Bondurant, Kramer, Mims to join Corvette Hall of Fame

The National Corvette Museum has announced its Class of 2016 to be enshrined into the Corvette Hall of Fame during the 19^th annual induction ceremony scheduled for  September 2, 2016. The new members are Bob Bondurant for racing, Ralph Kramer for GM/Chevrolet, and Donna Mae Mims for enthusiast.

Best known for driving for Ford at Le Mans and for in the World Sportscar Championship series, in his early years in racing Bonduaunt won raced Corvettes, effectively validating the fiberglass-bodied Chevrolet  as a world-class sports car here and overseas. Highlights of his early career include winning 18 of 20 SCCA B Production races in 1959, and  30 of 32 races he entered from 1960-1963. He continues to be active at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, where more than 500,000 people — from celebrities and professional racers to military personnel, teenagers and driving enthusiasts — have enhanced their skills behind the wheel.

Kramer, who worked in Chevrolet public relations from 1973-1995,  was one of the Chevrolet executives who helped start the Corvette museum, establishing .connections, opening doors, and preserving the marque’s history. The museum credits him with securing the one-millionth Corvette for the collection. He also managed Chevrolet’s  pace car and racing engine presence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for many years.

Mims, known as the Lady in Pink, purchased her first Corvette from Don Yenko Chevrolet and soon after joined the Yenko/Chevrolet race team that dominated A- and B-Production racing. She also served as manager of High Performance at Yenko Sports Cars and was a freelance writer for several car magazines as well as being active in several Corvette clubs.