FW: Open House October 1, 2009

[Casey/Seneca Saw Works]

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: research [mailto:rese...@racingarchives.org]
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 1:25 PM
To: A. Davis
Subject: Open House October 1, 2009

 

Racing Research Center’s October Open House
Features Champion Race Driver George Follmer

Versatile racing champion George Follmer will be the keynote speaker at the annual open house of the International Motor Racing Research Center on Oct. 3.

“Forceful George Follmer - a contender in any kind of racing he tried and a winner in most,” writes the Center’s 2008 speaker Pete Lyons on the website of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, into which Follmer was inducted in 1999.

The open house is a daylong event and is the Center’s way of thanking its supporters. Follmer’s talk will be at 3 p.m.
The Center is located at 610 S. Decatur St., Watkins Glen.

Follmer is the only professional racing driver from the United States who has competed in Indy Cars, NASCAR, Formula 1, the World Endurance Championship, Can-Am, Trans-Am and IMSA.

“George Follmer distinguished himself in every type of race car he ever drove – and he drove just about everything,” says Research Center historian Bill Green. “He was the USRRC Champion in 1965, Can-Am champion in 1972 and was twice Trans-Am champion – in 1972 and 1976. In addition to sports cars, sedans and prototypes, George raced in USAC, NASCAR and Formula 1. He scored World Championship points for Shadow in Formula 1, including a podium finish in 1973.”

“I am always happy to return to Watkins Glen where so many of the great race battles of the 1960s and ’70s played out,” said Follmer. “I like to remember the victories, including the USRRC and Trans-Am wins, but they are all great memories.”

In his first racing season in 1960, Follmer earned the honor of California Sports Car Club Rookie of the Year. He turned pro five years later, winning the SCCA’s 1965 United States Road Racing Championship driving a Porsche-powered Lotus. Follmer’s Can-Am championship in 1972 was at the wheel of the iconic Penske Racing Porsche 917-10. He won the Trans-Am championship the same year, driving the Roy Woods Javelin. His second Trans-Am championship came in 1976 at the wheel of a Porsche.

Follmer’s USAC career included an historic victory at Phoenix in 1969, marking the first Championship Trail win for a Chevrolet-powered car. His three consecutive appearances in the Indianapolis 500 from 1969 through 1971 were plagued with mechanical misfortune, scoring his best result of 15th in the 1971 event.

“Despite George Follmer’s reputation as a hard-nosed, pure racer, he never lost his essential sportsmanship,” said Michael Argetsinger, a member of the Racing Research Center’s Council and author of the recently released biography, Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed, from David Bull Publishing. “Mark Donohue, who competed fiercely against George as a rival and often as a teammate, had the highest regard for him as a man and as a driver.”

For his accomplishments at Watkins Glen, Follmer will be inducted into the Watkins Glen Drivers Walk of Fame during the open house. The Walk of Fame is a project of the Watkins Glen Historic Committee, sponsored by the Center.
Other activities during the day will include the Center’s ever-popular annual “garage sale” and refreshments.
“We are delighted to have George Follmer at the Research Center to celebrate this important weekend on our calendar. This is our opportunity to thank our patrons for their generous support throughout the year,” said Mark Steigerwald, Director of Archives & Administration for the Research Center.

The Center is an archival library dedicated to the preservation of motorsports, all series and all venues. It is open to the public without charge and welcomes the casual race fan as well as the serious researcher.
It was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of racing in Watkins Glen, the home of post-World War II road racing in America. It opened in June 1999.