New Book Chronicles the Most Turbulent Era in Sports Car Racing History

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Press release

Austin, Texas. January, 2025. There are two exciting stories that race in parallel with one another over the ten chapters of Octane Press’s newest book IMSA 1990–1999: The Turbulent Years of American Sports Car Racing.

One is a story of chaos and change. The turn of the new decade unleashed a domino effect of changes that rocked the stability and structure left behind by I.M.S.A.’s founder, John Bishop. He had built one of the most successful sports car racing sanctioning bodies in history. When he sold the business, the change in leadership brought dramatic turns and twists neither Bishop nor I.M.S.A.’s primary sponsor, Camel Cigarettes, could have foreseen.

The 1990s were transformative for North American sports car racing. At the center of the chaos was I.M.S.A. Over the course of the decade, I.M.S.A. ownership changed hands four times. When leadership changed, so did the vision for the future of the organization. Internal chaos ensued.

Contributors Mark Raffauf, Martin Raffauf, George Silbermann, and Jonathan Ingram left no stone unturned when it comes to the inside stories behind the closed doors of the I.M.S.A. organization. Because Mark and George were members of I.M.S.A.’s executive team, readers are treated to a ringside seat to the happenings at I.M.S.A. during this difficult time.

Readers are led through the decade year by year, chapter by chapter. They’re given a variety of voices and perspectives about one of the most decisive decades in American Sports car racing history. Readers will be enticed by never-before-told stories about the owners, the major sponsors, the logistics of street racing, and controversies like fuel testing.

But we can’t forget the second story being told in parallel. That story is one of triumph. Despite the tumultuous leadership and the changes with car design, economics, and technology, I.M.S.A. remained influential and strong. This was in large part due to the strength and integrity of the I.M.S.A. staffers. Not to mention the tenacity and faith of the drivers, track operators, sponsors, and, of course, the fans. They continued creating value for so many in the racing world.

Stories are paired with exquisite period photography, and readers are treated to a no-holds-barred saga of how one organization impacted North American sports car racing for better or for worse.

With an official launch date of February 1, 2025, IMSA 1990–1999: The Turbulent Years of American Sports Racing is available for preorder from Octane Press, or wherever books are sold.
 

Title: IMSA 1990–1999: The Turbulent Years of American Sports Racing
Author: Mark Raffauf
Format: Hardcover
Publication Date: February 1st, 2025
Product Dimensions: 8½ by 10½ by 1 in.
Pages: 256
Retail Price: $75.00

Author Biographies
Mark Raffauf started working for I.M.S.A. in 1974 when he was just sixteen, and he is still there today as Senior Director of Competition. He has held I.M.SA.. positions through the many iterations of I.M.SA. and Grand-Am, including being the second president, following in founder John Bishop’s footsteps in overall management, technical and car regulation development and enforcement, as well as event, circuit, sporting, and racing operations.

Martin Raffauf first worked at I.M.SA. in 1973 as a parttime tech inspector. He proceeded to work as a mechanic for various teams starting in the late 1970s, including for Dick Barbour, Garretson Enterprises, Wayne Baker, Bob Akin, Bayside Racing, Carlsen Porsche, Gunnar Racing, Alpha Porsche Racing, Doran Racing, Rahal Letterman, and others. He is now semiretired and once again a part-time IMSA official.

George Silbermann worked his first I.M.SA. race as a volunteer official in 1974, joined the full-time staff in 1981, and he was the final president of the original IMSA in the late 1990s. He went on to a long career as a NASCAR executive before serving as President of A.C.C.U.S.-F.I.A.

Jonathan Ingram covered his first I.M.SA. race in 1977 for the Durham (N.C.) Morning Herald. The story was about a driver whose BMW paint scheme, it turns out, was designed by Mark Raffauf. Before shifting to online magazines and newspapers, Ingram’s stories appeared in more than one hundred print publications on four continents. He is the author of nine books on motor racing.

Octane Press has published more than 200 books since 2010, won thirty-five independent book awards, and reached more than one million readers.

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