The
“There
are many great automotive and racing museums around the world,” Sir Jackie Stewart, three-time World
Champion, said as the honored guest at the opening of the Racing Research
Center in June 1999. “But what has been created at Watkins
Glen, a center for archives and real research, is truly unique and a tremendous
asset to the whole racing community.”
This one-of-a-kind
facility is entirely supported by people committed to the preservation of
racing’s heritage worldwide. The core of the collection is more than 2,500 rare
and reference books, as well as hundreds of films, race posters and programs,
magazines, rare documents, club records and manuscripts and thousands of
photographs.
“Our mission is to be
the world-class leader in the collection of materials representing the
documentary heritage of amateur and professional racing,” says Center President
Cameron R. Argetsinger.
The Center is designed
to serve as both a research library and an archive and welcomes both the
serious researcher and the casual fan. Journalists, authors and researchers
unable to come to the Center are invited to submit their questions to the
Center’s staff. The cost of research services is based on the extent of the
question, and oftentimes is handled free of charge.
Since opening, almost
7,000 people have visited the Center. Well over 1,000 reference questions have
been answered, and most were submitted by e-mail.
The Center’s archival
function also is to preserve the records of the motorsports
industry – for today’s burdensome paperwork is tomorrow’s historical
documentation. For example, the IMSA records held here in the library are
proving an invaluable resource for historians.
“Almost all of the
Center’s materials have been donated by those interested in the preservation of
the history of motorsports,” Argetsinger
says. “The Center’s funding also is donated, as it receives no local, state or
federal operating money.”
Funding comes through
membership in the Center’s Sponsorship Team, an endowment, and outright gifts, Argetsinger says. The Center also organizes a variety of
fund-raising activities throughout the year, such as auctions and raffles.
The Center’s Council is
composed of racing aficionados, library professionals, and civic and community
leaders. John Bishop is Council
chairman. The Center is dedicated to Bishop, founder of IMSA, for his
commitment to the creation of the facility.
A Drivers Council also
advises on Center operations. Its members are legendary in motorsports:
Sir Jackie Stewart, Hurley Haywood, Rusty Wallace and Mario Andretti.
And, running
The Research Center on a daily basis is Curator, Mark Steigerwald.
Mark Steigerwald,
Curator
Tel. (607)535-9044
Fax: (607)535-9039
Website: www.racingarchives.org