Im Memoriam: Craig Garfield, Sr.
Craig's competitive driving began in the late 1960s. Driving a '65 Lincoln at the time, he found an autocross and wanted to try it. He traded the Lincoln for a '67 Mini Cooper, brought his wife, Jane, along to an event and she liked it. They drove until 1973, when the couple started a family with sons Craig, Jr. and Brian.
Returning to autocross in 1999 when Brian encouraged them to come back, the Garfields found themselves deep in the WDCR Solo community. Craig joined the Solo committee in 2000, and quickly assumed the role of Solo Chair in 2001. At the time, the region's autocross sites were at Summit Point Motorsports Park's Washington Circuit and the Frederick Keys stadium with entry numbers somewhere around 60 competitors.
Under Craig's leadership, the WDCR Solo program expanded significantly. He landed FedEx Field as a new site to run at, and drivers responded in great numbers. At its peak, FedEx Field autocrosses were capped at 280 entries, and hit that cap frequently. WDCR offered season subscriptions to ensure the dedicated drivers could make it into every event, and even with 140 subscriptions offered, they sold out completely and had their own wait list. Craig strived to make FedEx Field autocrosses run just like national events, both for efficiency and to give local drivers an idea of what SCCA National Tours and Solo Nationals operated like so they could be better prepared when they made the jump. He also scheduled Pro Solos for FedEx Field to give local drivers a better chance at qualifying for the Finale and earning points towards the season championship.
Craig further bolstered the Solo program by helping three autocrossers get elected to the region's Board of Directors. In the next election, he did it again. As the program grew, he earned accolades including the region's MVP award in 2003. In addition to serving as Solo Chair for nine years, he also served on the Board of Directors himself, and even had a shoirt stint as Region Executive.
As Craig's grandchildren were showing interest in joining the sport themselves, he started the region's Junior Kart program, one of the first in the country. Julian Garfield began his autocross career at just five years old. At its high point, WDCR's Junior Kart program had over a dozen entries at each event: so many that they ran in their own heat with their own set of workers on course for them. Craig and Brian lobbied for Juniors to run Pro Solos and Solo Nationals, helping numerous young drivers start their autocross careers many years before they could if they had to wait until they became licensed drivers.
Craig did it all in his tenure as Solo Chair, and continued being a key part of the Solo program after retiring in 2010. He remained on the solo committee, and kept his Solo Safety Steward license to ensure the events continued running smoothly. He was a staple at schools and test & tunes, working safety as our newest drivers began their driving adventures that he'd been living for decades before they came along.
He became known as WDCR Solo's Benevolent Dictator, and took an immense amount of pride in the program he built. He truly brought a National Tour atmosphere to local autocross: course design, grid layout, efficiency, and competition. He even procured a FCC license so the public address system could also be broadcast on FM radio. He managed a 25-member committee that ran like a well-oiled machine, so well that SCCA National would refer other regions to watch how WDCR events ran so they could learn how to run their own autocrosses better.
"I couldn't help thinking about how awesome Craig was. To me, after his successful career and raising a beautiful family, he contributed greatly to SCCA autocross and to the DC region. I always thought Craig was the father of DC autocross, and he certainly made a huge impact in my autocross life and to many others." - Danny Kao
"He was a great man, and those who had the chance to call him friend are better for it. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, and this region owes him so much for the time and dedication he gave." - Mike McKee
"Craig loved being the kingpin in the WDCA Solo community. He knew and welcomed everyone. He could charm the uncharmable. He treated everyone like family, and he loved his family with all of his being." - Kim Dixon
"Craig and Jane treated Steve and me as one of their own, mentoring us through our BoD years and my first year as program chair and then, as a good parent/mentor, giving me the space to try and fly on my own. Craig unapologetically took our Solo program to the next, arguably, top level in the country; the National office knew that they didn't need to worry about how event ops would go when we would host their events. I could go on and on about the man who called me every day - including Christmas - for five straight years. He will be deeply missed." - Evanthe Salisbury
The Washington DC Region is grateful that we could have someone with as much dedication and desire to put on a world-class autocross program step up and manage a program into a period of unprecedented growth. His continued involvement and immense personality will be sadly missed, but his influence will forever be felt each time WDCR puts on an autocross.
