“Slow” is not in Charlie Peter’s vocabulary.
The Kansas City Region member began racing with SCCA® in 2018 in Touring 2 — the wins came fast. Come 2020, Peter set his sights on the National Championship Runoffs®, driving a BMW M235iR. The result was a third-place qualifying position and a second-place finish, barely four seconds behind multi-time National Champion Mark Boden.
In 2021, Peter returned to the Runoffs in T2, this time qualifying second and earning another silver medal. 2022 brought the same result. But in 2024, everything changed. Competing in a Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup car in GT-2 as well as a BMW M2 CS Cup car in Touring 2, Peter scored the Tire Rack Pole in GT-2 and started the T2 race in second. The starting position didn’t matter, though, as Peter drove away from both fields at the 2024 National Championship Runoffs presented by Sunoco and left Road America with two gold medals around his neck.
The pair of wins rapidly accelerates Peter’s Runoffs gold medal count toward that of his father, Hans, who owns three.
What Hans doesn’t have that 28-year-old son Charlie now does, however, is his name on the Road Racing Drivers Club’s (RRDC) Mark Donohue Award.
Per the RRDC: “Selected by members of the RRDC each year since 1971, the award recognizes the driver exhibiting the most outstanding performance at the annual Sports Car Club of America™ National Championship Runoffs in terms of personal spirit and skill behind the wheel. Originally called the ‘Outstanding Performance Award,’ the honor was later named after Mark Donohue, a former SCCA Champion, an inductee in the SCCA Hall of Fame and past president of the RRDC, following his death in 1975.”
Current RRDC President Bobby Rahal called Charlie Peter to give him the good news.
“I was at work when I saw an incoming call from an unrecognized Ohio phone number,” Peter said during the RRDC award ceremony that took place on Jan. 22, 2025, at Daytona International Speedway during the Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend. “I figured if it was important, they could leave a message. Thankfully, he left a message because after listening to the voicemail, I realized I had ignored a phone call from Bobby Rahal! Before calling him back, I prepared my IndyCar driver contract acceptance speech.”
The Mark Donohue Award design changes each year, but is traditionally a trophy consisting of a motorsports wheel of significance sitting under a glass top. This year, the wheel was donated by Meyer Shank Racing and was used on its No. 60 Acura GTP car that was involved in victories at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and the Mobil 1 Petit Le Mans with drivers Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun.
Learn more about the RRDC and the Mark Donohue Award (as well as the RRDC’s Safe is Fast driver development program) by visiting RRDC.org.
You can also witness Charlie Peter’s runs to the gold at the 2024 Runoffs by watching below.
Photo by Stefan Jackowniak
While the 2025 SCCA® National Convention, which took place online Jan. 16-24, has just about concluded, convention season for the Club is only just beginning, with six Divisional Conventions about to jump into action. In fact, one Divisional Convention begins the same day the Club’s National Convention concludes, with various Divisional Conventions running through March 15.
Southeast Division’s convention takes place Jan. 24-25 at the Palms Resort at St. Simons Island in Georgia. This convention will feature individual meetings with the Divisional Administrators SARRC Committee, Regional Race Class Rules, Divisional Solo®, Time Trials, RallyCross®, Stewards, Tech, Timing & Scoring, Registration, Flagging & Communications, Race Control, newsletters, web developers, membership, and the SCCA National Staff. The center point of this year’s Southeast Division convention will be the Awards Banquet.
Register: SEDiv Convention
Like the SCCA National Convention, Rocky Mountain Division’s Feb. 8 convention is virtual. It’s also free to attend, with Zoom links and login information readily available on the convention’s registration page. This Divisional Convention begins with a general session, then shifts to the topics of Solo, SCCA Road Racing, a meet ‘n greet lunch, and breakout sessions. The afternoon then brings gatherings on the topic of RallyCross, Time Trials, and Women on Track. Then comes a happy hour.
Register: RMDiv Convention
Midwest Division’s convention takes place Feb. 14-16 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence, MO, and is free to attend all but the banquet (which costs $43 per person). This convention is open to anyone interested in getting more involved in the Club. “This is an opportunity to express yourself on any and all racing related topics, be it RoadRally, RallyCross, Solo, Time Trials, or Club Racing, and also to experience motorsports related information sessions you won’t find anywhere else,” the organizers say.
Register: MiDiv Convention
Taking place Feb. 21-22 at the Radisson Lackawanna Station in Scranton, PA, the Northeast Division Conference begins on Friday with a welcome reception. Saturday brings a full day of information about Region management, membership development, and program support. The Division will also present trophies to the 2024 season NEDiv Road Racing Series champions as well as recognize a number of outstanding contributors to the Division.
Register: NEDiv Convention
Feb. 28-March 1 brings the Great Lakes Division convention. Returning to Manchester University in Fort Wayne, this convention begins with a Friday night pasta and BYOB social, with activities and specialty meetings filling Saturday. There will also be a silent auction, where proceeds will be split between Great Lakes Division and the SCCA Foundation.
Register: GLDiv Convention
Then on March 15, Central Division concludes SCCA’s convention season with its 2025 Spring Training. Taking place at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Mequon, WI, this gathering begins with breakfast, moving onto a lunch buffet, with sessions throughout the day. As is the case with the other Divisional Conventions taking place this year, members of the SCCA National Staff will be on site to make presentations and discuss any topic with attendees.
Register: CENDiv Spring Training
