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GRAND AMERICAN ROAD RACING ASSOCIATION

© Bonnie Quick

The latest in a series of race sanctioning bodies for American road racing, The Grand American Road Racing Association (Grand-Am) is now part of a powerhouse motorsport line up headquartered in at the Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL. It is part of the world center of racing, and has as its mission to become the premier sanctioning body for professional sports car road racing in North America as well as the rallying point for its tradition, history and lifestyle.

The Grand American Road Racing Association will stand alone even though it is the brain child of a major recognized motorsport leader, Bill France. Roger Edmondson, Grand-Am president says the corporation has been set up to be free-standing with a separate Board of Corporate Managers and staff of directors. A little history of road racing will help trace the beginnings and philosophy of this newest of sportscar leagues starting with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, the kick off event of Race Week. Road racing dates back to the previous millennium when men tested their flying machines against each other in races literally held on public roads in Europe and the United States. The historic Vanderbilt Cup road races held in New York and Savannah, Georgia in the early 1900¹s, were among the events that gave this country its first look at road racing in its purest form.

After World War II racing on public streets soon gave way to purpose-built courses, but the term road racing stuck even as events as popular as the races in Watkins Glen, NY shifted to permanent tracks. At the same time, sportscars, built for both the street and the race track were emerging from various manufacturers from around the world. The romantic lure of race cars and their drivers make them ideal for competition and by the 1950-60¹s sportscar racing was flourishing in the United States.

Various groups, including Sportscar Club of America (SCCA), sanctioned sports car road races but one of the most successful eras in the sports history began in 1969 when John Bishop introduced the International Motorsports Association (IMSA). With assistance from NASCAR founder, Bill France, SR., Bishop introduced a successful Grand Touring (GT) rules formula that followed France¹s concept of close competition at a relatively affordable cost. Not surprisingly. It worked.

IMSA set the industry standard for over two decades. Bishop retired in 1989. But he has returned for the Grand American Road Racing Association to serves as its commissioner. Grand-Am will use the same formula that was used in IMSA¹s regulations and will incorporate the same concepts of close competition and on-track parity that were the hallmark of IMSA.