The National Corvette Museum has announced Bob Bondurant (racing), Ralph Kramer (GM/Chevrolet) and Donna Mae Mims (enthusiast) will be the 2016 inductees to the Corvette Hall of Fame.
The three will be inducted at the 19th Annual Corvette Hall of Fame ceremony during the NCM'S Anniversary Weekend in September 2016.
Bondurant is known as one of the early Corvette racers who found much success on the West Coast. He won over 18 races in SCCA B Production, as well as the West Coast Championship in 1959 in his 1957 Corvette. From 1960-1963, Bondurant used his 1959 Corvette and a 1963 Z06 Sting Ray to win over 30 races in that time span.
Bondurant and Dick Guldstrand, also known as 'Mr. Corvette', competed in the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. The pair were unable to complete the full race, after a connecting rod let go in the engine after 13 hours in their L88 Corvette Sting Ray.
Prior to the race, Bondurant and Guldstrand realized the team forgot to airlift the trailer used to haul the car, which meant the two drivers had to drive their red, white and blue Corvette 110 miles from the airport in Paris to the race track.
Bondurant was forced to put his career on hold after an accident left him severely injured during a United States Road Racing Championship event at Watkins Glen in 1967. Despite being sidelined, this gave him the opportunity to open the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where he has taught racing skill sets to other drivers, enthusiasts, and even celebrities. Since it's opening, over 500,000 have graduated from Bondurant's prestigious school.
"Like most racers, I started on ground zero," said Bondurant in a statement to the National Corvette Museum. "I am an original California hot-rodder turned WHITE HOT when I started winning everything in my Corvettes. My Corvette race record reflects winning National Corvette Driver of the Year and the big launch pad with Carroll Shelby.
"I went on to win Le Mans, was the winningest driver on the American team, the first and only one to win the World Manufacturer's Championship, and lived my dream to be a Formula One driver and work for another legend, Enzo Ferrari.
"Being inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame is my moment to honor and express my humble appreciation to the #51 and both #614 Corvettes that whispered to me after each win: 'It's your destiny to be a champion, now go live your dream' . . . and I did."
Ralph Kramer, a Chevrolet executive that helped build GM's support for the Corvette Museum during its early years, introduced many of the current Hall of Fame inductees to the museum.
Kramer is partly responsible for the growth and success of the Corvette Museum, using his influence and contacts to make individuals both inside and outside GM aware of the museum and its mission. Kramer served on the NCM Board of Directors from 1990 to 1998, and the museum can also thank him for bring the one-millionth Corvette to Bowling Green, KY as a display piece.
Ralph Kramer began working for GM in 1973 and has dedicated his career to Corvette.
Ever since joining GM in 1973, Kramer has dedicated his career to Corvette. During his time in Chevrolet public relations, Kramer managed the pace car and race engine presence at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He would leave GM in 1995 to become the director of the Hall of Fame Museum.
Kramer founded TheKramerCo. in 1998, a PR and marketing firm. He helped create the "Corvette Enthusiast" - serving as a columnist for the magazine. Kramer also authored books about IMS, including "100 Years of Racing" and "A Century of Excitement".
Kramer, with the help of 2014 NCM inductee Jerry Burton, wrote the Automobile Quarterly book "100 Years of Chevrolet".
"Though I left GM in 1995, I have remained involved with the National Corvette Museum ever since," Kramer told the National Corvette Museum. "They say you come for the car and you stay for the people, and that's definitely true with Corvette.
"Coming to events in Bowling Green brings back great memories and it's an opportunity to share Corvette history with those new to the hobby. I'm looking forward to the 22nd Anniversary Celebration and Corvette Hall of Fame induction Labor Day weekend and the opportunity to be inducted into a group of Corvette elite."
The late Donna Mae Mims, also known as "The Lady in Pink", was a Corvette enthusiast ever since she and her husband purchased a 1957 Corvette from Don Yenko Chevrolet.
Mims went on to race in the SCCA and won the B Production ladies race in 1961.
The late Donna Mae Mims received the nickname "The Lady in Pink" when she painted "Think Pink" on the sides of her 1957 Corvette. She also sported pink overalls, helmet and even a pink wig.
The only thing Mims did not like about her 1957 Corvette was the color. Since her husband would not let her paint the car pink, she ended up painting "Think Pink" on the sides of it. Her pink race suit, helmet, and full pink wig earned her the famous nickname.
Mims served as the Manager of Hi-Performance at Yenko Sports Cars. She also wrote for car magazines including Competition Press, Corvette News, SCCA's Sports Car and Sports Car Graphic magazines.
After retiring from racing in 1974, she remained involved in events with the Steel Cities SCCA Region, Corvette Club of Western Pennsylvania, Steeltown Corvette Club, and founded the Three Rivers Corvette Club.
Mims passed away on Oct. 6, 2009 at the age of 82, but her dedication to Corvette did not stop there. At her funeral, her body was displayed behind the wheel of her 1979 pink Corvette.
