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RRDC Presents Three Awards At Annual Dinner
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The Road Racing Drivers Club presented three awards at the annual RRDC members’ dinner at Daytona International Speedway, preceding the running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the season opener of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
One of the honors presented was the Phil Hill Award, awarded to former racer and race team owner Chip Ganassi. RRDC President Bobby Rahal presented the award to Ganassi.
The Phil Hill Award has been given out annually since 1993 to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing. The recipient may be a driver, entrant or outstanding member of a sanctioning body.
The award is in honor of America’s first Formula 1 World Champion (in 1961), and is not only a tribute to his skilful accomplishments on the race track, it also recognizes his contributions as a great ambassador for the sport. Hill passed away in 2008.
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for more than 30 years. Today his teams include two cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and two cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2012, Complex Magazine named Ganassi as one of the “50 most influential people in the Auto Industry."
“Phil Hill represented everything that was great about the American spirit internationally,” said Rahal. “He was the first US Formula 1 champion and multi-time winner of Le Mans. He was a gentleman in the finest sense of the word.
"He was very much a class guy, and he let his driving speak for him. He wasn't a braggart. He just did his thing and he won a lot of races, including Le Mans in the '50s and '60s. He drove for Chaparral, and pretty much did it all.
"We think the Phil Hill Award represents something that's very special in motorsport. And Chip Ganassi clearly lives up to that example. He is indeed a worthy recipient of the Phil Hill Award."
Another one of the awards given at RRDC’s annual dinner was the Mark Donohue Award, awarded to 15-year-old high-school student Neil Verhagen.
Verhagen, who had been previously announced as the award winner, earned the honor for his dominating performance at the SCCA National Runoffs in 2016 to win the competitive Formula F class. He accepted the unique trophy from RRDC members Don Knowles, Dorsey Schroeder and David Donohue, Mark's son.
The trophy, an engraved glass top mounted on a special, racing-experienced wheel, was provided by RRDC member Roger Penske and Team Penske. It came from the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford driven by Joey Logano at the Nov. 13, 2016, Phoenix NASCAR race, where he shredded the tire performing a victory burnout.
"Neil Verhagen is a superstar," said Schroeder, of the young driver who was also named to the Red Bull Junior team this month. "He is a record setter and in doing so he is a record breaker. Quite an interesting young man at a very young age. He's raced one-third of his entire existence on this planet.
"He topped the sheets throughout the Runoffs weekend, and had a pretty good feel for the car. He's a thinking driver."
The last award given at the RRDC annual dinner was the Bob Akin Award, granted to event promoter and collector and driver of historic race cars, Murray Smith.
This honor is considered the top award in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers. Smith was presented the Bob Akin Award by Urciuoli, Bobby Akin and Rahal.
The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC in 2003 to honor the memory of longtime RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002.
The trophy, designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., is given to a driver who best shows the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing and the community at large.
The primary award, etched with the names of the recipients, is on display year-round at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Each honoree receives a smaller replica.
His most significant contributions to amateur motorsports have been in the areas of event promotion. He has worked with Chrysler and Rolex supporting events at various US and international tracks, and helped organize the Louis Vuitton Classic at Rockefeller Center and the Lime Rock Historic Festival, now in its 35th year. He is one of the sport’s leading masters of ceremonies at various events honoring historically prominent race-car drivers.
Smith has also has served on the motorsports committee of Chrysler to develop the Viper GTSR, on the FIA Formula 1 Commission, and as Chairman of BMP, the organizer of the British Touring Car, Formula Three and Motorcycle Racing Championships.
"The winner of this year's award I've known pretty much all of my life," said Akin. "I remember at an early age at Lime Rock asking my dad, Who's that scrappy guy with the funny accent?
"One thing that that scrappy guy had, I learned over many years, was a passion for motorsport, specifically for Le Mans, for sports cars, for historic racing and driving. Not to date him, but our winner has been driving at the top end of vintage and historic racing pretty much since the beginning of historic and vintage racing, or at least the '70s.
"His passion and his gift for marketing and promotion came when he was a top executive at a massive advertising company, and he's dedicated much of his life to bringing attention to road racing. He worked for many years with Steve Earle at the Monterey (Calif.) Historics, and at Lime Rock (Conn.), and that continues today. He helped guide Rolex, and Chrysler as part of the committee that brought the original Viper to road racing, and other world-class brands to see the value in road racing.
"He has played a big part in the growth of the sport that we all love and that he loves so much."
The Road Racing Drivers Club, formed in 1952 to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, as well as prominent racing names.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award, and supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has assisted young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. For more information, visit www.rrdc.org.
One of the honors presented was the Phil Hill Award, awarded to former racer and race team owner Chip Ganassi. RRDC President Bobby Rahal presented the award to Ganassi.
The Phil Hill Award has been given out annually since 1993 to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing. The recipient may be a driver, entrant or outstanding member of a sanctioning body.
The award is in honor of America’s first Formula 1 World Champion (in 1961), and is not only a tribute to his skilful accomplishments on the race track, it also recognizes his contributions as a great ambassador for the sport. Hill passed away in 2008.
Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for more than 30 years. Today his teams include two cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, two cars in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and two cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship. In 2012, Complex Magazine named Ganassi as one of the “50 most influential people in the Auto Industry."
“Phil Hill represented everything that was great about the American spirit internationally,” said Rahal. “He was the first US Formula 1 champion and multi-time winner of Le Mans. He was a gentleman in the finest sense of the word.
"He was very much a class guy, and he let his driving speak for him. He wasn't a braggart. He just did his thing and he won a lot of races, including Le Mans in the '50s and '60s. He drove for Chaparral, and pretty much did it all.
"We think the Phil Hill Award represents something that's very special in motorsport. And Chip Ganassi clearly lives up to that example. He is indeed a worthy recipient of the Phil Hill Award."
Another one of the awards given at RRDC’s annual dinner was the Mark Donohue Award, awarded to 15-year-old high-school student Neil Verhagen.
Verhagen, who had been previously announced as the award winner, earned the honor for his dominating performance at the SCCA National Runoffs in 2016 to win the competitive Formula F class. He accepted the unique trophy from RRDC members Don Knowles, Dorsey Schroeder and David Donohue, Mark's son.
The trophy, an engraved glass top mounted on a special, racing-experienced wheel, was provided by RRDC member Roger Penske and Team Penske. It came from the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford driven by Joey Logano at the Nov. 13, 2016, Phoenix NASCAR race, where he shredded the tire performing a victory burnout.
"Neil Verhagen is a superstar," said Schroeder, of the young driver who was also named to the Red Bull Junior team this month. "He is a record setter and in doing so he is a record breaker. Quite an interesting young man at a very young age. He's raced one-third of his entire existence on this planet.
"He topped the sheets throughout the Runoffs weekend, and had a pretty good feel for the car. He's a thinking driver."
The last award given at the RRDC annual dinner was the Bob Akin Award, granted to event promoter and collector and driver of historic race cars, Murray Smith.
This honor is considered the top award in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers. Smith was presented the Bob Akin Award by Urciuoli, Bobby Akin and Rahal.
The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC in 2003 to honor the memory of longtime RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002.
The trophy, designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., is given to a driver who best shows the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing and the community at large.
The primary award, etched with the names of the recipients, is on display year-round at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Each honoree receives a smaller replica.
His most significant contributions to amateur motorsports have been in the areas of event promotion. He has worked with Chrysler and Rolex supporting events at various US and international tracks, and helped organize the Louis Vuitton Classic at Rockefeller Center and the Lime Rock Historic Festival, now in its 35th year. He is one of the sport’s leading masters of ceremonies at various events honoring historically prominent race-car drivers.
Smith has also has served on the motorsports committee of Chrysler to develop the Viper GTSR, on the FIA Formula 1 Commission, and as Chairman of BMP, the organizer of the British Touring Car, Formula Three and Motorcycle Racing Championships.
"The winner of this year's award I've known pretty much all of my life," said Akin. "I remember at an early age at Lime Rock asking my dad, Who's that scrappy guy with the funny accent?
"One thing that that scrappy guy had, I learned over many years, was a passion for motorsport, specifically for Le Mans, for sports cars, for historic racing and driving. Not to date him, but our winner has been driving at the top end of vintage and historic racing pretty much since the beginning of historic and vintage racing, or at least the '70s.
"His passion and his gift for marketing and promotion came when he was a top executive at a massive advertising company, and he's dedicated much of his life to bringing attention to road racing. He worked for many years with Steve Earle at the Monterey (Calif.) Historics, and at Lime Rock (Conn.), and that continues today. He helped guide Rolex, and Chrysler as part of the committee that brought the original Viper to road racing, and other world-class brands to see the value in road racing.
"He has played a big part in the growth of the sport that we all love and that he loves so much."
The Road Racing Drivers Club, formed in 1952 to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, as well as prominent racing names.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award, and supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has assisted young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. For more information, visit www.rrdc.org.
