The Logbook

"Win a 2020 Corvette Stingray from the IMRRC" by Doug Stokes

"Though the suburban streets that run through the village of Watkins Glen are quiet now, they were once lined with crowds of cheering spectators and filled with the roar of race car engines." The IMRRC recently contributed images to this article by Nicole Saraniero on Untapped New York.

The joint World Sportscar Championship and Can-Am weekend at Watkins Glen in July 1970 was notable for the great racing, huge crowd, world-famous drivers and a fascinating mix of machinery for both the 6-Hour event on Saturday and the unlimited Group 7 show on Sunday, a race where many of the endurance competitors competed as well. World-renowned Porsche 917 author Jay Gillotti takes us back in time to a different age to remember it all.

The months of April and May bring sad reminders of three great F1 heroes lost to crashes – Jimmy Clark, Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna. All are sorely missed. We can be grateful that Niki Lauda, whose passing in May of 2019 was a reminder of a long and inspiring life, escaped from his fiery crash at the Nürburgring. Yet, it was not until the fatal crash of Senna in 1994 that a safety revolution took place. This excerpt from “CRASH!” looks at why the great Brazilian’s death made so much difference when it came to racing safety, now part of his legacy.

When IMSA first published the initial Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) rulebook in 1980, it set off a flurry of activity with car builders and race teams. But who became the first to field a GTP machine in an IMSA race? This question isn't as simple to answer as you might think.

When the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) started in 1969, it focused on running formula car races on a mixture of fast ovals and road courses. That idea produced fantastic racing but proved to be quite dangerous. It was also not a commercial success. These factors led to a shift in focus to GT cars in 1971. And the rest, as they say, is history.

April 12th marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest sports car endurance drives of all time. In horrible conditions at Brands Hatch, Pedro Rodriguez stomped the competition in his Gulf Porsche 917. Read about how it happened from world-renowned 917 author Jay Gillotti.

The IMSA All-American GT (AAGT) class was dreamed up in response to Porsche domination of the Camel GT Series in 1973 and 1974. By then, Porsche was mass-producing race-ready Carrera RSRs that private teams could purchase and be immediately competitive. John Bishop wanted to offer teams an American alternative utilizing proven, off-the-shelf engines and parts. Thus, the AAGT era in IMSA began in earnest in 1975.

John Andretti was every bit the racer as his more famous uncle Mario and cousin Michael. But he was also instrumental in raising awareness of colon cancer prevention and treatment. Renowned motorsport journalist and author Jonathan Ingram remembers his friend's legacy in this touching post.

The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) will host several exhibitions this year that tell the story of women in United States motorsports.