A teak bench dedicated to Thompson Speedway by the New England Region.
Lou Gingerella, Abhi Ghatak, and Scott Mayo accepted the bench at the presentation ceremony.
NER’s 75 Years Began with Thompson Speedway
SCCA, NER and Thompson Speedway all trace their origins back to the late 1940’s and this northeast corner of the United States. Thompson Speedway has the honor of being the first purpose-built racetrack (not a public road or airport runway) in the US for auto enthusiasts to race their cars. And NER/SCCA was the first sanctioning body to organize and host that event.
Now, three quarters of a century later, this long-standing partnership continues to be a mutually beneficial and thriving relationship between track owners/management and our club racers and organizers. That is something to be cherished and honored.
To do so, New England Region purchased this teak bench, with a commemorative plaque, to sit outside the race offices of Thompson Speedway. It will be a permanent reminder of the long-standing history, that has survived the decades, as well as generations of racers, and continues now and into the future.
Bench Dedication
During the lunch break on Saturday of our NERRC Championship weekend event, Kathy Barnes led a brief ceremony dedicating the bench and sharing the history of the the region and track with the racers, crew, friends and family that were in attendance. A copy of Kathy’s remarks can be read here.
Scott also took the opportunity to thank the region for the gift, and the years of working together to put on fabulous events.
Now, NER and Thompson’s partnership has evolved beyond just road racing, as the speedway is host to many Time Trials and Track Night in America events as well throughout the year. So the next time you’re at TSMP, stop by the offices and rest a spell on this bench. Take a few minutes to look around, realizing just how much auto racing history has passed in this specific location. And if you’re sitting on that bench, you are now a part of it as well.
