MARIO DRIVES A MODERN F1 McLAREN
Thanks to Zack Brown, Mario Andretti recently tried out a 2013 McLaren MP4-28a at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Mario’s thoughts were captured by RACER for a UTube clip.
Category Archives: Club News
GORDY MacKENZIE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Gordy MacKenzie VSCCA, RRDC, WWII Celebration of Life Lime Rock Park Chalet This Saturday, Oct 1, 11am to 4pm Lime Rock Park 1st Chalet OPEN HOUSE! Come for Gordy’s Photo Gallery….Story Telling….Refreshments RSVP Terry 860-248-1799 tr7terry@hotmail.com
BUDZINSKI, FERGUSON, SCHRAGE TO REPRESENT TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP
The Team USA Scholarship has confirmed that three young American drivers will represent their nation in the prestigious Formula Ford Festival and Walter Hayes Trophy events in England this fall. Elliott Budzinski (center, below), 20, from Ann Arbor, Mich., William Ferguson (left), 18, from Pacifica, Calif., and Thomas Schrage (right), 17, from Bethel, Ohio, have […]
TOWNSEND BELL NAMED BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR SKIP BARBER RACING SCHOOL
Skip Barber Racing School announced this week that Townsend Bell is joining the organization as Brand Ambassador. He is a graduate of the school and a former instructor. Bell is the 2001 Indy Lights Champion, the winner of the 2014 Daytona 24, the 2015 IMSA GTD Champion, the 2016 LeMans 24 winner and a 10-time starter […]
WILL POWER A TW0-TIME INDYCAR CHAMPION
It was a triumphant weekend for Will Power at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Sep 9-12. On Saturday, Power took his 68th career pole, eclipsing Mario Andretti’s all-time IndyCar record by one with Mario witnessing the feat from the pitlane. Then on Sunday, Power drove his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet to third overall in […]
ADRIAN NEWEY FEATURED ON SKY SPORTS’ GRAND PRIX SUNDAY
Adrian Newey was spotlighted on Sky Sports Grand Prix Sunday in the run-up to the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The subject was the RB18 Red Bull F1 car and why it has been so dominant this 2022 season. The consensus is that chief aerodynamicist Newey has made the difference. Responsible for many championship race […]
NEW SIF VIDEO: THE START – 10 SECONDS THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR RACE
Fellow Racers, the old saying goes, “No race has ever been won in the first corner, but many have been lost there.” Well if that’s true, then why do so many drivers go for it at the start? The answer is simple: With today’s race cars, passing is very difficult, and starts and re-starts present the best […]
SIX VIE FOR TWO TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP SLOTS; DIXON PASSES ANDRETTI
For the 33rd consecutive year, the Team USA Scholarship will provide opportunities for talented young American race car drivers to gain some international recognition at an early stage in their careers. Next week at the challenging Polecat Training Center facility in Lynchburg, Tenn., six finalists will participate in two days of assessments which will include […]
CHRIS CORD PASSES AT 82
Chris Cord, an investment banker who took up sports car racing as a hobby and closed his career in the center of Dan Gurney’s All American Racers factory Toyota GTO program, died on Thursday at the age of 82. Katrina Cord, his wife of 64 years, was with him when he passed at their home […]
ROGER BAILEY IS SUBJECT OF GORDON KIRBY’S LATEST BIOGRAPHY – “BOOST!”; DONOHUE AT PIKES PEAK; RECENT PASSAGES, DR. FREDERICK SIMEONE AND ALAIN de CADENET
Racemaker Press has announced that “Boost! Roger Bailey’s Extraordinary Motor Racing Career” – the latest biography from author Gordon Kirby – is now available at Racemaker.com. Perhaps nobody in the history of automobile racing enjoyed a career of wider reach and diversity than Roger Bailey. Over the course of 52 years, from 1959-2012, Bailey competed as […]
ROB WALTON BUYS THE BRONCOS; BILL AUBERLEN WINS BMW M LEGENDS INVITATIONAL
Rob Walton and the Walton-Penner Group have purchased the Denver Broncos for a reported $4.65 billion, a record for the sale of an American professional sports franchise, far surpassing the $2.4 billion paid for the New York Mets in 2020. Walton-Penner is headed up by Walton’s daughter Carrie Walton Penner and son-in-law Greg Penner. The […]
STROPUS NAMED GREENWICH CONCOURS GRAND MARSHAL
Hagerty has named the RRDC’s Judy Stropus as Grand Marshal for the 2022 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, held at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park overlooking Greenwich Harbor on June 3-5, 2022. Judy Stropus’ talent, passion, precision and creativity have been a pivotal part of American and international motorsports for over half a century, she literally wrote the […]
ST. JAMES AND REDMAN ARE “GRAND” IN CHATTANOOGA
Lyn St. James – 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, member of the ACCUS board on the FIA Women Motorsports Commission, RRDC member and most recently inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame – has been named Grand Marshal of the third annual Chattanooga Motorcar Festival, to be held this October 14-16 in the […]
HERSHEL McGRIFF SELECTED FOR NASCAR HALL OF FAME, GORDON MacKENZIE PASSES
Hershel McGriff will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame next January 20. McGriff joins Matt Kenseth and Kirk Shelmerdine in the 13th HoF class. McGriff met Bill France Sr. while competing in the Carrera Panamericana in 1950. McGriff won that inaugural Mexican Road Race while France and co-driver Curtis Turner crashed. France was […]
SAFEisFAST IS SEEKING A NEW PRESENTING PARTNER
The RRDC’s SAFE Is Fast program (safeisfast.com) needs your guidance and assistance. Please help us find our next Presenting Partner by reaching out to your friends in motor sports and introducing safeisfast.com by sharing our 2022 sponsorship pitch with them: https://bit.ly/sif-sponsor-deck. Over the last ten years, the RRDC’s Daytona and Long Beach banquets have featured films celebrating the club’s […]
OLVEY AND TRAMMELL IN 2023 MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME OF AMERICA CLASS
Long Beach, Calif. (April 9, 2022) – The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) announced its 2023 Induction Class during the Stand 21 Racing Goes Safer seminar at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The Class of ’23 includes two honorary members of the RRDC – Drs. Stephen Olvey and Terry Trammell. The […]
RICK MEARS HONORED BY RRDC AT LONG BEACH
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 8, 2022) – Four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears was honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club in front of a capacity crowd at the April 7 RRDC Evening with Rick Mears Presented by Firestone. The audience included auto racing dignitaries, corporate executives and champion race-car drivers, and was held prior to the running of the […]
MARTY KAUFMAN, 1939-2022
Longtime race director and competition official Marty Kaufman passed away March 31 at his home in Parrish, Florida. Here is what Marshall Pruett wrote about Kaufman on RACER.COM: Cloaked in immense respect from those who competed under his command, the sight of Marty Kaufman at an American Le Mans Series or IMSA event brought a […]
INDYCAR SUPPORTS RRDC EVENING WITH RICK MEARS IN LONG BEACH
INDYCAR will support the RRDC Evening with Rick Mears presented by Firestone by hosting the pre-dinner reception at the Road Racing Drivers Club’s annual West Coast banquet, held prior to the 47th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.) on April 7, 2022. Rick Mears, four-time Indianapolis 500 champion, winner of 29 INDYCAR SERIES races […]
PATO O’WARD NEW SAFEisFAST “ASK A PRO” + LATEST TEAM USA VIDEO
Patricio O’Ward, driver for Arrow McLaren SP in IndyCar, is the latest online driving instructor for SAFEisFAST.com. In 2017 he made the jump to Indy Lights and in his second season he won the championship with Andretti Autosport in 2018. He made his IndyCar debut with Harding Steinbrenner Racing at the end of 2018, before joining for […]
SAFEisFAST COMPARES SIM RACING TO KART RACING
Fellow Racers, for years Karting has been considered the best path to becoming a race driver. But recently top iRacer Max Esterson showed there’s another route. Switching to cars, he won a Team USA Scholarship and then finished first and second in the world’s two most prestigious Formula Ford races. Has Sim Racing now become the best […]
VIC ELFORD, 1935-2022
Vic Elford, among the world’s most versatile race drivers ever, passed away Sunday (March 13) after a long bout with cancer. He was 86. Elford excelled in every form of motorsport he attempted from pavement to dirt to sand and gravel. Marshall Pruett penned a wonderful remembrance of the Londoner on Racer.com – a must […]
RICK MEARS RRDC HONOREE AT LONG BEACH
Road Racing Drivers Club President Bobby Rahal cordially invites you to attend the RRDC Evening with Rick Mears Presented by Firestone: Long Beach Hilton, Thursday, April 7 Seats $280 ($250 for paid-up RRDC members only) in advance (or $300/$270 after March 28) Reservations Required (to rrdc2@cox.net) RICK MEARS – THANKS! Google “Rick Mears” and, by rights, you should be […]
KUDOS TO TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP; BONDURANT SCHOOL REORGANIZING
AUTOSPORT GIVES HUGE PLUG TO TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP The Feb. 18, 2022 issue of Autosport National featured a five-page cover story on Team USA Scholarship, Jeremy Shaw’s on-going venture to introduce promising young American talent to the caldron that’s the European open-wheel ladder. This year, 19-year-old New Yorker Max Esterson dominated 21st Annual Walter Hayes […]
DOONAN AND PRILL ON IMSA/SCCA COOPERATION; JUSTIN BELL LAUNCHES LEGENDS PODCAST
IMSA President John Doonan (right) and SCCA VP of Road Racing Eric Prill were guests on Brian Bielanski’s RacingWire Network Podcast, Feb. 4. They discussed how the two organizations are working together and how that partnership can expand. The two have worked together for many years when Doonan was head of Mazda’s motorsports department, the […]
SPENCER BROCKMAN AND SCOTT TWOMEY PRESENTED 2020 AND 2021 RRDC MARK DONOHUE AWARDS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 26, 2022) – Spencer Brockman and Scott Twomey were named the 50th and 51st recipients of the RRDC Mark Donohue Award. This unique award is presented annually by the Road Racing Drivers Club for outstanding performance, competitiveness and sportsmanship during the Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs®. It is […]
JEREMY SHAW IS BOB AKIN AWARD RECIPIENT
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2022) – Jeremy Shaw, motorsports writer, commentator and founder of the Team USA Scholarship, was named the 2020 recipient of the RRDC Bob Akin Award. He was honored at the annual Road Racing Drivers Club members’ dinner on January 26, prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, […]
SCOTT ATHERTON IS 2021 RRDC PHIL HILL AWARD RECIPIENT
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2022) – Scott Atherton, former President of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), was honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club with the 2021 Phil Hill Award. The 2019 award recipient, RRDC President Bobby Rahal, made the presentation at the annual RRDC members’ dinner on January 26 prior to the […]
NEW SAFEisFAST VIDEO: THE FASTEST (SAFEST) WAY THRU TRAFFIC; PARKING FOR RRDC DINNER WEDNESDAY
Fellow Racers, I’ll bet you that every Team Manager in this weekend’s Rolex 24-Hours at Daytona will tell their drivers the same thing before the race: “Go fast, but don’t wreck the car”. But how do you do that? In our latest video, a very elite group of champion endurance drivers (Patrick Long, Tommy Milner, Loic Duval, Nick […]
CHIP GANASSI AMELIA HONOREE; RRDC DAYTONA DINNER REMINDER; CUNNINGHAM AT SIMEONE
Hagerty announced this week that racing legend Chip Ganassi will serve as Honoree of The 27th Annual Amelia on March 3-6, 2022. Tickets for the 2022 event are available online now through the recently launched ameliaconclours.com website. Ganassi has touched every major form of North American motorsport plus the ultimate international road race, the 24 […]
REDMAN’S TARGA 66 SET; BOB BOIG PASSES
The 31st annual Targa 66 gathering for high-performance sports cars and race cars returns to Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway on February 11-13, 2022. Founder and host Brian Redman has extended an invitation to owners of modern high-performance road cars and racing cars of all ages to exercise their cars on the 10-turn, 2.2-mile state-of-the […]
RRDC ANNUAL DAYTONA DINNER; JEFF O’NEILL HONORED BY MMR
Thanks to the organizational skills of member Lisa Noble, the RRDC will hold its “annual” members’ dinner at the Daytona 500 Club in advance of the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona. Although we missed having a dinner in 2020 because of the pandemic, we’re back this year in full sway, with awards and recognitions. The RRDC […]
T. E. McHALE PASSES AT 68
Thomas Eugene McHale, T.E. to all who knew him, died Monday, Dec. 21, from the ravages of colon cancer. He was 68. Marshall Pruett remembered him fondly as “our anchor – our center – in a loud and noisy paddock filled with wanton self-importance. “Honda’s longtime manager of motorsports communications, the personification of calm and […]
AL UNSER PASSES AWAY AT AGE 82; RAHAL REMEMBERS BOB BONDURANT
Al Unser, the second of four drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, passed away Thursday at his home in Chama, New Mexico, after a 17-year battle with liver cancer brought on by hemochromatosis, a hereditary blood disease resulting in excess iron in the body. Unser is memorialized in numerous publications with remembrances […]
SAD NEWS: SIR FRANK WILLIAMS AND ART EVANS PASS; BOOKS FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST; ANNUAL DINNER REMINDER
SIR FRANK WILLIAMS, 1942-2021 Although not a member of the RRDC, Sir Frank Williams is known to most of our membership and fondly remembered by those who called him a friend. His is a remarkable story of perseverance and sheer determination where his wife Virginia kept his doctors pulling the plug on the machine that […]
GREG PICKETT AND PAUL PFANNER TO SCCA HALL OF FAME
Two RRDC members – Greg Pickett and Paul Pfanner – are among the five-member 2022 SCCA Hall of Fame Class which also includes Charlie Clark, Howard Duncan and Mark Weber. GREG PICKETT There is longevity, and then there’s Greg Pickett. No other driver can claim to have won a Trans Am Championship race in […]
BOB BONDURANT – 1933-2021
My life has been lived in two halves. The first was becoming a world champion race driver. The second was teaching the world to become champions. – Bob Bondurant Bob Bondurant, iconic racer and performance driving mogul, passed away Friday in Paradise Valley, AZ. He was 88 and survived by his wife Patricia. Racer.com traced […]
2nd ANNUAL RACE INDUSTRY WEBINAR ANNOUNCED; ED SWART’S NEW BOOK
2ND ANNUAL ONLINE RACE INDUSTRY WEEK ANNOUNCED EPARTRADE and RACER are providing 55 hours, over 5 days, of Live Technical and Business Webinars from leading Industry Suppliers and Race Industry Leaders from around the world. The live webinars will run from 7:00am to 6:00pm PST, November 29 through December 3, 2021. The full schedule will […]
ESTERSON VICTORIOUS IN SILVERSTONE WALTER HAYES TROPHY THRILLER
New York Teenager Becomes the Fourth Team USA Scholarship Driver to Scoop Top Honors since 2008 SILVERSTONE, England (Nov. 7, 2021) – Max Esterson produced a master class to seal victory in today’s 21st Annual Walter Hayes Trophy Grand Final at Silverstone, the home of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix. Esterson, 19, from New York, […]
DOUBLE PODIUM FINISH FOR TEAM USA SCHOLARSHIP IN FORMULA FORD FESTIVAL FINAL
BRANDS HATCH, England (Oct. 31, 2021) – The 50th Formula Ford Festival ended in sensational style this afternoon with a thrilling 20-lap Grand Final in which Team USA Scholarship drivers Max Esterson and Andre Castro finished second and third behind Englishman Jamie Sharp. It was the first time two Team USA drivers had finished on the […]