Racemaker Press Wins This Year’s Cugnot and Ingersoll Awards
Finn’s Caribbean Capers and O’Keefe Winner’s Database Recognized by SAH
(Boston, MA) October 27, 2011 – Racemaker Press took home two coveted awards from the Society of Automotive Historians annual banquet in Hershey this year, recognizing two of the independent firm’s 2010 published works. Joel Finn’s Caribbean Capers: The Cuban Grand Prix Races of 1957, 1958 & 1960 , published by Racemaker Press in collaboration with Garnet Hill Publishing, won the Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Award for Outstanding Book of 2011, and the E.P. Ingersoll Award for Excellence in Presentation of Automotive History in Nonprint media was awarded to the O’Keefe Winners Database: A Searchable Comprehensive Digital Database of Motor Racing Events 1895-2010, by James O’Keefe.
Publisher Joseph Freeman accepted the awards, along with author, Joel Finn, at the Society’s annual meeting in Hershey, PA on October 5th. “Racemaker Press is passionate about researching, recording, compiling, and publishing works that make a real contribution to automotive history,” Mr. Freeman said. “We are honored to receive this recognition from the society, of which I have been past president and am a life-long member.”
Caribbean Capers: The Cuban Grand Prix Races of 1957, 1958 & 1960, a first-hand account by noted automotive historian and author, Joel Finn, captures the dramatic story of Cuba’s major sports car races, with all the international finance, political intrigue and competitive action that characterized the island nation at that time. With more than 500 historic images of the cars, drivers and events – many never before published – and numerous meticulously compiled charts of the race entries and results, the book received rave reviews, and has been selling to a world-wide audience.
“I was one of the timing officials at the races in 1958, and gathered as much original information, first hand accounts, and rare, official records from organizers as possible, with the intention of someday creating this book,” author Joel Finn said as he accepted the award. “I’m grateful for the Society’s recognition of this book as a story that needed to be told, of a time in racing history like no other. Thank you.”
The Ingersoll Award was bestowed to Jim O’Keefe’s amazing undertaking to create the most comprehensive listing of motor racing events available, The O’Keefe Winners Database: A Searchable Comprehensive Digital Database of Motor Racing Events 1895-2010. This fully searchable database, containing the winner of over 22,000 auto races from all over the world, contains a whopping 250,000 pieces of data updated through the end of the 2010 season. Available via the website www.racemaker.com, as a download, or by purchase of a CD to install on your computer, The O’Keefe Winners Database enables quick research, with guided instructions for answers to simple or complex queries.
“I’m thrilled that the Society saw the value of this digital research database, and recognized the tremendous undertaking that Jim O’Keefe embarked upon, and has been working at, for over 40 years,” Joe Freeman said, accepting the award for Mr. O’Keefe.
Both titles are available at www.racemaker.com, or by calling the Boston office at 617 723-6533, or email to: orders@racemaker.com.
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