John Mull, DB Panhard
Text by Robert Birmingham
Photos by Glen Glendenning
Read Road America 1958, Production classes
In 1958 crowds for both June and September proved to be highly profitable for both SCCA and Road America and the future looked bright. With four years of racing at Road America in the books, profits soared for the corporation led by Tufte and for area merchants as well whose revenues surpassed their wildest dreams.
Sharing the happiness, perhaps a 1,000 or more volunteers, consisting of corner workers, tech inspectors, timers, scorers and also drivers and their crews, fraternal organizations manning concessions and spectators as much or more than could have been hoped for. It was a team effort, strung together from the early beginning and mentoring by a rural resident civil engineer with grease under his fingernails and tar on his boots and pant legs, all with little or no interest in sports car racing prior to 1950. Clif Tufte had led the charge, one that would grow and develop champions, earn a positive world-wide reputation for excellence and as much as anything he had climbed behind the wheel, moved the gear shift to the left and up then popped the clutch with that a community had returned to prosperity.
After the 1956 season of three race events, Road America’s annual schedule reverted to the successful June Sprints and September 500. In the fall of 1959 Tufte rewarded the substantial number of Milwaukee Region SCCA, corner workers, tech inspectors, timers and scorers for their substantial hours over past years. In early February of 1960, Road America President Cliff Tufte reported that at year’s end the mortgage was paid off and the track was out of debt.
Beginning with the earliest designs, Jim Jeffords Milwaukee Advertising Company provided its services to Road America free of charge including colorful Road America race posters and programs, replete with quality photos, interesting articles, race entries, event officers and an ever-growing number of advertisements.
Modified Classes
Michael Cleary, H Modified Special
Richard Schoonover in the Dow Special avoiding Sandy MacArthur’s off with the Stanguellini.
The Siata of Al Beasley gets by the Devin bodied special of Edward Kopper.
Kopper’s Kurtis H-mod.
Ed Crawford in the Cunningham Lister Jag.
Walt Hansgen in the Cunningham Lister Jag.
Jack Baker, El Toro, Hibbing, Minnesota
Ferrari driven in part by George Reed, Jr.
James Johnston or Bud Seaverns, Ferrari Testa Rossa
Lance Reventlow discusses race strategy with driver Gus Andrey.
Andrey or Lance on the track.
Ferrari TR of E.D. Martin.
Thank you Bob Birmingham for your work with Glen Glendinning’s photos. I enjoyed it as a look back in history at one of America’s best road racing courses. Well done. ,