Don Sesslar

Don Sesslar’s father infused a love of automobiles and racing into his son. Young Sesslar began racing stock cars post-WWII and was soon recruited by local entrepreneur Cyrus Fulton to drive his sports cars. Over the next three decades, Sesslar drove Porsches and Mustangs, showing great success with Sunbeams, both Alpines and Tigers. He was influential in the design of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and held lap records there for many years. Sesslar’s talent blossomed during the fabled dead-of-winter races in Nassau, Bahamas during the late 1950s and early 60s, with overall wins in the 50-mile and 200-mile races there in 1958 in Fulton’s Porsche 550 RS … The new Porsche 718 RSK the next year, and a stellar co-driving job by Bob Holbert, resulted in a class win and fourth overall finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring … The SCCA’s highest award in Club racing, the President’s Cup, was earned by Don in 1959 at Marlboro, MD, with that Porsche RSK, along with the SCCA’s F Modified National Championship… He was inducted into the RRDC in 1960… Don won his second National Championship in 1964, with his F Production Sunbeam Alpine. He passed away May 19, 2019, at age 91.

Sesslar treats his wife and crew to a victory lap in his Championship-winning Sunbeam Alpine at his beloved Mid-Ohio. [Sesslar family collection]

Sesslar at Mid-Ohio in his Sunbeam Tiger. [Sesslar family collection]