VIC ELFORD RECEIVES RRDC’S 2015 PHIL HILL AWARD DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2015) – Vic Elford, considered one of the fastest race-car drivers of the 1960s and ’70s was honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club with the 2015 Phil Hill Award. RRDC president Bobby Rahal made the presentation at a dinner prior to the […]
Click play on vpntone.com to listen to a recent San Diego, Calif., radio interview with Jeremy Grenier and his thoughts on winning the 44th RRDC Mark Donohue Award. Jeremy Grenier, 39, of Charles Town, W. Va., is the 44th recipient of the RRDC Mark Donohue Award, presented annually by the Road Racing Drivers Club for outstanding […]
RRDC PRESIDENT RAHAL EARNS “SPIRIT OF COMPETITION” AWARD RRDC president Bobby Rahal was presented with the 7th annual “Spirit of Competition” Award at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia on Oct. 29, at a dinner hosted by the Museum’s founder and Executive Director Fred Simeone. RRDC member Bill Warner was the M.C., and RRDC […]
Fifteen race-car drivers and motorsports professionals have been voted into the Road Racing Drivers Club in 2014. The group includes 10 Regular Members from the open-wheel and sports-car racing ranks, three Associate Members and two Honorary Members. The current roster of RRDC members now numbers 460. Voting was held among all current RRDC members. “This year’s lineup […]
SCCA RUNOFFS – MAZDA RACEWAY – MONTEREY, CALIF. The annual SCCA Runoffs meeting of RRDC members was held on Oct. 7 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, at the site of the 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs. It was a beautiful California night at the Red Bull Energy Center overlooking the circuit, where members and guests […]
SAFEisFAST.com is offering the chance for young racing drivers around the world to win a custom-made, top-level racing suit from Stand 21 just be answering a few questions about racing safety. The brand new “La Couture” model, launched in March 2014, is homologated to the very highest FIA 8856-2000 standard. Used by the likes of […]
Ex-Formula One racer Karun Chandhok will be the next Online Driving Instructor for the RRDC’s SAFEisFAST instructional web site. Chandhok will be competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this week and will be teamed with Bruno Senna to drive for Mahindra Racing in the new FIA Formula E championship, starting in September. One […]
Three members of the RRDC – Bobby Rahal, Chip Ganassi and Leo Mehl – are to be inducted next week into the Auto Racing Hall of Fame housed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. The induction ceremony is on the program of the annual Indy 500 Oldtimers dinner, set for Thursday evening […]
Third-generation racer Graham Rahal – a race winner in the Verizon IndyCar Series and a winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona – is currently answering visitors’ questions as SAFEisFAST Online Driving Instructor So far, Graham has tackled such topics as attracting sponsors, street courses vs. ovals, starting with karting, age as a limiting factor […]
During the RRDC’s annual banquet preceding the 40th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, President Bobby Rahal made several momentous announcements regarding the future of SAFEisFAST.com. The Club’s breakthrough instructional Web site now has a worldwide presenting sponsor in American Honda and an international ambassador in Dario Franchitti. With the help of American Honda, the […]
For those who have been patiently – or not so patiently – waiting to watch Mario’s interview by club prez Bobby Rahal from the RRDC’s Evening with Mario Andretti presented by Firestone during the club’s annual banquet at Long Beach last week, here it is. If you were there, we’re sure you’d love an instant […]
The Fast Line is the subject of the 14th online instructional video in the Advanced Driving Techniques block of SAFEisFAST.com. The paper solution to “What is the fast line through this corner?” is never quite the exact answer. So many real world conditions factor into finding that magic trajectory: track surface changes, bumps, grip, use […]
Before a capacity crowd of auto racing dignitaries, sanctioning group and series representatives, corporate executives and champion racecar drivers, Mario Andretti was honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club at the “RRDC Evening with Mario Andretti presented by Firestone” on Thursday night, April 10, prior to Sunday’s 40th running of the Toyota Grand Prix of […]
Lisa Noble has been selected president and chief executive officer of the Sports Car Club of America by its board of directors, effective immediately. Noble has held these posts on an interim basis since October 2013, around the time she was selected to membership in the RRDC. “We had a number of outstanding candidates for […]
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company will be presenting sponsor for the RRDC’s Evening with Mario Andretti April 10. This will be Firestone’s fifth consecutive year supporting the club’s Legends Banquet held annually in conjunction with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Also in its fifth consecutive year supporting the RRDC’s Long Beach celebration […]
Say these names aloud: Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Roger Penske, Jim Hall, Brian Redman – and then add Mario Andretti. You’re among the men now. At the RRDC Legends Banquet, mere mortals get to hear racing’s mythic giants spin anecdotes, confess prejudices, share opinions and tell untold stories. And every year, on the Thursday before […]
The new SAFEisFAST video is all about What It Takes To Be a Race Engineer. The 10th installment in the Career Development instructional block explains the skills and personality teams are looking for in a race engineer. Jeff Braun, chief race engineer for Level 5 Motorsports, leads this insightful piece with Roger Griffiths (Technical Director […]
In officially announcing the Honored Guest at the annual RRDC Legends Banquet in the run-up to the Long Beach Grand Prix, our president Mr. Rahal, paid homage in a note titled “That’s Mr. Andretti To You!” It almost sounded like he’d lost a bet; but really, it’s all true. According to Bobby: “Had his parents […]
The only person surprised by Hurley Haywood being named recipient on the RRDC’s Phil Hill Award was Hurley Haywood. “When Bobby (RRDC President Rahal) called me up and told me I was going to get the Phil Hill Award, I was really shocked. Any time you could be in the same sentence with Phil Hill […]
As most know, RRDC member Memo Gidley was seriously injured in an horrific crash early in last weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Gidley’s No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP hit the stalled No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 of Matteo Malucelli at unabated speed, caving in the front of his chassis. Gidley was cut […]
There are many people in this world with a driving passion for motorsports who have neither the physical skills nor the sheer luck so necessary in landing a regular seat in a professionally campaigned race car. However, the success of any motorsports operation depends so much on the skill and competence of a host of […]
RRDC gear is Old School – one of today’s most popular fashion categories. Wearing the RRDC logo says a lot about you. You’re in an exclusive group that has included the likes of Mark Donohue, Walt Hansgen and Juan Manuel Fangio… not to mention your own self. You’re in the RRDC because you’re special. If […]
A record 200 brilliant older race cars converged on south central Florida the first weekend in December for the annual HSR Sebring Historic Races. Featured was the seminal Porsche 935 JLP HD1 driven to victory in the 1982 12 Hours by John Paul, Jr. – IMSA’s youngest champion ever. To honor Paul, Jr. and to […]
Memo to retired drivers: Oh, we saw you gazing at the cars last year, your heads topped by thought bubbles big as billboards. “Maybe if I started exercising again, splashed out a few bucks for a drive and had the tailor loosen up the old Nomex ….” Today’s Rolex 24 is a flag-to-flag sprint in […]
SAFEisFAST is not only an artistic success with its high production values and unique content, but the RRDC’s online instructional Web site is being recognized for its value to young racers by a significant and steadily growing audience. The past few weeks, the site has reached several significant milestones: * 100,267 unique visitors with 187,508 […]
The RRDC’s Annual Dinner is set for Wednesday evening, January 22, 2014 at the usual place – The 500 Club in the infield of Daytona International Speedway. RRDC members and their guests are welcome at 5:00 pm for cocktails and tales of derring-do – aka, unabashed stretching of the truth. Dinner will start promptly – […]
Our members are in the news this week. Peter Brock is the latest recipient of the prestigious Dean Batchelor Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism from the Motor Press Guild. Allan McNish is retiring from full-time racing. Playstation’s Gran Turismo 6 will feature Mario Andretti’s first racecar. And Simona de Silvestro is a finalist for […]
The 2014 Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame Class will include three members of the Road Racing Drivers Club: Bob Bondurant, Jim Downing and Dan Gurney. The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, March 8 during the SCCA National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Twenty other RRDC members – living and passed – are […]
Alan Wilson, one of the world’s top racetrack designers, has turned to the pen – cyber-pen, actually. Following on the heels of the excellent biography of his wife Desire Wilson – Driven by Desire – Wilson has tapped out a mystery revolving around the potential vulnerability of Formula 1 cars to cyberattack. This is how […]
In the latest SAFEisFAST online tutorial, race engineer Jeff Braun and international race drivers Anthony Davidson, Klaus Graf, Sebastien Buemi and Marino Franchitti discuss the revelations of driving a high-downforce racecar. If you were injured in a car accident, an evansville injury lawyer can help you recover financially while you focus on getting back on […]
‘Tis the season for honoring great performances, and since the RRDC has more than its share of honor-worthy members, it stands to reason that a few stand to be recognized this time of year. Toping this week’s list is the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and its founder Bill Warner. Also in the aftermath of Dario […]
John Morton’s rollicking remembrance of his time working for Carroll Shelby – “Inside Shelby American, Wrenching and Racing with Carroll Shelby in the 1960s” – is available from Motorbooks. On Dec. 7, Morton will receive the 2013 Lindley Bothwell Lifetime Achievement Award at the Fabulous Fifties Annual Banquet at the Proud Bird in El Segundo, […]
Sam Posey and Hurley Haywood are being honored this month. Posey has received a pair of awards – The Carl Benz Award and The Lee Iacocca Award. Haywood will receive The Spirit of Competition Award from the Simeone Museum. POSEY SNARES A PAIR The Carl Benz Award is presented annually by the Society of Automotive […]
The Road Racing Drivers Club has voted 37 racecar drivers and motorsports professionals into its membership for 2013. have been voted into the Road Racing Drivers Club in 2013. The new class includes 13 Regular Members from the open-wheel and sports-car racing ranks, 20 Associate Members and four Honorary Members. The current roster of RRDC […]
“The Evolution of Safety” video currently up on SAFEisFAST is a comprehensive overview of the safety initiative in motorsports from an awakening awareness in the late 1960s to the intensive efforts of present-day innovators to address the safety issue. Bob Varsha hosts the presentation which features RRDC members Brian Redman, Dario Franchitti and Dr. Steve […]
Jake Eidson and Joey Bickers finished seventh and 26th (out of over 110 entrants) in Sunday’s Grand Final of the 13th annual Walter Hayes Trophy Formula Ford extravaganza at Silverstone; but the final results do not do them justice. In cold, sunny and blustery conditions – quite different to the drab overcast and intermittent rain […]
David Brabham, 48, winner of the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans and youngest son of three-time Formula 1 World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, is this week’s on-line instructor at SAFEisFAST.com. Brother Geoff also won Le Mans in ’93, and Geoff’s son, Matthew, is carving a promising career for himself in North America, having won […]
In the first of two weekends of the most intensive competition, 2013 Team USA Scholarship winners Joey Bickers and Jake Eidson got everyone’s attention at the 42nd running of the Formula Ford Festival at Brand Hatch. The pair got their first look at the Cliff Dempsey Racing Ray FF1600 cars on Thursday (Oct. 24) with […]
“Ganassi Unplugged” is currently running as a weekly online series on GanassiTV and can be accessed on UTube. The product is a short video – you could call it a Chip Clip – where the championship team owner and RRDC member gives his take on a number of topics. Launched on Sept. 26, the weekly […]
Lawrence Loshak, 36 of Grafton, Wis., is the 2013 recipient of the Mark Donohue Award, presented annually by the Road Racing Drivers Club for outstanding performance, competitiveness and sportsmanship during the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Loshak won two SCCA championships on Friday, Sept. 20 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. – Formula 1000 and […]
