2006 SCCA Hall of Fame Class Announced; Champions Buffum,
Donohue Among Inductees
TOPEKA, Kan. (Nov. 1, 2005) - Sports Car Club of America, Inc. (SCCA)
announced today the five individuals that will be enshrined into its
Hall of Fame in 2006.
John Borhnoldt, John Buffum, Mark Donohue, Denise McCluggage and Grant
Reynolds will join the inaugural 10 inductees during the ceremony
closing the 2006 SCCA National Convention, February 4 in Kansas City,
Mo.
Profiles:
John Bornholdt - John Bornholdt has been an SCCA steward since the
1950's when he oversaw the Giant's Despair Hillclimb, which was then
part of the National Championship series. He is considered one of the
standards by which fine stewards are measured. He has performed his
stewarding tasks with great skill, knowledge, acumen, and ability over
many years. Across time he has been a chief steward for most all of the
major SCCA Pro Series and the United States Grand Prix, as well as
countless Club Races. He is recognized for having administered them
with an even hand, ensuring that all constituencies received a fair
hearing, and he was recognized with the Woolf Barnato Trophy in 1975,
the highest honor bestowed on an SCCA member. John is still active, and
remains an example to others in the fine art of stewardship.
John Buffum - John Buffum is the single biggest name in the sport of
rally in SCCA's history. He is the person that the world thinks of when
they think of SCCA and rally. Buffum accrued 11 National SCCA ProRally
Championships and more Pro Rally wins than anyone else. He has more FIA
rally wins than anyone else, American or otherwise, in history. Outside
of rally, Buffum also ran SCCA Trans-Am in the 1970's and was the top
Under 2.5 driver in 1973. He also worked closely with the SCCA
National Office and the ProRally Board, and served as SCCA National Pro
Rally Steward for a number of years. Additionally, Buffum chaired two
"rally of the year" events and was recipient of the Robert Ridges Award
presented for exceptional dedication and sportsmanship in the rally
program.
Mark Donohue - Donohue is regarded by many as the finest competition
driver that SCCA ever produced. Beyond that, he exemplified the concept
of the gentleman sportsmen that founded SCCA, even though he competed at
the highest levels of motorsports. Donohue was so well respected as a
sportsman, as a driver, and as a representative of SCCA, that he was
awarded the Woolf Barnato Trophy in 1973. He won three Club Racing
National titles and the Kimberly Cup in the 1960's. Moving on to
professional racing, Donohue was twice USRRC champion. three times
Trans-Am champion, and a Can-Am champion. He had considerable success
in Endurance competition, including a memorable upset win of the Daytona
24 hours in 1969. He went on to win in Indy cars, including the Indy
500. He died representing America in Formula One, and remained an SCCA
member through that time. He served as an officer for the RRDC (Road
Racing Drivers Club), which named its top honor the "Mark Donohue
Award," presented annually to a driver at the SCCA National Championship
Runoffs.
Denise McCluggage - Denise McCluggage proved to the world that women
could compete in both SCCA and international racing. She was one of the
first women road racers and she parlayed that notoriety into a
motorsports journalism career that is still going strong today. She did
not hold an office in the club, but she did do something that no one
else had done, and arguably that no one else was properly suited to do
at the time. In so doing, she gained great exposure for the Club and
opened numerous doors for women, not only in SCCA, but in motorsports in
general. McCluggage continues to be a renowned journalist and author,
and served as the keynote speaker for the 2005 SCCA National Convention.
Grant Reynolds - Grant Reynolds was the second Chairman of the Solo
Events Committee. He persuaded the Board of Governors to give the
committee full Board status as the Solo Events Board, making it equal to
the Club Racing Competition Board. It was also under Reynolds'
leadership that the Solo Events Board integrated the gymkhannas being
staged by various independent clubs, into what we now know as Solo. He
proposed the idea of a National Championship event for Solo and helped
create the first one. Reynolds is still an active race steward today.
The five 2006 inductees will join this year's class, including: Cameron
Argetsinger, A. Tracy Bird, John Fitch, Arthur Gervais, Harry Handley,
Vern Jaques, Bill Milliken, Sue Roethel, Art Trier and Rob Walker.
The Hall of Fame formation was announced February 7, 2004 at the
National Convention with a mission "to preserve, protect, recognize and
record SCCA's accomplishments and history for current and future members
through recognizing and honoring dedicated and loyal members who have
made significant contributions to the development of Sports Car Club of
America and its goals."
Nominations were submitted to and reviewed by a Hall of Fame Selection
Committee. Of the nominated individuals, five were selected for the 2006
Class.
