INSIDE SCCA SCCA FOUNDATION

OUR STORY From women racers (BELOW) to Navy helecopter pilot Fred Keyser (LEFT), the SCCA Archives hold a wealth of knowledge and offer a glimpse of the wide range of people who have been members.

ARCHIVING OUR HISTORY Pro and amateur driver records are being preserved by the thousands in SCCA’s Archives | WORDS Jeff Jacobs, Vice Chairman, SCCA Foundation | IMAGES Courtesy SCCA Archives Pro and amateur driver records are being preserved by the thousands in SCCA’s Archives n February 1982, SCCA member number Regional and National licenses and renewals sponsors, car models and classes, profession, 35,400 sent in his application to have his for thousands of drivers. The archive hobbies, and other details. Occasionally, the National racing license renewed. The member encompasses files for many well-known files contain photographs of racecars. hand wrote four races into the section drivers such as Chip Ganassi and Butch Drivers also were required to submit reciting the prior year’s events, satisfying the Leitzinger – even NFL great Walter Payton’s physical examination forms to provide proof minimum participation requirements. He first June 1988 racing license application is of their fitness for the rigorous physical listed a second-place finish in the September among the collection. It also documents the demands of racing. All medical records in the 1981 Can-Am race at Mosport. Next, he careers of SCCA Hall of Famers like Janet archive are restricted to ensure listed a fourth-place finish in the November Guthrie and Bob Henderson. confidentiality and compliance with HIPAA 1981 Can-Am race in Las Vegas. The fourth But primarily, the collection contains protections. Only the drivers themselves, entry on the list was a fifth-place finish in the numerous files of amateur Club drivers who with proof of identification, can access or July 1981 Six-Hours of Watkins Glen. An made up the core of SCCA’s membership over copy medical information in the files. impressive enough list, but the third entry time. Browsing through the records, one would Indeed, the SCCA Archives document the modestly tucked in between the others was find the 1971 renewal application of Lou careers of thousands of SCCA drivers from perhaps most notable: “1/81 Daytona 24 Pavesi, an airline captain from San Francisco, occasional Club racers to those who went Hrs., , 1st.” who planned that year to race a McLaren/ on to the professional ranks. The collection Prior to ever winning his first IndyCar race, Chevrolet in the L&M Championship. Or a tells the story of an amazing diversity of like every other SCCA member in the country, 1973 license renewal application from Fred drivers who have participated in SCCA dutifully filled out by hand his Keyser, a Navy helicopter pilot stationed in Regional and National racing from the competition license renewal. One might think Key West, Fla., who had previously scored a 1950s to the 1990s, but none of it would that winning the might first-place finish in EP in the 1965 Southeast be possible without the help of Archivist be the first – and perhaps the only Championship in his 1958 Porsche Speedster. Jenny Ambrose along with SCCA Archives necessary – qualifying race one would put on The SCCA Archives records frequently technicians Joe Cali and Rick Hughey at the their license renewal form. Rahal had co-driven include a Novice Permit and logbook with a International Motor Racing Research Center the No. 9 Garretson Racing/Style Auto photograph of the driver, a list of races in working on behalf of the SCCA Foundation. Porsche 935 K3 with Bob Garretson and which the driver participated, and Thanks to their hard work, files like these are to victory at Daytona that year. information about the completion of Driver’s now arranged and shelved alphabetically Rahal’s license renewal application is Schools. Even more interesting, the SCCA by surname. And now, the thousands of preserved in the SCCA Archives at the requested that drivers fill out a “driver racer’s files that survived the relocations International Motor Racing Research Center profile” for use for publicity and media of SCCA’s National Offices or purges of in Watkins Glen along with more than 400 inquiries. Those profiles contain additional office files have become an important part cubic feet of drivers’ files with applications for information about a driver’s racing record, of the permanent SCCA Archives.

56 APRIL 2018 scca.com

SC0418-56Inside-Foundation_P.indd 56 2/16/18 12:24 AM