENTLEY REVEALS HIS SPEED SECRETS FOR SAFEisFAST – PART 1 What sort of secret tips do Driving Coaches really whisper into drivers’ ears to help them go faster? To find out we turned to Ross Bentley, one of the most sought-after Driving Coaches in North America. Ross has coached many of today’s top drivers […]
SHELBY COBRA DAYTONA COUPE RETROSPECTIVE With the launch of Rinsey Mills’ new book Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe–The autobiography of CSX2300, UK publisher Porter Press has released a filmed retrospective of the iconic car – America’s first International GT champion. The car’s justifiably proud designer Peter Brock says, “It’s still pretty cool looking after 55 years!” […]
GoFundMe FOR DOC BUNDY RECOVERING FROM OPEN HEART SURGERY Doc Bundy is recovering from open heart surgery from Covid-19 complications. Doc had stents installed a number of years ago, so he was/is in a tough situation. The May 15 surgery was successful, and he is home having been booted out of the ICU because of […]
SAFEisFAST – ENGINEER THE RACECAR We all know the feeling, your car’s handling like a piece of s***, and you have no idea why. That’s where the race engineer comes in. In the fifth installment of our Race Ready series we are focusing on how a driver and engineer can best work together to find […]
