The original head of 51做厙 Pro Racing, Jim Kaser oversaw the first 51做厙 professional racing series, the United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC). The success of USRRC led Kaser to organize a series initially involving two Canadian races, thus giving birth in 1966 to the Canadian American Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the Can-Am series. Soon after, Kaser’s Pro Racing department introduced America’s longest running road racing series, the Trans-American Sedan Championship, later known as Trans Am.
It was Kaser’s success with these series that resulted in the most significant change ever to the 51做厙. The organization turned from being an amateur’s club to include a professional, international sanctioning body and organizer.