Jim Briody Runs his 100th Endurance Race
Jim Briody Runs his 100th Endurance Race
The SCCA member will be retiring at the conclusion of the 24H COTA USA event.
Story by Dennis Quiggle
Austin, Texas (Nov.17, 2019) – Jim Briody, a 75 year old international motorsports competitor, is driving in his 100th career Endurance Race this weekend at the Circuit of The Americas motorsports course in Austin, Texas. Jim is racing in the Hankook 24H COTA event, as a driver with the Cor Euser Racing team from the Netherlands. Jim has announced his retirement from racing after a winning 54 year run. During his endurance racing career, Jim earned 24 wins and 52 podiums.
Jim’s first Endurance Race was a class win in 1981 at the SCCA Quaker State Longest Day of Nelson Ledges. His co-driver in that first race was Danny Sullivan, an eventual Indianapolis 500 winner and Indy Car Champion. In that first endurance race the team qualified last, and went on to a very smart class win. That first race - and first win - he explained "I made only seven stops, a record that I know stands to this day. I won, and I never passed a single car that day, except when they were in the pits". Jim's second endurance win was in 1985, again at Nelson Ledges, this time with co-driver and recent SCCA Hall of Fame inductee Janet Guthrie, the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.
Jim was the SCCA NE Division Champion in the A Sedan class in 1976, 1977, and 1979 and a SCCA NE Division Formula C Champion. The A Sedan class Jim raced in included cars that crossed over to race in in the SCCA TransAm series. TransAm evolved out of SCCA’s A Sedan and B Sedan (which included the original “pony cars”) in 1966. Jim parlayed his club racing experience in the A Sedan into a professional program with the Trans Am Series in 1997-2000. Notably, Jim's wife Pat - crew chief, and engine builder - is the only woman in Trans Am history to ever win Crew Chief of the race award. Perhaps fortunately for Jim, Pat had an inner ear issue that resulted in her never driving competitively. She did, however, take the victory lap with Janet Guthrie in that 1985 TA win.
Jim started SCCA racing in 1964, starting out in an Austin Healy Sprite TRA that was left in his care when the owner of the Sprite went off to Vietnam. He drove the car to and from an SCCA driver's school, ruining the wire wheels during the first weekend. He returned the car to the owner after his return.
Jim has been competing internationally for twelve years with Cor Euser, team owner and driver of Cor Euser Racing. Jim talked of retirement in 1999, but after teaming with the hard working Cor Euser an old habit continued - winning - and new one began - beating the youngsters. When asked why he was ready to retire Jim answered "100 seems like a good number. Truth is, I feel like I could keep going, I LOVE beating the crap out of the 20 somethings. But, with my 75 year old body and 28 year old mind, I really want to go out while I am still in top form.” When asked if he had any advice for future SCCA members and drivers, Jim replied with his mantra “drive smooth - smooth is fast…”
On the eve of his retirement, Jim is looking forward to refining his skill as a master gunsmith, and to moving onto competitive shooting. Jim and Pat Briody are formerly of Cherry Hill, New Jersey and currently reside in Prescott, Arizona.
Photos by Dennis Quiggle