Frisselle Racing

Frisselle Racing History

Brad Frisselle began his driving career in 1970, at the age of twenty-one. He competed in amateur racing in the SCCA, driving a D production Datsun 2000 roadster. Brad enjoyed quick success, graduating from regional to national races in his first year. He won invitations to the National Championship runoffs in 1971, 1972, and 1973. Over the next four years, Brad won twenty-three races and two Divisional Championships. In 1973, Frisselle received the prestigious Kimberly Cup from the SCCA, an award that is presented annually to the most improved driver out of 2,500 SCCA racers.

In 1974, Frisselle made the decision to compete professionally. He formed a company and a racing team that designed, constructed, and tested a Datsun 240Z prototype for the IMSA Camel GT Series. In 1975, Brad had his first three professional victories and was awarded IMSA’s Most Improved Driver award, becoming the only man to win these coveted awards in both IMSA and the SCCA. Frisselle went on to win the IMSA GTU championship in 1976, in his team’s Datsun 240Z, scoring eight victories out of the twelve races that he entered. Brad soundly defeated the factory Datsun team as a privateer with his own team, Brad Frisselle Racing.

For 1977, Frisselle stepped up to the premier class in the IMSA Camel GT Series and experienced instant success. Brad placed second in the Daytona 24 Hour race and won the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring in what was only his second GT class race. That same year, Brad Frisselle Racing campaigned a Chevrolet Monza that the team developed and raced in the IMSA Camel GT Series. Brad placed fifth in the 1977 Camel GT Championship, quite impressive for his first year in the GT Series.

During 1978, Frisselle drove for the Brumos Porsche Team with the late Peter Gregg in a 935 Porsche. They placed seventh at the Daytona 24 Hour and won the Six Hours of Talladega. This same year, Brad took his own team to Le Mans, France for the 24 hours of Le Mans. In 1978, the Frisselle Racing Monza was the only American car entered in the Le Mans 24 hour race. In 1978, Frisselle finished eighth in the World Endurance Championship, a series comprised of European and American endurance races.

In 1979, Frisselle shifted his attention to the SCCA Can Am series for open cockpit prototype sports cars. His team designed, constructed, developed, and tested one of the most revolutionary cars in Can Am history, the Frissbee. The Frisbee was revolutionary in its design, incorporating ground effect aerodynamics that became immensely successful. The Frissbee went on to dominate the Can Am Championships in 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1984.

In 1980, Brad returned to IMSA as the number one factory driver for Mazda in the Camel GT Series. Frisselle won the 12 Hours of Sebring in the GTU class in a Mazda RX7, becoming the only man to win Sebring both overall and in the GTU class. Brad placed second in the 1980 GTU Championship, narrowly missing the championship crown. At the end of the 1980 season, Frisselle retired from racing with fifteen professional victories in just five years of professional racing.

While Brad left the racing world in order to start a family with his wife, Terrye, his passion and love for the sport remained with him and lives on in his two sons, Burt and Brian.