Five-time SCCA national champion Don Knowles was named the recipient of the 2011 Bob Akin Award by the Road Racing Drivers Club at a dinner prior to the running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.

Each recipient of this honor, considered the top award in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers, is selected by Akin's son Bobby, RRDC members Brian Redman and Archie Urciuoli, and approved by RRDC president Bobby Rahal.

Don Knowles (center) receives the Bob Akin award from Archie Urciuoli and RRDC president Bobby Rahal.

The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC in 2003 to honor the memory of longtime RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life in a racing accident in 2002.

The trophy was designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, N.Y., and is given to a driver who best exemplifies the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing.

Knowles has competed in over 350 races in his racing career, and along with his five SCCA national championships (three in SSB and two in T2), has won 14 24-hour races, has 35 victories in five professional series, including a record 19 in the Escort Endurance Series, and was a member of the Corvette Land Speed Record team. The former associate Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior and staffer on the U.S. Senate Committee of Appropriations was featured in Sports Illustrated 20 years ago and more recently as 'Dandy Don' in Road & Track magazine.

Knowles was presented the award by Urciuoli and Rahal. "It's unfortunate that we lost Bob in an accident in 2002. He represented so many good things and epitomized a true gentleman in the sport," said Rahal. "Don Knowles exemplifies those qualities."

Added Urciuoli: "We lost a great personal friend and competitor in Bob Akin 10 years ago this April. He had a great 40-year career as an amateur racer. He didn’t make his living as a driver, but he was distinguished as a driver. He was a gentleman, a great sportsman and he gave a lot back to our sport.

"Several aspects define the Bob Akin Award," continued Urciuoli. "They include a passion for motorsports, sportsmanship and fair play. Don is known as a good guy who races hard, clean and smart. In terms of contribution to the sport, he’s involved in driver training for 20-30 days a year, does testing and development for historic races and is an author of many articles about our sport."

"The first thing about the award is that it honors Bob Akin," said Knowles. "He was a great competitor, a good friend, and a wonderful, erudite racer. And it’s a good thing for racers to think about sportsmanship every so often. For me, growing up in rural North Carolina, to be able to drive starting with a '55 Studebaker pickup and ending up racing different cars all over the country, it's just wonderful to be recognized by my peers. It's like the 'Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,' and I appreciate it and will treasure it."

Past RRDC Bob Akin Award honorees:

2003 – Sam Posey

2004 - Charlie Gibson

2005 – John Fitch

2006 – Jim Haynes

2007 – Cameron Argetsinger

2008 – Jim Downing

2009 – Steven J. Earle

2010 – Augie Pabst