http://www.scca.org/news/press01_22.html
www.solo2.org
For Immediate Release
AUGUST 22, 2001
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
SCCAs 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.
"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. Were 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.
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 clubs 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.
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