Then, having survived a serious crash in which he broke his back and ankle, injured his ribs and ruptured his spleen, Charlie still managed to finish fourth in the Can-Am series behind Donohue, Follmer and Heywood. Charlie would spend 1973 bouncing between a Chevron B19, a Camaro and a Porsche 917/10 (which he would drive to yet another victory at Mosport). By ‘72, Bobby Rinzler would hire Charlie to drive a Lola T222, and his Corvette – in which Charlie would secure the World Manufacturer’s Championship for GM. By ‘71, Charlie found himself racing Can-Am in a McLaren M8C sponsored by RC Cola. In addition to subjugating the competition in his Shelby, Charlie co-drove Bob Mitchell’s #72 Camaro to win the Touring Class at Daytona in 1970. And Charlie himself was also afforded new and exciting opportunities driving virtually any machine he desired.

Having recorded a record-setting 184 mph at Daytona in 1969, Charlie and his Shelby compiled 17 straight victories throughout the 1968-69 season, the division championship titles in ’68, ‘69, and ’70, and no less than 34 wins out of 54 starts and 42 finishes through 1971.Ĭelebrating his success, Talladega named its first 1970 sports car race after him (The Charlie Kemp Challenge). But with young Charlie behind the wheel, SFM5R538 would go on to become both the “winningest” Shelby, and the fastest 289-powered Shelby automobile ever. West had already driven the Shelby to victory at the 1966 SCCA Southeast Division Championship. By December ‘67, however, the 30-year-old Kemp decided it was time for an upgrade – and shelled out $4,600 in cash to purchase Roger West’s 1965 Shelby GT350R (SFM5R538). In 1963, Charlie joined the SCCA and continued accumulating wins with his Lotus XI. By 1956, Charlie began a three-year winning streak, drag racing a supercharged ’55 Thunderbird to three consecutive state championships. In 1953, the soon-to-be racing legend would drive a ’49 Ford to third place in his very first race, on the quarter-mile dirt track at Jackson’s Speedbowl Park. Simon Charles Kemp was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on November 24, 1937.

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