Jerry Titus (October 24, 1928 – August 5, 1970) was an Americanmotorsports driver, mechanic, model,^[1][2] musician and journalist — widely known for his motorsport victories in theSCCA National Sports Car Championships and theSCCA Trans-Ams Series as well as his career in automotive journalism, the latter prominently as a technical editor and later editor-in-chief forSports Car Graphic magazine.

In 2010, Titus was inducted into theMotorsports Hall of Fame of America.^[3]

Titus was born Gerald Arthur Titus Jr. on October 24, 1928 inJohnson City, New York, to Charlotte Kathryn (nee Burlew) and Gerald Arthur Titus—a year before the stock market crash of thegreat depression. His parents moved through many jobs, including running a dairy farm inFlorida. The family eventually moved back to New York, his mother working withGrumman Aircraft and his father operating aSinclair gas station and installing heating and cooling equipment.^[4]

Titus originally became a talentedtrumpet player, later studying at theJuilliard School of Music inNew York City and performing in the band of jazz trombonistJack Teagarden.^[4]

He eventually changed careers and became an auto mechanic, working at the performance auto shop of car customizer Bill Frick, discovering his talent for driving sports cars, testing vehicles and repairing customers' race cars. In 1946 he joined Cad Allard and Studilac Cars as a shop manager forMaserati.^[5] In the later 1950s, Titus became a racer in the amateurFormula Junior series.

Developing his interest in automotive journalism, Titus wrote his first article forSpeed Age in 1954 and was laterghostwriting forSports Car Illustrated. By 1958, he was editor forForeign Cars Illustrated and Auto Sport, (FCI).^[5] In 1960, Titus became a member of the editorial staff ofSports Car Graphic (when FCI became Sports Car Graphic).^[5]

After reporting and reviewing sports cars, Titus became a racing program test driver, including for theBill Thomas Cheetah, andElva Porsche. In 1968, he left Sports Car Graphic and devoted himself full time to racing^[6] with the magazine sponsoring him in a factory racingSunbeam Alpine in 1962 and 1963.

Titus was a resident ofTarzana, California,^[7] when he died in asingle car 1970 race practice accident, leaving behind his second wife,^[8] Anna, and two sons from a previous marriage, Steven, age 17 (flown in from Vietnam to be at his father's bedside), andRick age 20, who would later become an automotive journalist and race car driver.^[9][10][6]

Jerry Titus again captured the attention ofCarroll Shelby, as Titus had once repaired his Maserati race car during a test drive of the 1965Shelby GT350 forSports Car Graphic. Shelby offered Titus a place on hisSCCA National Championship team, and Titus won the 1965 Pacific Coast National Championship with a production GT350.

In 1966, Titus entered the newly createdSCCATrans-Am series for Shelby's Terlingua Racing Team and achieved victory at the last race of the season atRiverside International Raceway. Titus would become known as "Mr. Trans Am".

Titus left his position as editor-in-chef atSports Car Graphic and became a full-time racing driver for Shelby's team. He went on to become the number one team driver and won both the 1967 Manufacturer's Championship forFord and the 1967 Driver's Championship as well.^[11]

In the 1968 season, poor performance by the Terlingua team, which resulted in four DNFs out of 12 starts, had Titus preparing to leave the team to race aPontiac Firebird. When Carroll Shelby learned of the impending change, he decided not to enter Titus in the last race of the season. Not to be deterred, with funding by Canadian businessman Terry Godsall, he purchased a used 1968 Camaro Z/28 Trans Am car and reskinned it as a Firebird, with plans to race it under T-G Racing banner for the 1969 series.

Titus entered the 196924 Hours of Daytona and raced to a class victory and an overall third place.

The 1969 season was plagued with engine configuration problems for the new car, resulting in 3DNFs for the team. The highlight of the season was a second-place finish for Titus atSainte Jovite, Quebec.

Titus completed only one race out of seven in the 1970 season, taking seventh place atLaguna Seca.^[4]

During a practice session on July 19, 1970 for the Trans Am race at theRoad America course nearElkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Titus' Pontiac Firebird experienced a steering gear failure, causing his car to skid 250 feet^[12] into the concrete abutment of theBill Mitchell Bridge outside of Turn 13. Titus's car erupted in flames, and he received a frontal skull fracture, internal injuries and a broken arm.^[10] He was taken toSt. Joseph's Hospital in Milwaukee and was removed from the critical list a week later but succumbed after complications, thought to be a blood clot to the brain,^[9][10] on August 5, 1970.^[13] Titus had been quoted six weeks earlier in the Franklin, PennsylvaniaNews Herald, saying, "TransAm Racing is a deadly business."^[2]

Road America's Billy Mitchell Bridge, which transporters and spectators used to access the circuit paddock, had become a source of concern for safety reasons. After Titus' death andMemo Gidley's serious crash at the 2001 CART race, as well as complaints by motorcycle racers, officials began formulating a plan to fix the problem. In the winter of 2006, the bridge was demolished, adding runoff at Turn 13 while adding a new tunnel and eliminating the point of impact where Titus was fatally injured.^{[citation needed]}

Shortly after his death, the AmericanAutomotive Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) named their annual "Driver of the Year" award theJerry Titus Memorial Award and awarded it to the driver with the most votes among the winners in each category (stock car, open wheel, road racing, short track, touring, and at-large).^{[citation needed]}

• 1928 births
• 1970 deaths
• Trans-Am Series drivers
• 24 Hours of Daytona drivers
• SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners

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