Latest / BREAK/FIX the Motorsports & Vehicle Enthusiast Variety Show / Preserving the Pulse of Motorsports: IMRRC at 25 Years
Transcript
- 0:00BreakFix podcast is all about capturing the living history of people from
- 0:04all over the autosphere, from wrench turners and racers to artists, authors,
- 0:09designers, and everything in between.
- 0:11Our goal is to inspire a new generation of petrolheads that
- 0:15wonder, how did they get that job?
- 0:18Or become that person.
- 0:19The road to success is paved by all of us, because everyone has a story.
- 0:27The International Motor Racing Research Center, or IMRRC for short,
- 0:32collects, shares, and preserves the history of motorsports, spanning
- 0:36continents, eras, and race series.
- 0:39The Watkins Glen based IMRRC's collection embodies the speed, drama, and camaraderie
- 0:45of amateur as well as professional motor racing throughout the world.
- 0:49For 25 years, the Center has welcomed serious researchers and the casual
- 0:54fans alike to share stories of race drivers, race series, and race cars
- 1:00captured on their shelves and walls.
- 1:02We were very fortunate to speak with the IMRRC during our first season of
- 1:06Break Fix, where Kip and Rick shared all sorts of stories about the Glenn,
- 1:10and we've been working with them closely over the last three years.
- 1:13But this time, we want to welcome IMRRC Director Mark Steigerwald to celebrate
- 1:18the Center's 25th Anniversary with us.
- 1:22So welcome to the show, Mark.
- 1:23Thanks, Eric.
- 1:24Glad to be here.
- 1:25So before we dive into the center on a whole new level in the last
- 1:2925 years, retrospective and what's coming, let's introduce our listeners
- 1:33to you, Mark, the petrol head.
- 1:35Tell us about your automotive and motorsports enthusiast past.
- 1:38How did you get involved in all this?
- 1:40Well, I guess it depends on how far I want to go back.
- 1:42When I was in graduate school at Syracuse University, I was pursuing a master's
- 1:46in library and information science.
- 1:48And it was sort of an interesting period.
- 1:50It was the late 90s.
- 1:51Technology was really booming.
- 1:52All of my colleagues, my professors, encouraged me to get
- 1:55into some sort of Areas such as, uh, over corporate libraries or
- 1:59other information science areas.
- 2:01And I needed an internship and I was at the track, like any true motorsport
- 2:05enthusiast that was within driving distance of Watkins Lennon International.
- 2:08And I heard over the PA system that a library was opening in Watkins Lennon.
- 2:12I thought, well, how fortuitous I have to investigate that.
- 2:16So I knocked on the door of the public library.
- 2:18The IMRRC is essentially a wing to the public library in Watkins Glen.
- 2:23And I inquired about an internship, talked to the director at the time.
- 2:27And she said, well, certainly, however, we're just getting set up.
- 2:30She took me next door and there was a pile of cardboard boxes and what became
- 2:34the director's office and an Allard J2 on the floor and not much else.
- 2:39Gradually over time, I met the incoming director of the research center.
- 2:43He agreed to take me under his wing.
- 2:44We formed an internship program for me.
- 2:47Fortunately, I never left.
- 2:49I plan on staying for a three month internship and I stayed for eight years.
- 2:53During that period, we had a lot of challenges, but we had a lot of
- 2:55growth and we had a lot of support from a very interested community.
- 2:59Many of them race fans, but there were also academics that elevated
- 3:03motorsport history in a way that I always hoped from the beginning.
- 3:07Motorsport as a legitimate study for scholarship really made sense to me.
- 3:12And fortunately, it wasn't really a hard selling point.
- 3:1525 years later, we're still helping authors with books.
- 3:18We're helping the curious of all age groups and just a
- 3:22casual browser, as well as.
- 3:23Before I mentioned author, even a few filmmakers out there too.
- 3:26So it was great to find work for that initial eight years during that eight
- 3:30year period, you actually evolved from intern to director at some point.
- 3:35So take us on that journey.
- 3:36How did that happen?
- 3:37Our core collection was our library.
- 3:40So library migrated in a smaller form from the public library
- 3:44and it grew by leaps and bounds.
- 3:46So we accepted donations of.
- 3:47Motorsport and general automotive books, and we quickly filled our shelves.
- 3:51So my degree was sort of a natural fit there.
- 3:54Meanwhile, we were starting to acquire manuscript materials,
- 3:57personal papers, diaries, photo collections, film collections, all
- 4:02sorts of materials that document.
- 4:04Motorsport that you would expect.
- 4:05I think what we didn't expect was a sheer volume of material that
- 4:08came as well as the quality too.
- 4:10So all this material had to be cataloged, had to be organized.
- 4:13We had a very small staff, a couple of volunteers and myself, as
- 4:16well as the director at the time.
- 4:17Our services grew as did our complexity and our professionalism.
- 4:21As I mentioned, always a challenge, but always enjoyable.
- 4:25And we had great community support, both local support, as well as
- 4:29motorsport community in general.
- 4:30We have built in events around the motorsport calendar for
- 4:33walking with an international.
- 4:34So we would get a great influx of people walking through
- 4:38the doors on race weekends.
- 4:39They always wanted to see what car we had on display or to make
- 4:42a donation or just to catch up.
- 4:44We've always had that support since pretty much since day one.
- 4:47So when did the archival part come into play?
- 4:50How did the partnership with SCCA form?
- 4:53Well, that was after I had initially left.
- 4:55That was a great partnership and a great shot in the arm for the
- 4:59IMRRC from the standpoint of an endorsement from a sanctioning body.
- 5:02We are the caretaker of the SCCA archives.
- 5:05Most organizations, even some corporate entities, they don't necessarily have the
- 5:09resources to manage their own archive.
- 5:11It takes someone special to have an eye and an understanding of how important
- 5:15an archive is to any organization.
- 5:17And the SCCA Foundation had that connection in mind with us.
- 5:21It was sort of a natural progression.
- 5:23We have a display case in the center that recognizes SCCA accomplishments.
- 5:27That was perhaps the genesis of that idea, but we've always had close
- 5:31relationships with the SCCA project.
- 5:34Now that I essentially adopted a year or so ago, managed by our
- 5:38head archivist, Jenny Ambrose.
- 5:40It is really a fairly large undertaking.
- 5:42We're certainly up to the challenge.
- 5:44It's a lot of material.
- 5:45I believe, according to our research assistants, we are up to the letter C in
- 5:49the alphabet going through driver's files.
- 5:51And that's, I believe, 40 record boxes just from A to C so far.
- 5:55Massive amount of material in a collection that's actually
- 5:58getting used quite regularly.
- 5:59I believe about 50 percent of our research inquiries are centered
- 6:03around that material currently, so it's gratifying all the way around.
- 6:07And the Foundation is, as I said, a great partner in this
- 6:09and a supporter of the program.
- 6:11Absolutely.
- 6:12And we've leveraged the center as well ourselves for researching guests on
- 6:16our show, especially for things like the golden era of sports car racing,
- 6:19where I've called up and said, Hey, do you have a profile on so and so?
- 6:23And it's not necessarily all SCCA material.
- 6:25This was Camel GT M sub depending on what you're looking for.
- 6:29To your point, if you're writing a book or putting a movie together in
- 6:31our case, putting together podcast episodes, interviewing these drivers,
- 6:34it's a wealth of information.
- 6:36And it came super fast too.
- 6:37I was surprised by the turnaround time.
- 6:39So I can't say enough good things about.
- 6:41Quality of the material we're getting back and just the
- 6:44ability to be able to access it.
- 6:45I don't think you can get it pretty much anywhere else.
- 6:47I'm glad to hear that.
- 6:48We hope to leverage this success with other sanctioning bodies in the future.
- 6:52So yeah, a great success story for us.
- 6:54Continuing with your journey, you hinted a little bit that you
- 6:57haven't always been at the center.
- 6:59So you left.
- 7:00And then came back.
- 7:01So what did you do and what brought you back?
- 7:03Well, I did make a career change.
- 7:05I was married at the time and I went to work for Cornell university.
- 7:09What is referred to as a frontline fundraiser, raising money,
- 7:12working with alumni, really gratifying work, very interesting.
- 7:15And I think even from the beginning, the wheels were turning in my head.
- 7:18That some of the concepts I was learning and appreciating the
- 7:21fundraising front could work for some sort of endeavor, such as the IMRRC.
- 7:25I did spend a couple of years briefly at the California
- 7:29Automobile Museum in Sacramento.
- 7:30And that was sort of the litmus test for this.
- 7:33As everyone says, then COVID hit.
- 7:35So sort of sidelined some plans there.
- 7:37During that period, I did find out about the IMRRC's seeking a director.
- 7:42Once again, I applied.
- 7:44Gratefully, I was chosen for the position.
- 7:46A lot had changed in over the years.
- 7:48The mission had stayed intact, but the level of professionalism
- 7:51had certainly gone up.
- 7:52And I was pleased and proud and glad to be back.
- 7:55Initial eight years I was there at the center was a formative
- 7:58period for our collections.
- 8:00A lot of relationships were really established back during that time,
- 8:03but are still in place currently.
- 8:05Meanwhile, collections have grown, awareness has grown
- 8:08among the Motorsport community.
- 8:10So we hope to just continue that upward trend.
- 8:12So you talked about building relationships.
- 8:14There's a special one within the halls of the IMRRC.
- 8:17I know you're very close with the Artsinger family.
- 8:19So do you want to talk about your relationship with
- 8:21Michael and Duke and the rest?
- 8:23Yes.
- 8:23So back when I had begun, I was fortunate to meet Gene Argesinger,
- 8:27who was one of the key players in the formation of the IMRRC.
- 8:32Gene was a proponent of the public library and the collection as well as racing
- 8:36by virtue of her relationship with her husband, Cameron, the founder of post
- 8:41World War II road racing in America.
- 8:43But libraries were Gene's thing.
- 8:44And Gene, in addition to John Saunders, had this idea to acknowledge racing's
- 8:49history, uh, this is back in 1998 anniversary, in an innovative way, not
- 8:54merely just a museum, but an archive in the library that focused on motorsport.
- 8:59It was through many conversations I had with Jean at the time.
- 9:02She really encouraged me to sort of run wild, in a sense, with the concept
- 9:06of the IMRRC, apply professionalism, apply whatever cutting edge, state
- 9:11of the art procedures were going on in library science at the time,
- 9:14such as digitization, scanning of photos, and cataloging our books.
- 9:20Certainly glad to do the work and work with Jean and then I gradually met
- 9:23most of the Argettsinger family and Cameron also served as our chairman at
- 9:27the time for a short time too towards the end of my initial eight years.
- 9:31Without the Argettsinger family, I think that was a sort of a bonding
- 9:36force for me to stay as long as I did.
- 9:38Michael specifically was essentially our chief marketing officer,
- 9:42great supporter of the center.
- 9:44He also had his day job, but then as he became an author, he was always fortunate
- 9:48to work on his book projects with him, working on images, occasionally editing.
- 9:52It was always enjoyable working with him as well.
- 9:55What's really special about the Argettsinger family, and you kind of
- 9:57hinted to it, was talking about the 50th anniversary of Watkins Glen in 1998.
- 10:02They're one of the founding families of sports car racing in the United
- 10:06States because it's centered Grounded and born there in Watkins Glen.
- 10:11We talked about that on the original episode with Kip and Rick.
- 10:13Watkins Glen is a special place and the IMRC is just a part of that whole story.
- 10:18So it's pretty incredible.
- 10:19Oh, no, exactly.
- 10:20A famous family and deceit within Watkins Glen, post war road racing
- 10:25on the streets, on public roads.
- 10:27An interim circuit, and then the current circuit location.
- 10:30And then the series, we had NASCAR early on 65.
- 10:35And then again, obviously in 88 and then current times
- 10:38and form the one for a spell.
- 10:40Pretty much it's a who's who of racing for several decades.
- 10:43And that legacy continues.
- 10:44A lot of things changed during COVID.
- 10:47And you mentioned that things changed.
- 10:48Let's remind people of what was and what's coming back and how COVID changed
- 10:54the way the center is doing business today and what's transpired over the
- 10:57last three years since that all took off.
- 10:59Attending a lot more Zoom meetings, certainly even at the board level, so
- 11:03that's not going away anytime soon.
- 11:05Our board is scattered around the country anyway.
- 11:07The work.
- 11:08Sort of continues.
- 11:08I mean, if you think about research services, we've always provided
- 11:12research services essentially worldwide by virtual of our service model.
- 11:16That's remote.
- 11:17You know, we, we did have to shutter some of our programming.
- 11:19Our center conversations will come back stronger and 23 for certain
- 11:23certainly on the fundraising side.
- 11:25The model changed somewhat.
- 11:26The various government programs, the PPP program that was in place
- 11:30certainly helped us out as well, too.
- 11:32And then going forward, I think people are so anxious to do things in person.
- 11:37And then, you know, we've gradually, our numbers have gone up since COVID
- 11:41as we've opened our doors and we've seen an influx of people traveling and
- 11:45seeking the center as a destination.
- 11:47So you mentioned the center conversations, a lot of people that are familiar with
- 11:50the center know exactly what that is, but for those that don't, what are those
- 11:54about and what do they look like in 23?
- 11:56The center conversations were born out of a desire to showcase some of
- 12:01the figures in motorsport that have been influential over the years,
- 12:04they've been local and they've been.
- 12:06National or international.
- 12:07And we've been fortunate to have some great speakers.
- 12:09We had off the top of my head, I can remember Dr.
- 12:12Fred Simeone, for example, I can remember Lynn St.
- 12:14James, so many others.
- 12:16And then our, our local drivers, for example, and we focused on several
- 12:20different aspects of racing history.
- 12:22So from the business side, from the driver standpoint, from the crew
- 12:26chief standpoint, these are all archived at the center currently,
- 12:29these are always free of charge.
- 12:30Occasionally we had freshmen's for example, and our
- 12:33crowds would vary in size.
- 12:34You were up and close.
- 12:36And personal with a motorsport personality and intimate way that it's rarely
- 12:40encountered, you know, now it's podcast, but you know, this series continues.
- 12:44We're launching a schedule and I believe we've got four speakers set up for
- 12:492023 hour, but we'll probably backfill with additional speakers as well.
- 12:53And then there is the symposium, the big one.
- 12:56It's sort of like put all the conversations together
- 12:59in one three day event.
- 13:00Let's talk about.
- 13:02The symposium new and improved starting in 22 going forward.
- 13:06What's the symposium all about?
- 13:07Why should people come out and check it out and how is it going
- 13:09to grow next year and beyond?
- 13:11This was my first go around last November.
- 13:13And as you know, you played an integral part in our success and our growth.
- 13:17last November.
- 13:18So the symposium is an international gathering of speakers and
- 13:22participants as well, too.
- 13:24Again, free and open to the public on a number of motorsport topics.
- 13:27So this elevates the center conversations to the true scholarly level.
- 13:32We had some great subject matter last year, wonderful topics, a range that would
- 13:36appeal to any motorsport enthusiast and an opportunity for Q and A from an audience.
- 13:42And this year, even live streaming, we hope to continue that again this year,
- 13:47I'm sure we'll have another great slate of speakers as well as growing our audience.
- 13:52We have a partner in all of this, and that's the Society of Audubon Historians.
- 13:56Without them, we could not do what we do.
- 13:58The SAH has a...
- 13:59Long and storied history of pulling together similar types
- 14:02of symposia across the country.
- 14:04So we have a great partner in the SAH and now the GTM we're doing great as well too.
- 14:10So again, we've elevated our Senate conversations to a scholarly level.
- 14:14And Motorsport deserves no end of topics from 30s era racing, any sort of pre
- 14:20war topic that you can think of all the way up through current e racing.
- 14:23That's right.
- 14:23And I'm glad you brought up the SAH.
- 14:25I'm a member of the Society of Automotive Historians myself.
- 14:28I've been working with them, you know, since the symposium, we got some
- 14:31ideas brewing and things like that.
- 14:32And obviously we have our co branded Co sponsored content by both the
- 14:36IMRC and the SAH that we're replaying through break fix throughout the year.
- 14:41So if you weren't at the symposium, you didn't see the YouTube or the
- 14:44Twitch live stream, you can actually catch these as episodes throughout
- 14:48the year, continuing into next year.
- 14:49So thank you.
- 14:50Fantastic stuff.
- 14:51And I look forward to, you know, continuing to work with you guys on
- 14:53this because it's not only the living history, but it's also the past.
- 14:57There's a lot of things in subjects and topics that people are interested in
- 15:00that there's this wealth of knowledge out there and it's getting it in front of
- 15:03people that's really, really important.
- 15:05I'm glad you are able to facilitate this through the symposium
- 15:07and the center conversations.
- 15:09Oh, exactly.
- 15:10And we're able to capitalize on current topics too.
- 15:13I mean, women in motor sports has been fairly common topic in some sense over
- 15:17the past few years, but I think we've just scratched the surface of some of
- 15:20the pioneers, especially pre war more and more of these stories and these,
- 15:24these women are coming to the forefront.
- 15:26In terms of their exploits.
- 15:27So it's really gratifying to see this level of scholarship applied to
- 15:31that subject specifically, since you brought a lot of fundraising techniques
- 15:34back to the IMRC during your hiatus, let's talk about the annual raffle.
- 15:39How does that work?
- 15:40Why is it important?
- 15:41How do you guys select the car that you're raffling off?
- 15:44Maybe what's the next pick?
- 15:45If you can reveal that little spoiler.
- 15:47As a 501 C 3, we essentially raise all of our own operational funding.
- 15:52The core of that is a, an annual membership campaign.
- 15:55We're very fortunate this year.
- 15:56We will have Brian Redmond as our sponsorship chair.
- 15:59We always choose a sponsorship chair that helps to sort of spread the message to
- 16:03a group indicating how important it is for our work to continue and how it can.
- 16:07continues with the support of fans like them.
- 16:10We have a great campaign at the beginning of the year that helps to launch a
- 16:14theme for us throughout the year.
- 16:16This year, it's our anniversary.
- 16:18So, you know, we're fortunate to have that sort of hook and complimenting
- 16:22our membership is our sweepstakes.
- 16:24That's something that began as, as a raffle car, straight up raffle, a
- 16:27sweepstakes model is slightly different, wherein there's really no limit.
- 16:31Um, so called ticket sales, uh, we've had a C8 Corvette for the past two years,
- 16:35quite successful this year, quite certain of what we'll have in a launch shortly.
- 16:40Again, uh, an important component for our fundraising.
- 16:43And again, C8 Corvettes have been very popular for us and
- 16:46we've had other cars in the past.
- 16:47We've had vintage Porsches and Ferraris.
- 16:49So, uh, always something interesting that gets our audience's attention.
- 16:53Let's talk about the 25th anniversary celebration.
- 16:57What have you got in mind?
- 16:58Is it going to be a big party?
- 16:59You got something locked down?
- 17:00Well, officially we will have a party that we're still playing the
- 17:03elements together for September 28th.
- 17:05We're choosing that date because it's a Saturday.
- 17:07It'll be the spiritual anniversary for the very first Grand Prix in 1948.
- 17:12For Watkins Glen that also dovetails with the 75th anniversary
- 17:16of racing into Watkins Glen.
- 17:17That's our somewhat arbitrary date to celebrate, but throughout the year,
- 17:20we will pick other opportunities to promote our own history.
- 17:24We've had several of our fans and supporters come forward congratulating
- 17:28us on 25 years already, so we're grateful for that and some are being extra
- 17:33generous with their annual membership.
- 17:35So we, we certainly appreciate that.
- 17:37If you're interested in going to the 25th anniversary celebration of the IMRRC,
- 17:41look no further than racingarchives.
- 17:43org.
- 17:44All the details should be up on the website shortly.
- 17:46But this is also a big year for motorsports too.
- 17:50I don't want to eclipse your celebration or the 75th of the Glen,
- 17:54but it is the 100th anniversary of the first running of Le Mans.
- 17:59So any thoughts on that, Mark, as a sports car fan?
- 18:02From a personal standpoint, Lama is an incredibly important event
- 18:06and certainly from the manufacturer standpoint, but it's world renowned.
- 18:09It's the race that everyone thinks about.
- 18:10It was immortalized in a movie starring Steve McQueen.
- 18:14It's featured in Michael Kaiser's movie Speed Merchants.
- 18:18I'm dating myself somewhat, but then, um, as Lama has evolved, It still
- 18:22has never lost any of its luster.
- 18:24I mean, there was during the fifties, there was a tragedy.
- 18:27Unfortunately, that could have really stymied the motor sport
- 18:30development, but it did not.
- 18:31Lamar is the great international road race for certain.
- 18:34So certainly we will have exhibits and displays at the center
- 18:38celebrating Lamar's history.
- 18:39Any allegiances, any loyalties that you'd like to share?
- 18:42Do you have a brand that you're rooting for?
- 18:45I shouldn't show bias, but I've always been a Porsche fan for various reasons.
- 18:48It's easy to say that, but it depends on where your history comes from.
- 18:52For me personally, it was an experience with a 356 Porsche.
- 18:56My father wasn't really that mechanically inclined.
- 18:58He worked on his own cars, but the one car he thought he would want to turn a wrench
- 19:02on if he could, would have been a 356.
- 19:04So that sort of stuck with me.
- 19:06And then, um, I've never owned a Porsche.
- 19:08Driven several 911s and a 928.
- 19:10So the mystique has always been there and it continues to this day, for sure.
- 19:14So thoughts on the 963, the new LMDH prototype?
- 19:18Gorgeous car, technologically advanced, of course.
- 19:21I certainly would wish Porsche luck.
- 19:24You know, competition is stiff these days too, and technology evolves ever quicker.
- 19:29So what a gorgeous machine, no doubt about it.
- 19:31So since we're talking about Porsche and you're a racing fan, what do you
- 19:34think about them potentially, allegedly making a jump into Formula One?
- 19:39I'm glad you asked.
- 19:40I personally would like to see it.
- 19:42Formula One is really enjoying a crest of popularity right now.
- 19:46I, for one, don't want to see it dissipate in any way.
- 19:49And I think Porsche can really mix up the field.
- 19:51I think it would be terrific.
- 19:5225 years.
- 19:54In the bag, what does the next 25 years look like for the center?
- 19:58Do you have any future plans, anything you can share, some teasers maybe?
- 20:02The center has certainly been growing by leaps and bounds.
- 20:05Probably not unknown that we've always been a little pressed for space.
- 20:08We always have a significant racing car on display, and the
- 20:11library is sort of gradually grown.
- 20:13Anybody who sort of stops in semi annually over the past Few years of seeing that
- 20:18about the collections themselves, film and photo, as well as a periodical collection,
- 20:23which is, I believe over 10, 000 volumes at this point continues to grow.
- 20:28So we are in need of additional space.
- 20:31So we're looking at options, but we have purchased property on
- 20:35Franklin street, the main street in black and spline at the North end.
- 20:38It gives us a pretty good footprint.
- 20:40And we are currently working with an architectural firm around expansion plans.
- 20:44So there's an awful lot of work that needs to be done beforehand, the overall
- 20:48building design, the functions that it will contain, a lot of work that needs
- 20:52to be done, but we have an opportunity to expand in our anniversary year.
- 20:57Motorsport deserves it.
- 20:58So we want to take that.
- 21:00Leadership role on like we've done with the SCCA and push forward.
- 21:04We used to say when we first started 25 years ago or so for the first few
- 21:09years, so many of our donations were about people cleaning up closets and
- 21:13basements and attics that still goes on.
- 21:15But as we've expanded and as we've honed in on.
- 21:18Primary resource materials, a lot of that material is out there now,
- 21:22and it's still somewhat within a, say, a musty corporate archive.
- 21:26It's not being utilized.
- 21:27We offer that management option of professionally archiving and
- 21:32making resource material available for researchers could be as
- 21:36simple as a copy of the photo.
- 21:38But it could be more in depth since I've been back over the past year.
- 21:41I've touched base with a couple of authors, but I recall helping 15, 20
- 21:45years ago that are still at it, writing authoritative books on motorsport.
- 21:50We're still helping them with their research.
- 21:52So very gratifying work.
- 21:54It continues.
- 21:55I can't personally see and tend to the need for this.
- 21:58So we do need to expand and we're, we're addressing that now.
- 22:01Congratulations.
- 22:02I mean, well deserved and I'm looking forward to the move in date, you know,
- 22:05to come check it out, come on tour.
- 22:07So what's going to happen to the old IMRRC?
- 22:09Is it going to just be reabsorbed back into the library or will
- 22:11it have a function still?
- 22:12We'll continue operations there.
- 22:14Certainly for the foreseeable future, we might repurpose that space.
- 22:17In some way, it certainly serves us well for office space.
- 22:20We might have quieter space for researchers to work.
- 22:24It's sort of an evolving project for us, depending on how we'll
- 22:27continue to utilize that space and what the new space will look like.
- 22:30So Mark, with that, any shout outs, promotions, or anything else you'd like
- 22:34to share that we didn't cover thus far?
- 22:35Well, I would just encourage everyone to visit, certainly visit us on
- 22:38the website, but visit us in person as well, too, on race weekends.
- 22:42We will expand our hours to being open on Saturdays and race weekends.
- 22:46In the past, certain race weekends, we might be open the entire weekend,
- 22:49but always call ahead if you're making plans, but Saturdays on
- 22:53race weekends are given in 2023.
- 22:56I'll certainly thank everyone who supported us over the years.
- 22:58There are names too numerous to mention.
- 23:00Uh, I should remind everyone we have a really dedicated governing council
- 23:03made up of leaders in motorsports as well as a local contingent too.
- 23:08Everyone's invested in the Watkins Glen area.
- 23:10That goes without saying because we're expanding in Watkins Glen.
- 23:13Our operation is staying, uh, rooted right
- 23:21in upstate New York.
- 23:22Our reach has always been international.
- 23:22It continues on that trajectory.
- 23:23Thank everyone who's, uh, you know, who's made us the success
- 23:24that we We are these days.
- 23:25We just continue moving forward.
- 23:27Special thanks to Wackenstone International.
- 23:29Michael Printup and his crew have always been supportive of us and
- 23:32we're grateful for his time and our exposure at the track too.
- 23:36I mean, uh, today's racing will be tomorrow's history.
- 23:38We're working hard to preserve all of that history, even the most recent racing.
- 23:42To learn more about the International Motor Racing Research Center,
- 23:46check out their website, www.
- 23:49racingarchives.
- 23:49org, or follow them on social media at IMRRC.
- 23:54And if you happen to be in town, post race or beforehand, stop by the
- 23:58center and meet up with folks like Mark and Kip while you're there.
- 24:01And if you'd like to get in contact with Mark and be part of the next 25 years
- 24:05of the center's growth, reach out to him via email at mark at racingarchives.
- 24:10org.
- 24:11Mark, I can't thank you enough for coming on the show and you know, I appreciate
- 24:15the partnership that we've grown over the last couple of years and I look
- 24:18forward to continuing working with the IMRC and being part of the next 25 years
- 24:22and celebrating with you guys this year.
- 24:24So it's fantastic.
- 24:25I mean, you guys are second to none.
- 24:27There's really nothing else out there like this, especially for automotive
- 24:30historians like myself and others that are looking for answers and looking
- 24:34for our haven, our place to go.
- 24:35So thank you.
- 24:36Thank you for everything you guys do.
- 24:37Oh, thanks, Eric.
- 24:38We really appreciate the opportunity and, uh, yep, come in and see us when you can.
- 24:42The following episode is brought to you in part by the International Motor
- 24:45Racing Research Center, as well as the Society of Automotive Historians,
- 24:49the Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Artsinger family.
- 24:58If you like what you've heard and want to learn more about GTM,
- 25:01be sure to check us out on www.
- 25:04gtmotorsports.
- 25:04org.
- 25:05You can also find us on Instagram Also, if you want to get involved or have
- 25:11suggestions for future shows, you can call or text us at 202 630 1770, or send us
- 25:18an email at crewchief at gtmotorsports.
- 25:20org.
- 25:21We'd love to hear from you.
- 25:23Hey everybody, Crew Chief Eric here.
- 25:25We really hope you enjoyed this episode of Break Fix, and we wanted
- 25:29to remind you that GTM remains a no annual fees organization.
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