Don Sesslar Wins the U.S. Sports Car Crown
By Martha Williams
Lancaster Eagle-Gazzette Sports Writer

Don Sesslar, a man with an "I drive just for fun" attitude and the proven ability to out perform such racing greats as A.J. Foyt, Dick Rathman, Roger Ward, and Stirling Moss, is the 1964 U.S. champion in the Class F sports car division.

The Lancaster man clinched the title Saturday by winning a close race at Watkins Glen, N.Y. The triumph gave Sesslar 5 first place finishes and 2 seconds in seven events.

The clinching victory was a real donnybrook. Sesslar and his Sunbeam Alpine got a tremendous challenge from a Kansas City driver and a Lotus 7. The lead changed hands almost 60 times before the local man went out in front to stay in the 26th lap of the 27-lap race.

The course was 2.3 miles around and Sesslar average 79 m.p.h. for the 62.1 miles. He finished 7 seconds in front of his nearest competitor.

The national championship is only another feather in the already crowded headband of the popular sportsman.

He took up sports car racing in 1957 and was Class F modified champion in less than 2 years. Since switching to Class F production (Showroom) cars in 1960, he has finished second or third in the nation every year.

A communications consultant for Bell Telephone Co., Sesslar got his first taste of competition as a stock car driver in the early 50's. He dropped out "when too many men started going for blood and money instead of the fun and glory".

Another reason for Sesslar's decision to drop out was the low risk to reward ratio. "One day I came in first in 3 preliminary races and finished second in the feature and still took home only $12.50" he said.

Since entering the sports car field, he has stuck mostly to Porsches and Sunbeams. He has competed in the Sebring (Fla.) 12-hour endurance race 6 times. His best showing there was a fourth place overall finish in 1959. He won his class that year and in 1961 and 1963. He finish second this year.

The driver's biggest thrill cam when he won the President's Cup in a race in Marlboro, Md. The award was donated by Dwight Eisenhower and presented by Gen. Curtis LeMay.

Sesslar is currently driving a 1964 Sunbeam Alpine owned by Dan Carmichael, prominent Columbus architect and sportsman. The car is sponsored and prepared for racing by H.J. Meyer and G.B. Gains and their Sports Car Forum, also of Columbus. Chief mechanic is Roy Bickel. Sesslar said the car has logged over 2200 racing miles without a mechanical failure.

In addition to his accomplishments as a driver in Sports Car Club of America events, Sesslar is also respected for his knowledge of racing machines. He serves as chairman of the classification committee for the SCCA, which sanctions more races for more miles than any other club in the nation.

Sesslar and his fellow committee members determine which cars will run in a particular class. Classification is based on horsepower to weight ration and past performance.

The Lancaster man will switch to an Elva-Porsche for a 500-mile race at Elkhart Lake, Wis. In mid-September, he will also drive a new Sunbeam with a special Ford V-8 in a 200-mile event at the same course. This will be the first time the later car has seen action east of the Rocky Mountains.

Then in November, Sesslar plans on a leisurely vacation in sunny Florida. What does the champion sports car driver plan to do to relax during a vacation ­ why race sports cars, naturally.