Sports Car Club of America to Move Headquarters to Kansas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SPORTS CAR CLUB OF AMERICA TO MOVE HEADQUARTERS TO KANSAS Topeka to Become Grassroots Motorsports Capital of the World TOPEKA, Kan. (August 22, 2001) -- The Sports Car Club of America, Inc. announced today that its national headquarters would move to Topeka, Kansas in November of 2002. The 60,000-member club, known as the largest and most diverse active motorsports organization in North America, makes the move to Topeka after calling the Denver, Colo. area home for nearly 30 years. “This is a landmark day in the 57-year history of the SCCA,†said Sports Car Club of America, Inc. President and CEO Steve Johnson. “This new venture provides the SCCA a wonderful growth center for years to come and will put Topeka on the map as not only the capital of Kansas, but the grassroots motorsports capital of the world.†The SCCA and its SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. subsidiary will move all national administration, management and operations offices currently in Centennial (re-named from Englewood in 2001) to a new state-of-the-art building on a site between Forbes Field (home of the SCCA Solo II National Championships) and the Heartland Park Topeka race circuit. The building and relocation was made possible through negotiations between the SCCA, the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, Go Topeka/Chamber of Commerce, the state of Kansas and the Kansas Region, SCCA. "Over the past several years, the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority has experienced considerable growth and expansion of new and existing facilities, but nothing as dynamic or as exciting as the announcement that the Sports Car Club of America is relocating its corporate offices to the Topeka Air Industrial Park at Forbes Field,†said David Stremming, MTAA President. “Having the Sports Car Club of America's corporate offices will bring worldwide exposure to the city of Topeka and the State of Kansas. I personally feel that this is just the tip of the iceberg of the great accomplishments that will be completed between the partnerships established between the SCCA and the MTAA." “This is wonderful news for the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, the city of Topeka and the State of Kansas,†said Kansas Governor Bill Graves. “The SCCA’s move to Forbes Field will encourage economic development, create new jobs and give Topeka national exposure in the motorsports community. I know many people worked hard to make this development possible, and I want to thank them for a job well done.†The new site will create a campus for SCCA, with the ability to not only host Solo and road racing events, but to incorporate classrooms and other training facilities for volunteer specialties including, but not limited to, corner marshalling, event officiating, timing and scoring, registration, event safety teams and technical inspection. The entire motorsports community, from the top professional organizations to the most basic club gatherings, utilizes the expertise of SCCA-trained members on a weekly basis, and will benefit from the new facilities. “The campus is just another step toward making the SCCA a well-oiled machine from an operations standpoint, where procedures are carried out with the highest possible consistency and efficiency nation wide,†said Johnson. -more- “This facility will be a center of pride for the SCCA membership, the City of Topeka and the entire North American motorsports community alike. Future plans on the site include adding an SCCA museum, commemorating the greatest moments and people in our history, and other exciting aspects to accommodate for our future growth as we head toward 100,000 members. “In addition to the physical and functional attributes of the campus, the financial benefits alone will allow the SCCA to invest in its programs, staff, members and regions, and put us in the position to control our own destiny.†Johnson believes that while the move to Topeka will be positive for the SCCA membership, it will greatly benefit the community as well. “The SCCA has a tremendous amount to offer the Topeka, and, particularly, its young people,†said Johnson. “Our organization will be very active within the community to help build the city along with the SCCA. We’re looking forward to bringing new people to Topeka, as well as creating new opportunities for current residents.†Profiles The Sports Car Club of America, Inc. is a 60,000-member motorsports organization, which incorporates all facets of autocross, rally, and both club and professional motorsports events. It annually sanctions nearly 2,000 events through its 109 regions and professional subsidiary. Landmark events for the Club include the Club Racing Valvoline Runoffs® National Championship races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Solo II® Nationals and ProSolo® National Series at Topeka, the ProRally® Championship and the United States Road Rally Championship, in St. Louis, Mo. SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of SCCA, Inc., sanctioning the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup, the longest continuously-running road racing series in America; the Speedvision World Challenge GT and Touring Car Championships, the most exciting production-based road racing in North America; and the Pro Spec Racer series, an ultra-competitive entry-level professional series putting the emphasis on driver ability in identically-prepared, purpose-built racecars. Topeka is the capital city of Kansas, located approximately 60 miles west of Kansas City, Mo. on Interstate 70 in Shawnee County. The third largest city in Kansas has a population of over 120,000, is the home of Washburn University and is centrally located between the University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kan.) and Kansas State University (Manhattan, Kan.). Corporations with offices in Topeka include Goodyear, Frito Lay, Hallmark Cards, Heinz Pet Products, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Payless ShoeSource. Topeka is not far from the geodetic center (geographic center factoring the curvature of the Earth) of the continental United States. The Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority is the owner and operator of Philip Billard Airport, Forbes Field Airport, and the 450-acre Topeka Air Industrial Park, which is located adjacent to Forbes Field Airport. The MTAA owns and maintains the approximately 4,000 acres in which Forbes Field and Philip Billard Airports are located. In addition to owning and operating the two airports, the MTAA owns approximately 160 buildings and hangars at Philip Billard Airport, Forbes Field Airport and in the 450-acre Topeka Air Industrial Park. The MTAA also has approximately 125 tenants and subtenants on the premises. -30- Sports Car Club of America Timeline February 1944 - Sports Car Club of America is founded. First issue of Sportwagen comes out a month later including the SCCA Constitution, which stated the club’s purpose “to foster the preservation and operation of sports cars, to act as an authentic source of information thereupon, and to provide events for these cars and their owners. July 1945 - First SCCA time trials event held at Thompson, Conn. October 1948 - SCCA conducts its first race, in Watkins Glen, N.Y., thus signaling the first major transition from a preservationist group to a race organizing and sanctioning body. September 1952 - Racing on public roads is halted after 14 people were injured and one killed at the fifth annual Watkins Glen Grand Prix. One month later, President Fred Wacker Jr. signs a deal to hold races on Strategic Aid Command runways, the first of 14 such events being held at Turner Air Force Base in Georgia. February 1963 - First SCCA Pro race conducted at Daytona International Raceway as part of the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC), won by Jim Hall. March 1966 - First Trans-Am race held at Sebring International Raceway, won by future Formula One World Champion Jochen Rindt. January 1972 - Cameron Argetsinger becomes the Director of Pro Racing and the club moves from Westport, Conn. to Denver, Colo. SCCA introduces a new category called “Showroom Stock.†September 1975 - Modern era of street circuit racing begins with a Formula 5000 race at Long Beach. June 1983 - Nicholas W. Craw hired as president and CEO of SCCA, Inc. July 1986 - SCCA moves to a new 26,000-square-foot headquarters in Englewood, Colo. January 1990 - Escort Endurance Championship becomes Escort World Challenge, with race formats changing to sprint races. December 1993 - Pro Racing is separated into a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of SCCA, Inc. October 1994 - Valvoline Runoffs Club Racing National Championships move to Mid-Ohio after 24 years at Road Atlanta. September 1995 - After 12 years in Salina, Kansas, the Solo II Nationals move to Forbes Field, in Topeka. December 1998 - Speedvision signs on as title sponsor and partner in the World Challenge series. December 2000 - Panoz-Sanchez Group assumes marketing and promotional rights to the Trans-Am series. June 2000 - Steve Johnson is named president and CEO of SCCA, Inc. August 2001 - SCCA announces headquarters relocation to Topeka, Kan. in November 2002. _______________________ eric prill director of public relations scca pro racing/speedvision world challenge 303.694.7223, 720.489.7751 fax www.sccapro.com, www.speedvisionwc.com