All photos courtesy of Anthony Bristol.
Presentations on the history of motor racing, including a keynote by Lyn St. James, drew 65 people to Watkins Glen International Media Center on November 1st for the 8th Annual Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History. November 2nd drew 35 attendees. A month later, videos of the presentations had racked up 1065 views on YouTube. Both days were livestreamed on twitch.tv. (Details and links below.)
Vincente Sevillano - Rally Classics & Rally Costa Brava - Symposium 2024
This presentation offers an overview of Rally Classics: what they are, the events they organize, and with special connotation and explanation of the 2024 72nd Rally Costa Brava held last ...March (in Catalonia Region - Spain) including photographs of past editions. For more than 20 years, Rally Classics has been an organizer of great classic motoring events of international prestige. The Rally Classics Club, founded by former Junior World Rally Champion Alex Romani, is one of the world's leading motorsport organizations.
The Rally Costa Brava is one of the most prestigious historic car rallies in the world, and the oldest rally in Spain, with 72 years of history. Since 2010, it has been an event for historic cars. 240 teams from all over the world participate every year in this event, scoring to the FIA European Championship.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Vincente Sevillano - Rally Classics & Rally Costa Brava - Symposium 2024
This presentation offers an overview of Rally Classics: what they are, ...
This presentation offers an overview of Rally Classics: what they are, the events they organize, and with special connotation and explanation of the 2024 72nd Rally Costa Brava held last ...March (in Catalonia Region - Spain) including photographs of past editions. For more than 20 years, Rally Classics has been an organizer of great classic motoring events of international prestige. The Rally Classics Club, founded by former Junior World Rally Champion Alex Romani, is one of the world's leading motorsport organizations.
The Rally Costa Brava is one of the most prestigious historic car rallies in the world, and the oldest rally in Spain, with 72 years of history. Since 2010, it has been an event for historic cars. 240 teams from all over the world participate every year in this event, scoring to the FIA European Championship.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Preston Lerner - Seat Belts Belatedly Come to Formula 1 - Symposium 2024
For the past half-century, the FIA has been the principal driver ...
For the past half-century, the FIA has been the principal driver behind efforts to make racing safer. It wasn’t always so. Although the SCCA required seat belts in 1957, the ...FIA didn’t follow suit until 1972. From the dawn of road racing, conventional wisdom held that drivers should jump out of the cockpit when a crash was imminent – a technique perfected by Masten Gregory. This myth was conclusively exploded by a largely forgotten British physician by the name of Michael Henderson, who conducted crash investigations for the RAF. In 1968, Henderson – who moonlighted as a club racer and freelance journalist – wrote Motor Racing in Safety, the foundation text on the subject. At the same time, he fitted his own race cars with four-point harnesses augmented with an anti-submarine strap inspired by parachute design. This put him in touch with the redoubtable Terence “Dumbo” Willans, a record-setting parachutist who tested ejection seats for the RAF. Willans later went into business with another club racer, John Fenning. By 1969, six-point Willans harnesses were found in almost every car on the F1 grid. The battle for seat belts had been won almost before it started.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Karl Mertins - How to beat the Mercedes-Benz W196: An Alternative History - Symposium 2024
The new 2.5-liter F1 of 1954 raised the bar for engineering excellence ...
The new 2.5-liter F1 of 1954 raised the bar for engineering excellence and cost of entry to the pinnacle of motor racing. With Mercedes-Benz leaving the shadows of WWII and ...becoming an accepted participant in motor racing again, the Grand Prix community had to anticipate a full-out effort of a new generation of Silver Arrows. Indeed, new standards were set with a series of W196 variants born out of vast corporate resources, supported by component suppliers like Continental, Bosch, and Esso.
In this story, the imaginary Italian “Unione Automobili”, previously formed of national legacy manufacturers other than Fiat, takes on the role of the Auto Union AG of the 1930s as an antagonist of Mercedes-Benz and promoter of the mid-engine layout. A probabilistic SWAT analysis reveals what it will take to beat the mighty opponent from Stuttgart. This is the start for a motley crew of Austrian and Italian engineers lead by Robert Eberan-Eberhorst to create a victorious challenger. The prescribed engine configuration is a compact V6 in homage to the Lancia brand. Breaking with Italian traditions, emphasis is put on chassis development where innovations in tires, brakes, and aerodynamics will provide decisive competitive advantages.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Tom Adamich - Overview of E-Motorsports - Symposium 2024
E-Motorsports is less than two decades old. However, the roots of ...
E-Motorsports is less than two decades old. However, the roots of electric vehicle design date to the birth of the automobile when nearly 38% of vehicles in 1900 were electric. ...Electrics are now competing in many traditional racing events including the historic Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The focus of this presentation is to provide a brief overview of E-motorsports with a look at Formula-E (conceived in 2012 and sanctioned by the FIA during the 2020-21 season) and Extreme-E (conceived as a project in 2018 led by Formula E founder Alejandro Agag and former driver Gil de Ferran; it was launched in January 2019).
Highlights of recent developments and related projects will also be included, particularly those with electrification and clean energy connections
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Alana Roberts - David Crowther, the Ultimate Weekend Warrior - Symposium 2024
Roberts and her husband received a collection from a Canadian race ...
Roberts and her husband received a collection from a Canadian race driver’s estate. David Crowther, the driver, competed from the 1960s through the late 1980s in various events, including autocross, ...rallying, and ice racing,
participating almost every weekend from January to October. The collection comprises extensive race results, news clippings, programs, and even race banquet menus, offering a remarkable glimpse into the life of an everyman driver.
Roberts’ presentation discusses how the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) supports both researchers and race enthusiasts while preserving the legacies of drivers like Crowther. Visual accompaniments will include Crowther's race helmet, photographs of him in action, and his rallying clipboard. Through these artifacts, Roberts will highlight the IMRRC's role in keeping motorsports history alive and accessible.
This presentation will not only celebrate Crowther's extensive racing career but also emphasize the importance of archival research centers in maintaining motorsport and driver heritage.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Don Capps - Roundtable on the State of the Field of Motor Sport History - Symposium 2024
The roundtable discussion will explore the juxtaposition of motorsport ...
The roundtable discussion will explore the juxtaposition of motorsport history with more conventional and traditional forms of cultural history and cultural studies, that is, the history of motorsport (its cultural ...and social evolution) vs. motorsport history (its technical evolution, equipment, personalities, events, etc.).The 2024 book Speed Capital, by Brian Ingrassia, will be the basis for this roundtable discussion, exploring the relationship between motorsport history and the cultural and historical narrative.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
McPherson College - Perspectives on Motorsport Journalism, Luke Chennell, Ken Yohn & Kristie Sjoka
***Forged in Print: John Bond, Road & Track, and the Formation of “Car ...
***Forged in Print: John Bond, Road & Track, and the Formation of “Car Guy” Culture. Luke Chennel
John Bond (1912-1989) and his wife Elaine bought the faltering magazine Road & Track ...in 1949. Over the course of his ownership and editorship, Bond built the magazine into a major cultural force. This presentation examines the dimensions that Bond engaged with his editorial viewpoint from a wholistic cultural lens. Bond built a durable version of car culture, the practices and values of which remain in many forms today, though under challenge from old and new trends in the automotive industry.
Bond’s version of car enthusiasm stemmed directly from two sources: his education at the General Motors Institute and his enthusiasm for European racing. Road & Track’s coverage of the foreign motorsports scene for some time was the only widely available source material for an American audience.
This presentation argues that Bond’s two decade editorship (1951-1972) of Road & Track created the foundational dimensions of traditional “car guy” culture, with its familiar and clubby atmosphere familiar to those “in the know,” but also acted in an exclusionary way to women, casual automobile and racing enthusiasts, and those who might have appreciated automobiles from other dimensions than their mechanical design or performance on certain tests.
Finally, the presentation examines Bond’s version of car culture in a contemporary light, considering the roles of the changing nature of racing and its relationship to road vehicles, the renaissance in electric vehicles, and debates about mobility in the contemporary climate.
***An Anthropological Perspective: John Bond, Road & Track, and the Formalization and Transmission of Car Culture. Ken Yohn
This presentation will explore car culture from an anthropological perspective, as a complex whole combining both behavior and the material objects integral to the behavior. This formulation of culture thus includes material artifacts, rituals, customs, language, beliefs, institutions, and techniques, among other elements. This presentation will address two main questions. As presented in Road & Track, what are the essential elements (behavior and artifacts) of car culture? Second, can we learn anything, or draw non-obvious conclusions about car culture by adopting this type of anthropological perspective?
***Woman’s Place (in Car Culture): John Bond, Road & Track, and the Evolution of Gender Representation. Kristie Sjoka
This presentation will explore the progression of gender representation within the time that John Bond owned and edited Road & Track magazine. It will examine all aspects of the publication between the years of 1951-1972, including cover art, article content, photographs, and advertising. The presentation will compare and contrast the first ten years of Bond’s editorship with the last ten years to identify any potential changes in female representation. With the historical perspective of developing gender politics of the time period, the presentation will consider whether these societal shifts had any impact on women’s representation within the pages of the publication.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Speed Racing in the Hands of Britannia? Empire and British Prestige in 1930s British Motor Racing
Speed Racing in the Hands of Britannia? Empire and British Prestige in ...
Speed Racing in the Hands of Britannia? Empire and British Prestige in 1930s British Motor Racing Katharine Worth via Zoom
As George Orwell once penned, “sport is war minus the shooting”. ...International sport is not immune to governmental political motivations and plays, but instead serves as a site to demonstrate a nation’s power and prestige.
This presentation explores how British racing attempted to combat a decline in British engineering through the promotion of Empire and British successes. It focuses on the British Empire Trophy, a motor race that began in 1932, and the life of British Mercedes-Benz driver Richard Seaman.
With the connection between civilization and motorsport, any shortcomings were witnessed as a sign of weakening British imperial power. It became essential that both British prestige and success was showcased and defended by every possible means. Ultimately, however, Britain could not match the continental teams, British prestige was not developed, and the lure of Empire was not enough.
Katharine Worth is a graduate student in History at the University of Western Australia and currently working as a Collections and Research Officer at Silverstone Museum. Following her Master’s research at the University of Edinburgh on the banal and natural involvement of politics historically in the Olympic Movement, Ms. Worth’s current research traces the relationship of politics and nationalism in Formula One (and its motor racing predecessors).
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Chris Lezotte - The Evolution of Women-Only Racing - Symposium 2024 (Take 2!)
Throughout its storied history, motorsports has been unwelcoming to ...
Throughout its storied history, motorsports has been unwelcoming to women. Consequently, it has been necessary for female racers to develop unique strategies to enter what has long existed as an ...exclusive masculine enclave. While entry can be facilitated through a familial relationship with a male driver, women without such connections often get their start through participation in women-only racing events. Although these races have provided women with the opportunity to enter the track, they have not been without controversy. Detractors argue that women will not be considered legitimate racers unless they compete on the same track as men. Proponents view women-only racing not only as a way to attract more women into the sport, but also as an important source of skill development, support, and community building.
This paper investigates the evolution of women-only racing, from its early introduction as a media stunt, to its current incarnation as a proving ground for serious female open-wheel racers. Informed by archival resources and motorsport scholarship, it considers how women-only racing complicates, facilitates, and liberates women’s entry, participation, and recognition in the masculine world of motorsports.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Chris Lezotte - From Powder Puff to W Series: The Evolution of Women-Only Racing Symposium 2024
Throughout its storied history, motorsports has been unwelcoming to ...
Throughout its storied history, motorsports has been unwelcoming to women. Consequently, it has been necessary for female racers to develop unique strategies to enter what has long existed as an ...exclusive masculine enclave. While entry can be facilitated through a familial relationship with a male driver, women without such connections often get their start through participation in women-only racing events. Although these races have provided women with the opportunity to enter the track, they have not been without controversy. Detractors argue that women will not be considered legitimate racers unless they compete on the same track as men. Proponents view women-only racing not only as a way to attract more women into the sport, but also as an important source of skill development, support, and community building.
This paper investigates the evolution of women-only racing, from its early introduction as a media stunt, to its current incarnation as a proving ground for serious female open-wheel racers. Informed by archival resources and motorsport scholarship, it considers how women-only racing complicates, facilitates, and liberates women’s entry, participation, and recognition in the masculine world of motorsports.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Mark Howell - Poll Position: NASCAR Nation and National Politics - Symposium 2024
This presentation, part of an ongoing, larger body of research, ...
This presentation, part of an ongoing, larger body of research, explores the long, complicated, and often controversial relationship between NASCAR (the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing) and the ...American political system. From NASCAR founder “Big Bill” France’s campaign support of then-presidential candidate George Wallace, to former NASCAR Grand National driver Tighe Scott’s arrest for allegedly attacking police officers during the Capitol Riot on January 6th, 2021, the road to Washington, D.C. has often taken a detour (usually a hard right) through Daytona Beach.
Part of this paper looks at NASCAR’s connection to various political candidates, both during campaigns and after votes have been counted (and certified). Another section of this presentation examines the use of race cars as campaign promotional “vehicles” over the years.
This paper explores the very public and very strategic alliance between political candidates and NASCAR Nation. From Jimmy Carter welcoming Grand National drivers to The White House to Ronald Reagan sharing Kentucky Fried Chicken with Richard Petty, the relationship between stock car racing and politics presents itself as a calculated combination of regional identity and popular culture-driven stereotypes.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
Mike Stocz - Literature Review on Women in Motorsport - Symposium 2024
While men have taken the lion’s share of media attention across ...
While men have taken the lion’s share of media attention across motorsport, there have been women who would gain substantial coverages. From Brittany Force to Hailie Deegan, women in motorsport ...have hit sport headlines on various networks and modalities. While coverage of women in motorsport may be more positive, in terms of quantity and perception (driver talent versus overt sexism, etc.), has academia had any sort of focus on women in motorsport?
The purpose of the current literature review is to summarize the current academic literature across two repositories (EBSCO Host & Google Scholar) to gain a broader understanding of this academic realm of inquiry. Various search term including Women in Racing and variants were included in the search. Initial results suggest that women in motorsport are often a part of academic research, but are less so the main focus. Using the PRISMA methodology, articles were selected from relevant criteria and reduced from a larger sample. Methods and themes from articles will be discussed.
Symposium 2024 was conducted in partnership with the IMRRC, and was filmed and distributed by the Motoring Podcast Network.Show More
The Symposium was convened and supported by the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), the Society of Automotive Historians, Grand Touring Motorsports, and the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce.
The schedule included 21 presentations, 17 in person and four pre-recorded, plus a roundtable led by Don Capps (co-founder of the symposium with the late Michael Argetsinger). We were honored with a keynote address by former racecar driver Lyn St. James.
As in the two previous years, Eric Monterastelli of Gran Touring Motorsports livestreamed the two days of presentations, and this year Eric’s sister Tania Monterastelli handled social media interfacing in real time. We thank them for their dedication and excellent work making these presentations widely available.
Eric had us “on air” livestreaming via twitch.tv for nearly 17 hours over Friday and Saturday. A peak of 50 people viewed the livestream, with sustained 20 to 30 viewers over both days. Post-event twitch.tv views were 250 for the Friday full-day recording and 144 views for the Saturday full-day recording, for a total of 394. Twich.tv access shuts off six days after the event.
Just after the Symposium, Eric converted the recordings and posted them on the IMRCC YouTube channel – one full-length video for each day and one for each presentation. One month after the Symposium, total YouTube views stood at 1056, including 69 views of the full-day videos.
YouTube videos of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Symposium presentations can be viewed on the IMRCC YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@IMRRC
Thursday evening Tom Schmeh hosted the 17th International Reel Wheel Film Festival at the Watkins Glen Elementary School adjacent to the IMRRC. Friday evening the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a reception for attendees at their offices in town.
SAH members will receive an email with details on the upcoming 2025 Argetsinger Symposium.
