1963 United States Road Racing Championship season
Encyclopedia
The 1963 United States Road Racing Championship season was the first season of the Sports Car Club of America
's United States Road Racing Championship
. It began February 3, 1963, and ended September 22, 1963, after eight races. Separate races for sportscars and GTs were held at four rounds, while three rounds were combined races, and one round (Daytona) was for sportscars only. Bob Holbert won the season championship, splitting time between the under-two liter sportscar and GT classes.
Sports Car Club of America
The Sports Car Club of America is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional racers.-History:...
's United States Road Racing Championship
United States Road Racing Championship
The United States Road Racing Championship was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1962. It was the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. SCCA Executive Director John Bishop helped to create the series to recover races that had been taken by rival USAC Road Racing...
. It began February 3, 1963, and ended September 22, 1963, after eight races. Separate races for sportscars and GTs were held at four rounds, while three rounds were combined races, and one round (Daytona) was for sportscars only. Bob Holbert won the season championship, splitting time between the under-two liter sportscar and GT classes.
Schedule
Rnd | Race | Length | Class | Circuit | Location | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daytona 200 | 200 mi (321.9 km) | Sports | Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross... |
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had... |
February 3 |
2 | USRRC Pensacola | 150 mi (241.4 km) | GT | Corry Field Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center The Center for Information Dominance Corry Station, located in Myrtle Grove, Florida, is the home of the Navy's Center for Information Dominance or CID. Myrtle Grove is a western suburb in the Pensacola metropolitan area.... |
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola, Florida Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752... |
May 26 |
260 mi (418.4 km) | Sports | |||||
3 | Laguna Seca 150 Monterey Sports Car Championships The Monterey Sports Car Championships is a sports car race held annually at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The event began in 1950 as a race on the roads of Pebble Beach, California. In 1951, it was added to the new SCCA National Sports Car Championship. When Laguna Seca Raceway was built in 1957,... |
150 mi (241.4 km) | All | Laguna Seca Raceway | Monterey, California Monterey, California The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of... |
June 9 |
4 | Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix 6 Hours of Watkins Glen The Six Hours of Watkins Glen is a sports car endurance race held annually at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York... |
150 mi (241.4 km) | GT | Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation... |
Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen, New York Watkins Glen is a village in Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 2,149 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Schuyler County.The Village of Watkins Glen lies on the border of the towns of Dix and Montour.... |
June 30 |
300 km (186.4 mi) | Sports | |||||
5 | Pacific North West Grand Prix | 150 mi (241.4 km) | GT | Pacific Raceways Pacific Raceways Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing facility near Kent, Washington. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle International Raceways in 1976... |
Kent, Washington Kent, Washington Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage... |
July 21 |
150 mi (241.4 km) | Sports | |||||
6 | Continental Divide 150 | 150 mi (241.4 km) | All | Continental Divide Raceway | Castle Rock, Colorado Castle Rock, Colorado The Town of Castle Rock is the county seat of Douglas County, Colorado, United States and is named for the prominent castle tower-shaped butte near the center of town. It is part of Colorado's Front Range Urban Corridor and is located roughly 28 miles south of Denver and 37 miles north of... |
August 18 |
7 | Road America 500 Road America 500 The Road America 500 is a sports car race held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The event began in 1950, and in 1951 was added to the SCCA National Sports Car Championship. Following a spectator death at the 1952 Watkins Glen Grand Prix, racing on open roads was discouraged, and the... |
500 mi (804.7 km) | All | Road America Road America Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and... |
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, located within the northwestern part of the county within the Town of Rhine. The population was 1,021 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area... |
September 8 |
8 | USRRC Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio The Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio is a sports car race held annually at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race began in 1963 as a part of the United States Road Racing Championship. It was part of the IMSA GT Championship from 1972 until 1993, and the American Le Mans Series since 2001... |
270 km (167.8 mi) | GT | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside of the village of Lexington... |
Lexington, Ohio Lexington, Ohio Lexington is a village in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,822 at the 2010 census, an increase from 4,165 in 2000.... |
September 22 |
270 km (167.8 mi) | Sports |
Season results
Overall winner in bold.Rnd | Circuit | Sports +2.0 Winning Team | Sports 2.0 Winning Team | GT Winning Team | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sports +2.0 Winning Driver(s) | Sports 2.0 Winning Driver(s) | GT Winning Driver(s) | |||
1 | Daytona Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross... |
#166 Hap Sharp Hap Sharp James "Hap" Sharp was an American race car driver who drove in six Formula One grands prix. But he was best known as co-owner and driver of the revolutionary Chaparral sports racing cars built by Jim Hall and Sharp in Midland, Texas. In 1962 Jim Hall and Hap Sharp formed Chaparral Cars, Inc... |
#14 Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
Did Not Participate | Results |
Jim Hall | Bob Holbert | ||||
2 | Pensacola Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center The Center for Information Dominance Corry Station, located in Myrtle Grove, Florida, is the home of the Navy's Center for Information Dominance or CID. Myrtle Grove is a western suburb in the Pensacola metropolitan area.... |
Lotus Lotus Cars Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics... -Climax Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H... |
#14 Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
Mecom Racing Team Mecom Racing Team The Mecom Racing Team was led by John Mecom, Jr. and was active between 1960-1967 in the World Sportscar Championship racing, Formula One, and American Championship Car Racing scenes. The Mecom Racing Team and later the Mecom Group led by John Mecom, Jr., John Mecom III and Stephen Charsley worked... |
Results |
Tim Mayer | Bob Holbert | Roger Penske Roger Penske Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated... |
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3 | Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA.... |
#92 Team Meridian Inc. | #10 Chuck Parsons | #196 Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
Results |
Skip Hudson | Chuck Parsons Chuck Parsons Charles W. "Chuck" Parsons was an American sports car racing driver. Parsons drove in SCCA and USSRC competition, then became a driver in the Can Am series... |
Bob Holbert | |||
4 | Watkins Glen Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation... |
#98 Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
#14 Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
#33 Bob Johnson | Results |
Ken Miles Ken Miles Ken Miles was a sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his career in the USA and with American teams on the international scene.-Background:Miles raced motorcycles before he served as a tank sergeant in the British Army in World War... |
Bob Holbert | Bob Johnson | |||
5 | Kent Pacific Raceways Pacific Raceways is a mixed-use road racing facility near Kent, Washington. The race track was constructed in 1959 and opened in 1960. The track was originally named Pacific Raceways, then became known as Seattle International Raceways in 1976... |
#448 Kjell Qvale Kjell Qvale Kjell Qvale is a Norwegian-American business executive. Qvale is one of the key figures in the creation of the Jensen-Healey. Qvale became the first distributor for Jaguar on the Pacific West Coast. Qvale is one of the founders of the San Francisco Auto Show.-Early life:Kjell Qvale was born in... |
Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
#97 Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
Results |
Pedro Rodríguez Pedro Rodriguez (racing driver) Pedro Rodríguez was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Mexico City and was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez.-Career:... |
Don Wester | Dave MacDonald Dave MacDonald David George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led... |
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6 | Castle Rock | #14 Meister Brauser | Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
#98 Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
Results |
Augie Pabst | Don Wester | Bob Bondurant Bob Bondurant Robert Bondurant is an American former racecar driver who raced for Shelby American, Ferrari and Eagle teams.During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian motorcycle on dirt ovals... |
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7 | Road America Road America Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and... |
#98 Williamson Ford, Inc. | #76 Porsche Car Import/Oliver Schmidt | #97 Steve McQueen Steve McQueen Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination... /Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
Results |
Bob Holbert Ken Miles Ken Miles Ken Miles was a sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his career in the USA and with American teams on the international scene.-Background:Miles raced motorcycles before he served as a tank sergeant in the British Army in World War... |
Augie Pabst Bill Wuesthoff |
Bob Bondurant Bob Bondurant Robert Bondurant is an American former racecar driver who raced for Shelby American, Ferrari and Eagle teams.During his teens, Bondurant raced an Indian motorcycle on dirt ovals... Dave MacDonald Dave MacDonald David George MacDonald was an American road racing champion noted for his successes driving Corvettes and Shelby Cobras in the early 1960s. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 Indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led... |
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8 | Mid-Ohio | #98 Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
#89 Porsche Porsche Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry.... |
#99 Shelby American Carroll Shelby International Carroll Shelby International was formed in 2003 from custom performance vehicle manufacturer Shelby American when, founder and owner, Carroll Shelby took the company public, and additionally forming Shelby Automobiles as a subsidiary from which to continue manufacturing vehicles and parts... |
Results |
Ken Miles Ken Miles Ken Miles was a sports car racing engineer and driver best known for his career in the USA and with American teams on the international scene.-Background:Miles raced motorcycles before he served as a tank sergeant in the British Army in World War... |
Herb Swan | Bob Holbert |