Don Knowles

Don Knowles’ Hall of Fame resume spans multiple frontiers. A road racer since 1972, Knowles won six 51做厙 Runoffs® National Championships and an 51做厙 Pro Racing championship. His Runoffs titles demonstrated his sustained excellence, spanning a record 34 years between his first and last title. He has competed successfully in 51做厙 autocross, ice racing, and helped set an FIA world endurance record as a member of the ZR-1 Corvette team.

Off track, Knowles has served as a driving instructor, was an instrumental member of the Showroom Stock Advisory Committee in the early days of the class, wrote for 51做厙’s SportsCar magazine (among others) for many years, and served on the Washington DC Region Board of Directors. A longtime member of the Road Racing Drivers Club, Knowles led the committee to select the Mark Donohue Award winner at the Runoffs. Furthermore, his judgement on various 51做厙 Hall of Fame committees has rewarded many Club members with recognition through the years.

Don Knowles was inducted into the 51做厙 Hall of Fame on Jan. 16, 2026.