Women in racing and the resurgence of drag racing in Cuba are among the topics that will be discussed during an academic symposium on motorsports presented in November by the International Motor Racing Research Center and the Society of Automotive Historians.
The third annual Michael R. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History will take place Thursday through Saturday, November 9-11, with this year’s theme being “The First Turn Meets the Cultural Turn.”
This international academic forum offers graduate students, professors and historians an opportunity to present on any subject reflecting the rich cultural history of motor racing. The public is invited to attend, and pre-registration is not required. All events are free.
Joan Cuneo, the first female racer in the United States, who competed in the early 1900s, will be the subject of the keynote address on Saturday, November 11, by Dr. Elsa Nystrom, professor emeritus of history in the American Studies Department at Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia. Nystrom is the author of the book Mad for Speed: The Racing Life of Joan Newton Cuneo.
Three additional presentations will focus on women in racing.
The showing of the 2015 documentary Havana Motor Club, covering the resurgence of drag racing in Cuba, also is a featured component of this year’s symposium. The screening will be on Thursday evening, November 9, followed on Friday, November 10, with the presentation “Primer Plano Cubano de la Carrera de la Calle – Cuban Street Racing Closeup: A Critical Analysis of the Documentary Movie Havana Motor Club.”
Havana Motor Club will be shown at 7 p.m. at the Racing Research Center. Friday morning’s presentation about the film and a second set of presentations in the afternoon will be at the Watkins Glen International Media Center. Saturday’s presentations will be at the Center. All are free and open to the public.
For further information about this symposium, please visit www.racingarchives.org
