Road America has unveiled a new bronze statue of its founder, Clif Tufte, next to the center that bears his name located in the paddock area of the sprawling 640-acre facility that was conceptualized 65 years ago.
Tufte, a highway engineer, put together the land and laid out the track in 1955 after racing on the public roads around Elkhart Lake became impractical for many reasons.
When Tufte realized that the economic benefit to the area was such that a permanent road course could be viable. He acted, and Road America was born, with the first races held on September 10-11, 1955.
That event, won by Phil Hill in a Ferrari Monza by an eyelash over Sherwood Johnston in a D Jaguar, began a tradition that lasts to this day.
