(This article was written by Jim Weidenbaum, a member of SCCA Foundation’s Board of Directors.)
On Sept. 4, 2025, the International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) – home of the SCCA Archives funded by your contributions to the SCCA Foundation – celebrated the achievements and contributions of Brian Redman at its annual Cameron R. Argetsinger Award dinner. Representatives of SCCA® Inc. and the SCCA Foundation attended the event.
Dr. Jerry Punch served as the Master of Ceremonies, while David Hobbs reunited with his former broadcast partner Bob Varsha to lead an energized and humorous Q&A with Brian. A host of racing royalty shared their memories of Brian via videos.
You can read a detailed summary of the evening here: IMRRC 2025 Argetsinger Award dinner.
Brian Redman’s racing career began with borrowing his father’s daily driver and accelerated to the pinnacle of professional racing in F1. Brian’s greatest racing success, however, was not winning 24 Hours of Daytona in a BMW 3.0 CSL or besting Mario Andretti in multiple Formula 5000 championships when Mario was thought to be unbeatable; his greatest success wasn’t behind the wheel of any car.
Brian Redman’s driving career was brilliant – and painful, as he suffered serious racing injuries at a time when being a professional racing driver was an acutely high-risk business. Recovering from harrowing racing injuries, Brian understood better than most the stresses placed on drivers and their families. Brian’s most lasting achievement was not what he did on the track, but what he did to support his fellow racers when they were injured. For example, Brian came to the aid of Kathy Rude, after her horrifying crash over 40 years ago at Brainerd Raceway. Brian actively worked with sanctioning racing bodies on their Catastrophic Insurance policies, significantly increasing their coverage levels to the benefit of drivers and participants.
When I served on SCCA’s Board of Directors, our then Vice Chair Dan Helman led frequent conversations on insurance. To those of you thinking SCCA’s Board spends its time on the glamorous aspects of racing, the reality is quite different: it’s about leading responsible governance of an organization that exists to support our members in a relatively high-risk sport where insurance is a serious topic.
Anyone around racing understands the criticality of detailed preparation for a race car, and the same can be said about preparing for a race event (ask any Race Director, Race Chair, Race Registrar, Race Ops Manager, etc.). It was Brian Redman’s experience, insight, and willingness to take action that changed the way sanctioning racing bodies supported racers during the physically and emotionally painful times of recovering from a major injury.
As the SCCA Foundation looks ahead to ensure that future generations will have the same opportunity to compete in amateur motorsports as we enjoy, it will also take experience, insight, and willingness to take action that will help pave the way forward.
In coming months, expect to see details on SCCA Foundation’s vision to support the future of amateur motorsports and to provide opportunities for new and existing members who may be the next Brian Redman bringing innovations for the betterment of the sport we love.
You can support the SCCA Foundation’s efforts today by participating in the Foundation's sweepstakes for a trip to the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix! Use this link with promo code Redman to receive a 30% bonus in entries.
To learn more about SCCA Foundation, visit sccafoundation.org.
Photo Caption: David Hobbs (left) and Bob Varsha (right) interview Brian Redman (center).
Photo courtesy Pete Gorski via racingarchives.org
