Jerry Titus (October 24, 1928 – August 5, 1970) was an American
race car driver
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
,
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...
, and
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
.
Life
Jerry Titus was born in
Johnson City,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
on October 24, 1928. Born exactly one year before the stock market crash leading to the
great depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, Titus grew up in hard times. His parents moved through many jobs, including running a dairy farm in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. The family eventually moved back to New York, his mother taking a job at
Grumman Aircraft
The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...
and his father operating a
Sinclair
Sinclair may refer to:
Places
* Lake Sinclair, near Milledgeville, Georgia
* Sinclair, Iowa
* Sinclair, West Virginia
* Sinclair, Wyoming
* Sinclair Mills, British Columbia
* Sinclair Township, Minnesota
* Sinclair, Manitoba
People
* ...
gas station, and installing heating and cooling units.
Titus originally became a
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
er, at which he had a great talent for. This led him to studying at the renown
Juilliard School of Music
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and performing in the band of jazz trombonist
Jack Teagarden
Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 19 ...
.
Titus eventually changed careers and became an auto mechanic, working for car customizer Bill Frick, at his performance auto shop. Titus discovered his talent for driving sports cars from testing vehicles and repairing customers' race cars while employed by Frick.
In the later 1950s Titus put this skill to use, racing in the amateur
Formula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...
series.
He discovered another passion working for Frick; automotive journalism. Titus wrote his first article for ''
Speed Age'' in 1954, and was later
ghostwriting
A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
for ''Sports Car Illustrated.'' This led him to be a part of the editorial staff of ''Sports Car Graphic''.
Titus' reporting and hands on reviews of sports cars transitioned into demand for Titus as a test driver for various racing programs, including the
Bill Thomas Cheetah
The Bill Thomas Cheetah was an American sports car designed and engineered entirely with American components, and built from 1963 to 1966 by Chevrolet performance tuner Bill Thomas. It was developed as a competitor to Carroll Shelby's Cobra.
B ...
, and
Elva
Elva may refer to:
Places
*Elva, Estonia, town in Tartu County, Estonia
*Elva Parish, municipality in Estonia
*Elva (river), a river in Estonia
*Elva, Illinois, unincorporated community in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States
*Elva, Manitoba, u ...
Porsche.
''Sports Car Graphic'' supported Titus' racing habits by sponsoring him in a factory racing
Sunbeam Alpine
The Sunbeam Alpine is a two-seater sports roadster/drophead coupé that was produced by the Rootes Group from 1953 to 1955, and then 1959 to 1968. The name was then used on a two-door fastback coupé from 1969 to 1975. The original Alpine was ...
in 1962 and 1963.
Titus' son
Rick Titus is an automotive journalist and former race car driver himself.
Racing career
Jerry Titus once again captured the attention of
Carroll Shelby
Carroll Hall Shelby (January 11, 1923 – May 10, 2012) was an American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur. Shelby is best known for his involvement with the AC Cobra and Mustang for Ford Motor Company, which he modified duri ...
, as Titus had once repaired a Maserati race car for Shelby during a test drive of the 1965
Shelby GT350
The Shelby Mustang is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1967 and by the Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1970.
In 2005, Ford revived the Shelby nameplate for a high-performance model of the f ...
for ''Sports Car Graphic.'' Shelby offered Titus a place on his
SCCA National Championship team, and Titus won the 1965 Pacific Coast National Championship with a production GT350.
In 1966 Titus entered the newly created
SCCA
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional r ...
Trans-Am
The Trans-Am Series is a sports car racing series held in North America. Founded in 1966, it is sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).
Primarily based in the United States, the series competes on a variety of track types includin ...
series for Shelby's Terlingua Racing Team and achieved victory at the last race of the season at
Riverside International Raceway
Riverside International Raceway (sometimes known as Riverside, RIR, or Riverside Raceway) was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside ...
.
Titus left his position as editor-in-chef at ''Sports Car Graphic'' and became a full-time racing driver for Shelby's team. He went on to become the number one team driver and won both the 1967 Manufacturer's Championship for
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
and the 1967 Driver's Championship as well.
In the 1968 season, poor performance by the Terlingua team, which resulted in four DNFs out of 12 starts, had Titus preparing to leave the team to race a
Pontiac Firebird
The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile that was built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Che ...
. When Carroll Shelby learned of the impending change, he decided not to enter Titus in the last race of the season. Not to be deterred, with funding by Canadian businessman Terry Godsall, he purchased a used 1968 Camaro Z/28 Trans Am car and reskinned it as a Firebird, with plans to race it under T-G Racing banner for the 1969 series.
Titus entered the 1969
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layou ...
and raced to a class victory and an overall third place.
The 1969 season was plagued with engine configuration problems for the new car, resulting in 3
DNFs for the team. The highlight of the season was a second-place finish for Titus at
Sainte Jovite, Quebec.
Titus completed only one race out of seven in the 1970 season, taking seventh place at
Laguna Seca Laguna Seca may refer to:
* Laguna Seca Formation, a geologic formation in California
* Laguna Seca (Mexico), see Convention of London
* Laguna Seca (Santa Clara County), a seasonal lake in California
* Laguna Seca, Texas, United States
* Rancho La ...
.
Death
While driving in a practice session on July 19, 1970 for the Trans Am race at
Road America
Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...
during the 1970 season, Jerry Titus' Pontiac Firebird experienced a steering gear failure that caused him to crash into the
Bill Mitchell Bridge abutment on the outside of Turn 13. Titus was badly injured and taken to
Milwaukee Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on August 5, 1970.
Titus became known by the nickname "Mr. Trans Am".
The Billy Mitchell Bridge, which transporters used to access the circuit, became a source of controversy for many years at Road America with both cars and motorcycles for safety reasons. After
Memo Gidley
José Guillermo "Memo" Gidley is a Mexican-born racing driver, of German and Canadian ancestry, born in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico on September 29, 1970. He holds dual citizenship - American and Mexican.
In his early years, he sold his a ...
's serious crash at the 2001 CART race at the circuit, and complaints by motorcycle racers, officials began formulating a plan to fix the problem. In the winter of 2006, the bridge was demolished, adding runoff at Turn 13 while adding a new tunnel and eliminating the point of impact where Titus was badly injured.
Shortly after his death, the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association has named their annual "Driver of the Year" award, which is currently given to the driver with the most votes among the winners in each category (stock car, open wheel, road racing, short track, touring, and at-large), the Jerry Titus Memorial Award.
Racing results
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Awards
He was inducted into the
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
in 2010.
[Jerry Titus]
at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Titus, Jerry
1928 births
1970 deaths
Trans-Am Series drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners