In the spring of 1958, OCSC members Bob Gubbins, Harry Barnes and Les Smith were attending
another car club's meeting and struck up a conversation with driving enthusiast Ed Lawrence.
Gubbins had an idea to put on a gymkhana on an unused 80 acres at the Oakland County
Sportsmen's Club (OCSC). Together they put together a plan and Gubbins and Barnes
approached the OCSC board to pitch the idea. The OCSC was looking for ways to increase
membership and ended up renting the 80 acres to the Michigan Sports Car Club for $50.00.
They bulldozed a 4/10 mile one lane dirt course on the property. What's a gymkhana? Each
driver gets 3 start/stop events and 3 timed laps. In the start/stop events, they raced
from point A to point B (marked with a chalk line). For every foot they stopped away from
that chalk line, 1 second was added to their time. The timed laps were not run
consecutively; they ran three individual laps autocross style. The first MSCC gymkhana
event was held May 4, 1958 with a luncheon held at the clubhouse at the conclusion of the trials.
After that first event, the track was lengthened to 1.3 miles, graded and treated with chloride
to control dust. On June 8th, the Corvette Club held their first event drawing 43 entrants. The
first trials were held June 29th, 1958 on our new "Field Trials Course". After these successful
events, OCSC President Ed Spicer saw this as an opportunity to bolster lagging OCSC membership.
Spicer talked to Gubbins about the OCSC starting their own sports car club with a permanent
facility on those 80 acres. Three gymkhana's, called the Pioneer Time Trials, were scheduled
for summer and fall of 1958. The Pioneer Time Trials were designed to test the feasibility of
such an undertaking. A sports car committee was formed to regulate use of the new course.
The first Pioneer Time Trials were held August 9th and 10th, 1958. With 60 entrants, club
membership grew to over 80 members. Despite the chloride and clay treatments, these events
were still very dusty and resulted in numerous complaints from the neighborhood adjacent
to the track. The 2nd Pioneer Time Trials, originally scheduled for September 13th and 14th,
were cancelled while a solution was worked out.
The solution was to form a corporation and find a way to accelerate plans to pave the track.
With Barnes as the President and Gubbins seated as the Vice-President, 4000 recruitment letters
were sent to area enthusiasts. They needed $12,000 to pave the one lane track. They offered
notes of $250, $500 and $1000 to secure a loan for the track paving. Meanwhile, the OCSC
leased the land to the newly formed Road Racing Corporation until October, 1962. By the last
weekend of September, 1958, enough money had been raised and preparations began to pave one
lane of the track. Paving started Thursday, October 9th and wrapped up Friday, October 10th
at 4:00pm. Paving was complete on the 7510 feet long 12 feet wide track. On Saturday morning,
the third Pioneer Time Trials were staged on warm pavement! Makeup runs were allowed due to
the cancellation of the 2nd Pioneer Time Trials.
While the trials were the big event, the club remained very active and utilized the track
as much as possible in an effort to pay off the loans needed for the paving. The track was
formally named "Waterford Hills" in January of 1959. Practice was allowed on the first 3
weekends of the month at the rate of 4 laps for $1. Trials were usually scheduled for the
4th weekend of the month. During the winter months fund raising continued with the club
holding winter runs on the track, Frostbite and Fireside ice runs on Townsend Lake and
Lake Orion, the sale of fence posts for $10, a Sweetheart's Pit Stop dance and plans were
underway to sponsor the International Auto Show all as a way to raise funds. Ed Lawrence
was instrumental in setting up the club's sponsorship of the auto show. As a sponsor, we
were given 5000 tickets to be sold for $1 each (50 cents off actual). We were to be
allowed to keep the proceeds. That winter, on March 20, 1959, Ed Lawrence was tragically
killed during practice for an endurance race at Sebring, Florida. The newly formed Oakland
County Sportsmen's Road Racing Club sponsored the First Annual International Auto Show at
the Michigan State Fairgrounds April 17-19.
In January of 1959, Harry Barnes built an 8x8 "Control and Observation Tower" which was
erected in the infield across from our current start stand. Those plans started out as a
raised platform to be used for timing and scoring. Electric was run to the tower which
enabled it to power communications and a PA system. Three batches of several thousand
"Dear Enthusiast" letters were sent out to thousands of prospects each time. They were
usually accompanied by an invite to a time trial being held at Waterford Hills. Several
driver's schools were also held at the track during the winter months! Despite these
efforts, the 9 original members who'd guaranteed payment for the paving had to assist
with the $1000 per month loan payment. Only 91 members had paid their $5 dues which
were due the end of January of 1959.
By April of 1959, membership soared to 250 members. Despite the tragedy and minor
setbacks, the club was now in full swing. In the spring, a series of time trials called
The Marque began. They were a six unit series of time trials which classed cars according
to car make instead of the typical engine displacement. Plans had to be enacted to deal
with parking for participants both in and out of the paddock as well as the swell of
spectators they now had.
By mid-summer, interest in the one lane, one car at a time trials was rapidly declining.
In July 1959, the first "race" was held. It was an Australian Pursuit Race in which rules
were modified to fit the one lane course. Since they couldn't pass, the "caught" car was
flagged off the course and the pursuer was free to chase the next car. The club always
intended to pave a second lane, but it was obvious they had to accelerate those plans to
keep the club moving forward.
A plan was devised to raise $15,000 to pave the second lane of the track. A system of
life memberships was devised and offered as a way to finance the paving. The memberships
were offered in denominations of $100, $250, $500 and $1000 as investments to be repaid
within 12 months. An anonymous donor, now known to be Alan Brendle, offered to put up
securities in order to secure a loan to pave the track. The loan was secured and once
again they took it down to the wire with the paving having been completed on October 9,
1959. The track was now 24 feet wide on the straights and 30 feet wide in the corners.
On October 10 and 11, the Waterford Hills Inaugural Races were held. The races were
named the Ed Lawrence Memorial Races. Bob Clift, racing a C Modified Corvette, won the
first Ed Lawrence Memorial Trophy.
The 1960's started with the cancellation of winter ice runs due to lack of ice. They held
slush runs on the track instead. Club race entry fees in the early 60's were just $5. The
fledgling club was still very new at this whole business of club and race track management.
Luckily, everything was so new, there were ample volunteers and the club was still growing
at a very fast rate. In July of 1960, the Thunderbird Club of America dissolved due to
discontinued production of the Ford Thunderbird. Those members joined en-masse providing
an added boost to the membership roster. Those new members donated the Thunderbird Club
Trophy which was awarded to the most improved novice each year. Around the same time that
summer, the OCSC life members started an ambitious project to make 50 concrete picnic tables
for use around the club (in case you ever wondered how old those picnic tables really were).
Safety was just now starting to come to the forefront. Corner stations now had
communications, a PA system had been installed, privacy fencing installed and some
primitive guard rail had been installed. An August 1960 copy of the Oakland County
Sportsman magazine lists a homemade recipe to "fireproof your clothing". In response
to broken wheels and a lack of aftermarket wheel availability they published a June,
1963 Oakland County Sportsman's article detailing a procedure to re-enforce steel wheels.
It was basically a heat treat procedure. Luckily we don't have to rely on those procedures
today.
They didn't have advanced life support ambulances back then so there was always a doctor
on duty. These weren't emergency room doctors, they were typically general practitioners.
Back in the 60's, the swamp was more like a pond. Up until 1968 or so, they had a diver
stationed in a rubber raft in the swamp in case a car were to go into the drink. Then
there was the VW Bus "fire truck". Sometime in the mid 60's the red VW bus was fitted
with a container which held "Purple K". Now outlawed, this was a very caustic fire
suppressing powder.
In the winter of 1961 the flagging and communications group was officially organized at
Waterford Hills. Three F & C schools were scheduled. The first school had 50 students
and the second had 103. The F & C schools were so successful, they became and remain a
yearly event at Waterford Hills. By 1963, we had 128 registered flaggers and were averaging
between 46-48 flaggers per event! We held 2-4 driver schools per year throughout the 60's.
Each driver's school was turning out between 30-50 new drivers!
In 1961, the first miniature scale model of the track was made. A model like this one was
used at Autorama along with several volunteered race cars to promote the club. 1961 also
marked the addition of the Midget Road Racing Division to our ranks! Alan Brengle of San
Diego, CA was identified as the mystery donor who helped the club secure the loan to pave
the second lane back in 1959. Coincidentally, Mr. Brengle later helped a local California
track and the SCCA fend off a lawsuit against road racing in California.
Sir Stirling Moss
One of the big highlights of 1961 was the visit of English Formula One driver Sir Stirling
Moss on Oct 1. He'd just run the first Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport the day before and
accepted an invite to visit Waterford Hills prior to a lecture he was giving at the Masonic
Temple that night. In an address to the paddock following his touring laps, Stirling was
quoted as saying, "If you can go fast at Waterford, then you can go fast anywhere."
We provided him with a brand new Chrysler 300 in which to drive three dignified, orderly
laps around the track so he could be seen by his fans. Perhaps some folks nowadays don't
remember Stirling Moss, but in the 60's he was, maybe, the greatest Grand Prix driver alive.
Stirling Moss began his parade laps. Thirty minutes later, we had to flag him down to get
him off the track. He loved it. Unfortunately, nobody thought to put a watch on him, but
he was sure having fun. The fellow who loaned us the 300, however, was having a stroke.
I've always had a feeling that what Moss really wanted to do that evening was to go down
to the clubhouse for a few beers and some wild stories, but his people drove him away for
his lecture and the day ended.
Some months later, he had a bad crash in Europe and retired from racing.
By the fall of 1962, all of the original 18 investors were paid off as were all of the
life members. The lease was up for renewal in October, we were the Oakland County
Sportsman's Club's single largest membership and we had a full schedule for 1963.
Needless to say, the lease was easily renewed.
In 1963, Waterford Hills was really taking off! There was the first serious talk of
adopting the FIA or SCCA rule structure so OCSRRC members could race at other tracks
and so we could attract more drivers to our events. In May of 63, plans were announced
to build 100 bleacher seats with tickets for those seats to be sold at a cost of $1.
If the seats sold out, there were plans to build an additional 500 seats. The swamp
paddock area was graded for additional paddock space due to large entry counts. In
August of 1963 a flagman was injured in a wreck. Plans were immediately announced to
add chain link fence around the entire track for the safety of workers and spectators.
Put in Bay, 1963
Racing through the streets of this Lake Erie island was a particularly popular sport
in the early 1950's. Sports car racing was in its infancy then and
organization/communications were well below today's standards. Since no one could go
home, Saturday night became a while revel, aided in part, by the free tours of the
local winery.
The town fathers felt this debauchery was too much and in 1956, decided to switch the
emphasis from road racing to the more genteel sport of yachting. To their surprise,
those gentlemen with their blow boats turned out to be more rowdy and greater imbibers
than the road racers!
Thus it was, that in 1963, local stalwart Ed Houlehan and two friends from the
Cleveland Sports Car Club persuaded the island to return to the manly art of road
racing. At this time, Ed was our chief starter, so not unnaturally, he recruited
workers he knew and trusted. Except for the scenery and the course layout, the event
would have passed for one of our own weekends, not a strange face anywhere. Alas, 1963
proved to be the final race. The promoters had done such a magnificent job of
publicizing the event, that controlling the crowds proved to be an impossible task.
Several close calls between spectators and race cars on the same piece of road at the
same time resulted in the sanctioning body withdrawing their approval for future events.
By the fall of 1963 trouble was looming. The surrounding neighbors were becoming
discontent with the frequent use of the facilities and the noise associated with it.
In a Jan 1964 Oakland County Sportsman's article, it was pointed out that the subdivision
was "not strongly pursuing their lawsuit". During the fall of 63, the corporate members
had been mulling over the idea of dissolving the corporation, but in January of 64 it
was announced they had decided to stay on board to continue financial support of the
track. So, there continued to be two boards overseeing operations, a corporate board
overseeing financials and a club board overseeing club activities.
By spring of 1964, the Oakland County Sportsman's Club, the Oakland County Spotrsman
Road Racing Club and some of our neighbors entered into a consent judgment which greatly
restricted the time of year, number of days and hours of operation which the track can
be used. This judgment is still in effect today and is strictly adhered to. Strong
warnings came down ensuring the membership adhered to these rules. Track access was
not tightly controlled the way it is today. In the "some things never change column",
warnings also went out about signing the insurance waiver when entering the paddock.
The penalty for being caught was expulsion for you and the car you're associated with.
On a brighter note, the first phase of the new tower construction was now underway.
It included restrooms, a snack bar and storage. There was also a proposed catwalk for
the starter from the north end of the building. Future plans included a 2nd and 3rd
floor for timing and scoring and race control. The August 1964 SCCA race resulted in
a record 4400 spectators over the course of the weekend!
In 1965, the BOD appropriated money to widen the track 6 feet, but it was never actually
scheduled and sadly the paving never took place. Around the same time frame, there was
serious talk about sports car courses at Boblo Island on the south end of the Detroit
River and Pine Knob (a couple miles up the road). The Boblo project was slated for late
1966, but the Pine Knob project was bogged down with technicalities. By the mid 60's
interest in sportscar racing was peaking. One August 1965, Oakland County Sportsman
magazine article recommended that the reader take a trip to Mt. Clemmens Speedway to
compare their show with our dwindling spectators. An argument that can still be heard
in the paddock today...
Joan Lawrence Voltmer was still running timing and scoring for us. Joan set up the
first timing and scoring school in the spring of 1965. She announced they had a new
procedure which was tested in September of 1964. This procedure ensured that all cars
were timed on every lap. If a car approached a lap record, a "supervisor" ran a second
stop watch in a backup roll. In other news, FM WEBX will cover the races live and
there's a possibility of coverage on WWJ - TV50, and on the Motor Racing Review radio
show on WABX. The Clarkston Jaycee's would be returning to run the hilltop concessions
again. Concessions had been installed in the early 60's. The concession stand was a small
white log cabin like building with dirt floors. It can be seen in the area of Bluff Bend
before turn 3.
By 1965, growing pains were starting to be felt now in our class structure and rules.
Car classes were, for the most part now, the same as SCCA. Many sedan drivers were now
griping about the new roll cage rules. They argued those rules shouldn't apply to
Waterford Hills because the speeds weren't high enough to warrant such protection.
In June, someone actually proposed running all formula cars under a claimer rule. Cars
would be classed according to value and the entire car could be claimed. This proposal
excluded the Formula Vee's. That proposal was denied.
In 1967 plans were underway to add the 2nd and 3rd floor to the tower. Thankfully, the
SCCA was now starting to take driver safety much more seriously. December rule changes
required driving suits and socks to be made of nomex or approved material. Gloves were
to be made of nomex or leather. Also on the radar were new fuel tank standards, accessory
gas caps and 3 figure roll cages! Needless to say, this was seen as a huge problem in
the paddock. It was estimated that it might cost $110 for such clothing!
March 1968, the club announced the formation of "well trained, uniformed grid stewards...
an area of track management which has, to date, been sadly neglected." At the OCSC
clubhouse, the new bar addition was almost complete. The old bar in the basement will be
made into a game room with pool table. That area is known today as the life member room.
Harewood Acres, Ontario 1968 and 1969
Waterford has always been a popular track with Canadians in general and the London
Automobile Sports Club in particular. Many enduring friendships have resulted and
because of their hospitality, Waterford drivers became regular competitors at Harewood
Acres, a 1.9 mile converted WWII air force training base near Jarvis, Ontario. The $12
entry fee included trophies and a buffet dinner which no doubt added to the
attractiveness.
In 1968, London and Waterford decided to jointly organize a 2 1/2 hour night race at
Harewood as a supplement to the Ontario Motor Sports Club's regular weekend races.
There was discussion on whether or not to put the Harewood race on. Citing cost for
both the club and for the members who will participate in the race. Also citing dangers
associated with having all cars on track at all time in the dark. They were mostly
referring to the speed differentials.
Despite the safety discussions, the race was set up. At 9:30pm, the green fell on a
modified Le Mans start (buckled in car engine off) and at 12:00 the checkered flag
fell on the Brizenka brother's Porche 906. The lighting was horrible so scoring the
races was very difficult. The format was repeated in 1969 with Ludvig Heimrath in a
Porsche emerging as the winner. Shortly thereafter, the land was sold to the Texaco
oil company for a tank farm and alas Harewood Acres was no more.
The end of the 60's started with an unusual complaint from within. A ladies race
had been cancelled due to low turnout. Seven women showed up, but the minimum
required was nine. Ladies did not race with the men back then, but they did race.
Safety improvements continued with plans for even more guard rail. Standing starts
were discontinued around the 1969 time frame. The starting positions were staggered,
but inevitably someone always stalled or broke an axle. The next car would swerve to
get around which resulted in many banged up race cars. SCCA had also gone to rolling
starts around the same time for the same reasons. In October of 1969, a constitution
was proposed to unite the two governing boards. Because we were a corporation, there
was a corporate board and a club board. These were the first steps towards renaming
the club and changing our corporate status to non-profit.
Starting with the Inaugural Races (The Fall Classics). Trophies were awarded for each
of four classes; Modifieds (Sports Racers), Big Bore, Small Bore and Formula. Cars ran
class races to qualify for the feature race. Novices were not allowed to race in either
Saturday class race. They were gridded at the back of the pack in their Sunday class
race. Classes were combined to run the feature race. This meant that some competitors
went to the bleachers if they didn't qualify. These four trophies were only awarded at
the Fall Classics for wins in the feature races. Eventually, driver's who raced all
year long grew tired of the fact that someone who hadn't raced all season long would
come in and win the big trophy. More trophies were donated as more classes and feature
races were added. April 1, 1970 they announced a new system to award large trophies,
based on points earned at every race. The number of entries would affect the number of
points awarded. And so the idea of the class champion was born. The Novice races became
what is now known as co-driver races. In the mid 80's, when we went to our computerized
results system, we stopped combining classes for feature races. This meant the features
had room for everyone to race. The practice of sending people home early had ended. Many
of these early revolving trophies were destroyed in the tower arson of 1981 or ruined
due to vandalism during a mid-90's winter break-in of the tower.
Ed Lawrence Memorial Trophy/Race
The Big Bore class of the Inaugural Fall Classics was named the Ed Lawrence Memorial
Race. Today, the Big Bore Feature Race of the last race weekend of each season has
come to be known as the Ed Lawrence Memorial Race. Ed Lawrence actually raced
Modifieds (known today as Sports Racers). At the time, the Modifieds ran with the Big
Bore group. During the 60's, the Ed Lawrence Memorial Trophy was awarded to the
Modified class winner at the Fall Classics. Each year, no matter where they are in the
country, his family returns to Waterford for the weekend. Each year, Ed's son climbs
the start tower and drops the green flag on the big bore group. He wears all black,
but dons a single red rose to honor his father. He is known for his enthusiastic and
unmistakable flagging style. Sadly, the trophy was severely damaged during the arson
fire in the tower in 1981.
Joan Lawrence Voltmer Enthusiast Award
Joan Lawrence Voltmer was married to Ed Lawrence back when the Waterford was first
conceived. Joan played a very large part in the original planning and construction
of the track. Despite the tragedy with her husband Ed Lawrence, you'll still see
through pictures and meeting minutes that she continued to play a large role in the
success of our club. In may of 1958 Waterford was 80 acres of hilly field. The main
crop in this field seemed to be boulders. Step one in making a few Michigan Sports
Car Club member's dream was harvesting those boulders. Talk about a WORK BEE! We
moved them, mostly by hand, until we had enough room to pave a twisty little road
course that is the track today. If you look in the gully between Turns Two and Three,
you can see where we threw most of our "crop". In 1960, Joan's sons created the
enthusiast award to honor her commitment and dedication to Waterford Hills. The
recipients are chosen by the Board of Directors in the fall. Typically, both a
male and female enthusiast are awarded. The very first recipient in 1960 was Joan
Lawrence. In September of 1983, WHRRI celebrated Joan Lawrence Voltmer Day at the
annual Fall Classics. In honor of their Mom, Joan's sons Mark, Kent and Scott
presented her with a plaque. The plaque is a large (3'X4' approximately) wooden cut-out
in the shape of the track. In addition to being a tribute to Joan, this plaque is
also a tribute to all the WHRRI enthusiasts and affixed are the names of most of the
recipients of the annual enthusiast's award. Today each recipient is given a clock to
signify how much their time and effort is appreciated.
Chic Williamson Memorial Trophy
In July of 1982, Chic Williamson, a Formula Vee driver, suffered the track's first
fatal crash as his car rolled end over end coming into the esses. Chic was relatively
new to the track (3 years or so), but he made an impression on people in all classes.
He was most known for his big smile and happy go lucky attitude. Each July, the Chic
Williamson Memorial Trophy is awarded to the Formula Vee driver who accumulates the
most points during the July weekend.
Gary Taylor
Gary Taylor was an ITB driver at Waterford Hills. He raced cars for the enjoyment it
brought him and his naturally competitive spirit. On the track, he rarely gave an
inch and never gave up trying to beat whoever he was racing with. Off the track he was
relaxed and friendly. He was killed in a racing incident at Grattan in 1995. Shortly
before his untimely death, Gary said to his best friend, "If I kill myself driving
this car, tell everyone I was having the bloody best time of my life!" Each year, the
Gary Taylor memorial award is given to the ITB driver who most embodies that spirit of
sportsmanship both on and off the track. Having fun while doing the best that he/she
possibly can. All registered Waterford ITB drivers are eligible and a majority vote of
these drivers determines the recipient.
Mary Wollesen GT5 Class Champion Trophy
Mary and Ted Wollesen started coming to Waterford Hills in the 60's as spectators
while they were dating back in high school. While they were building their family with
children Erin, Eric and Elise they competed in a few road rallies to keep their automobile
urges in check. In 1980, Ted finally went through driver's school with a Mini Cooper.
It was a family affair from the get go. In 1985, Mary went through driver's school
and raced an MG Midget until that car was wrecked. From there, she then raced a couple
Chevy Sprint Turbos before Ted and Eric managed to put together a second Mini Cooper.
By now, the whole family was racing, and they all shared Ted's Mini and Mary's Chevy
Sprints. The Wollesen's weren't content to just have their family race though. Ted and
Mary both served Waterford Hills as board members for many years. Mary was elected
President in 1993. She served in that role until 1996. Her Mini Cooper was finally
completed in the mid-90's so she petitioned the SCCA to grant her a National Competition
License. She'd had a clean and successful record at Waterford scoring many wins, though
she never got a full season in since she was always sharing the car with her children.
Mary campaigned the Mini Cooper nationally for a few years until the June Sprints at
Road America on June 22, 1997. Ted recalls the rain was so heavy the previous day that
the concrete barriers on the back stretch had actually been forced out of position by
rushing water. All GT classes were combined for practice/qualifying in order to make up
time due to time delays resulting from the repositioning those barriers. On the first
lap, Mary was somehow turned around and broadsided on the track. She was t-boned on
the driver's side by a GT-1 Camaro. Reports varied as to how she was actually turned
around, but it appeared she was tapped from behind by a third car. Mary died instantly
of closed head injuries. Mary's death hit Waterford very hard. An entire Racer's Edge
magazine was dedicated to Mary and was filled with stories celebrating her life.
Waterford Hills also renamed the GT-5 class champion trophy in honor of her and her
dedication to her family, to racing and to her extended family within this club. The
Wollesen's remain very active within Waterford Hills. Erin, Eric and Elise all serve
or have served as members of the BOD and Competition Board as well as countless other
volunteer positions. Ted retired from national competition in 2005 and still comes to
every race weekend to watch Erin Cassaday run her Mini Cooper.
Peggy Pawlowski Female Enthusiast Award
Peggy Pawlowski was the victim of the track's second fatal crash and the second major
blow to our family in 1997. Peggy first came to Waterford Hills in 1983 with future
husband Rick Pawlowski. They were just dating at the time. Rick had been to the track
a few times before and was out of date ideas. Rick asked her to go to Waterford for a
picnic on the hill. Rick recalls it rained all day and they left early. He hadn't heard
from her in a couple weeks when out of the blue she called. She said, "let's go to
Waterford, but this time were going to work a corner!" Like any prudent man, he married
her in August of 1988. In 1988 she was also diagnosed with cancer which had to be operated
on. The medication she was taking, precluded her from long exposure to sun so she began
working Start where she could escape to the shade. In the early 90's Peggy convinced
Rick to start racing. Rick went through driver's school and began his driving career in
FF's as a co-driver. A few years later he switched to an ITB Mustang and then to an ITC
car. During the last race of the season, in September of 1997 Peggy was working start
for a big bore race. A Corvette came out of swamp and lost control. The car crashed over
the Armco between Peggy and the track and struck her. Tragically, she was killed that
day. In 1997, the Female Enthusiast Award was appropriately renamed the Peggy Pawlowski
Female Enthusiast Award to honor her dedication. The recipient of this award is chosen
by the Board of Directors in the fall. Rick raced the1998 season, but couldn't help not
to reflect on the tragic deaths of the previous year. After the 1998 season he took a
few years off from Waterford to regroup. He decided this was where he wanted to be and
has been one of our most dedicated volunteers having served a term on the OCSC board
and on the corners ever since.
Richard Londergan Most Improved Formula Driver Award
This award was created in honor of Dick "The Ogre" Londergan, a long time designer and
builder of formula vee's. This award is given annually to the Formula Car Driver who
shows the most improvement over the course of the season. The driver must also show a
strong commitment to sportsmanship both on and off the track. The Competition Board
chooses the recipient of this award in the fall.
Waterford Hills Rookie of the Year Award
This trophy was donated by the Western Ontario Sportscar Association in 2001. The
Competition Board votes on the Waterford Hills novice license holder who shows
significant aptitude and/or improvement over the course of the season. A strong
commitment to sportsmanship both on and off the track is a serious consideration as
well.
Waterford Hills President's Award
By far, one of the toughest decisions our club President's have to make is the
President's Award. To be eligible, the recipient must have been a member of the club
for at least ten consecutive years. This is perhaps the most prestigious award given
by the club as it always goes to someone who has left a significant and long lasting
mark on the club through commitment and hard work. It is truly an honor to be selected
for this award.
