DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 24, 2025) – Charlie Peter, winner of both the 2024 Touring 2 and GT-2 SCCA® National Championships, was named the recipient of the Road Racing Drivers Club’s (RRDC) Mark Donohue Award. Peter was honored at the annual RRDC members' dinner on January 22, prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season-opening round of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
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.
Having finished runner-up in Touring 2 (T2) in his first three Runoffs appearances from 2020-2022, Peter entered two classes—T2 and GT-2—for the 60th Anniversary event October 4-6, 2024. He earned his first-career Tire Rack Pole award, turning a GT-2 class record 2:11.860 (110.490 mph) in his Phenix Label/Yokohama Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup, and narrowly missed out on a second pole in T2, qualifying second.
The T2 race was up first, with Peter getting the jump in his Phenix Label/Hoosier Tire BMW M2CS Cup on three-time defending class champion Kurt Rezzetano to take the early lead. The two would trade the top spot multiple times, running side-by-side through the middle section of the historic four-mile circuit until the driver from Olathe, Kansas, put his BMW up front for good, taking a 10.504-second win.
“It was an incredible battle!” Peter said. “Learning from previous Runoffs starts with Kurt, I knew I had to stay on his bumper or get by him by Turn One. Luckily for me, Kurt had a slow gear shift after the green, which gave me the edge I needed into the first turn. I knew he’d get me back eventually, since he had the straightaway speed, but I figured I’d have a chance if I could keep pressure on him without wearing my tires.”
Regarding his tires, Peter noted that he was the only car on the grid starting the sprint race on scuffed tires.
“That was a genius decision by Mirl Swan,” he added. “We knew Kurt would have the pace for the race’s fastest lap, but as long as I didn’t let him run away, my tires would have the pace for the entirety of the race.”
The run up to Peter’s GT-2 class race was likely more dramatic than the race itself, where he led all 13 laps en route to a 12.077-second victory over Jared Ordrick. Peter’s Porsche was a bare tub two weeks prior to the event, with Swan putting it together over a span of 48 hours. The car then lost a transmission after the second of three qualifying sessions.
Charlie Peter in his Phenix Label/Hoosier Tire BMW M2CS Cup at the 2024 SCCA Runoffs at Road America. (Jeff Loewe image)
“Honestly, I thought that was the end of my Runoffs in GT-2,” Peter said. “That is, until Bart Wolf let us pull the transmission out of one of the cars in his shop down the street. Making the grid alone felt like a huge win to me!”
Peter’s pair of wins achieved the rare Runoffs double, something his father Hans Peter accomplished in 2007, winning C Sports Racing and Formula Atlantic. Charlie credits his father for his development as a driver.
“I did a little karting when I was younger, but I really started racing in the WRL when I was 20,” the 28-year-old said. “Being that we were co-drivers, he taught me everything and I really owe all of my successes to him.”
The unique award has a glass top and sits on a race wheel with a historic provenance. RRDC member David Donohue, son of Mark Donohue, presented Peter with the award, which included a wheel donated by Meyer Shank Racing that was used on its No. 60 Acura GTP car 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.
Peter found out that he had been selected for the Mark Donohue Award after a phone call from RRDC President Bobby Rahal.
“I was at work when I saw an incoming call from an unrecognized Ohio phone number. I figured if it was important, they could leave a message.” he said. “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.
“This is a considerable honor, an award I never through that I would achieve. Mark has been an idol of mine since I was young, and because of him, I take pride in working on the car that I race.”
Past recipients Calvin Stewart (2015) and SCCA Vice President Eric Prill (2017) joined Donohue in the presentation.
A full list of past RRDC Mark Donohue Award recipients:
1971 - Larry Campbell
1972 - Dave Weitzenhof
1973 - Gary Rodriques
1974 - Bill Jobe
1975 - Dan Pohlabel
1976 - Damon Pleasant
1977 - Tom Robertson
1978 - Mike Mokler
1979 - Bill Coykendall
1980 - Dennis Wilson
1981 - Don Courtney
1982 - Bob Lobenberg
1983 - Hardy Prentice
1984 - Doug Peterson
1985 - Scott Atchison
1986 - Lous Rettenmeier
1987 - Duane Davis
1988 - Paul Spruell
1989 - Bill Noble
1990 - Keith Scharf
1991 - Richard Schroebel
1992 - Stevan Davis
1993 - Greg Ray
1994 - Allen May
1995 - Tom Van Camp
1996 - Jaques Lazier
1997 - Pete Peterson
1998 - B.J. Zacharias
1999 - Warren Stilwell
2000 - Andy McDermid
2001 - David Finch
2002 - Justin Pritchard
2003 - Mike Anderson
2004 - John Saurino
2005 - Kristian Skavnes
2006 - Jesse Prather
2007 - Brian Linn
2008 - Chris Keller
2009 - Michael Varacins
2010 - Peter Shawdowen
2011 - Kevin Fandozzi
2012 - Cliff White
2013 - Lawrence Loshak
2014 - Jeremy Grenier
2015 - Calvin Stewart
2016 - Neil Verhagen
2017 - Eric Prill
2018 - Robeson Clay Russell
2019 - Broderick Bauguess
2020 - Spencer Brockman
2021 - Scott Twomey
2022 - Jason Ott
2023 - Ken Kannard
About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club's membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.
In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar – www.SAFEisFAST.com – featuring RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers' questions on the site in a feature called 'Ask a Pro.'
Bobby Rahal is President, John Fergus is Vice President/Treasurer, and John Clagett is Secretary.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award, and supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org.
About the SCCA Runoffs:
First held in 1964, the National Championship Runoffs is Sports Car Club of America’s winner-take all Championship race that punctuates its racing season each year. Drivers compete all year to earn an invitation to the Runoffs, a week-long event held each fall that culminates in a full weekend of racing for its 23 classes. The 2025 SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Sunoco will be held at Road America, September 29-October 5.
Article By: Judy Stropus, 203-438-0501; cell 203-243-2438; jvstropus@gmail.com