ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Road America recently announced that its board of directors elected two new members. Sarah Botham and Peter Cunningham joined Road America’s board effectively on April 19 where they were elected at the company’s 2016 annual meeting. The two new directors will replace current directors William Wuesthoff and Fred Stratton Jr., who have chosen to retire effective as of the annual meeting in accordance with company bylaws.
“A priority of ours has been to add exceptionally talented leaders to Road America’s board to bolster the continued growth of this facility and our company. We’ve found two outstanding candidates who possess a deep understanding of our industry, Road America’s business initiatives, and have each earned great success in their personal careers. We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome them to our board and for their future contributions,” said Jonathan Laun, Chairman of the Board for Road America. “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank both Bill and Fred for their incredible contributions to Road America which totals 82 years combined. Their solid leadership through several transitional periods, unwavering passion for the brand, immense character and integrity, intense vision for improving the experience, plus their selflessness and personal mentorship were instrumental in the growth and performance of the company during their time on the board. They will always be valued friends of Road America.”
Sarah Botham is the owner and founder of Botham, ink., a marketing and public relations consulting firm that specializes in branding and strategic planning for businesses. She is also the vice president and director of marketing for her husband’s business, Botham Vineyards & Winery, and president and founder of Acala Farms, a food products business launched in 2012. Additionally she serves as a faculty associate for the Department of Life Sciences Communication in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she teaches marketing, advertising and design for the life sciences.
As advisor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA), Botham oversees the organization’s activities and functions as competition coach for the NAMA student marketing team. She was recognized as Outstanding Student Advisor by the NAMA national organization in 2008 and has helped the team earn numerous awards. Under her guidance, the NAMA marketing team earned the National Championship in a field of 30 colleges from across the U.S. and Canada and brought home $5,500 in scholarships at the 2016 competition.
Botham is a second generation Road America shareholder with a lengthy family history at the track. Her parents, James and Eugenia Fletcher of Beaver Dam, were founding shareholders and her father raced at Road America in 1957 and never missed a season of racing until his death in 2003. Her mother, now 89, has owned shares for 61 years and has never missed a season of racing. Her husband, Peter, has raced at Road America since 1998.
Peter Cunningham is a decorated racecar driver and the founder, owner and driver for RealTime R&L, Inc., currently competing in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge GT Championship. His name and his team, RealTime Racing, have become synonymous with the Honda and Acura brands. Since founding the team 29 years ago and through the 2016 season Cunningham had amassed 91 sports car victories in 10 professional series’, a record unmatched by anybody in North American sports car racing history, as well as seven drivers’ championships in the World Challenge series, and seven more from IIRA Ice Racing, SCCA PRO Rally, Escort Endurance and Shellzone Sport Trucks. As a team owner, he heads an effort which has won 86 individual events (by 12 of his drivers) in 23 years of SCCA Pirelli World Challenge racing, plus 14 drivers’ championships and 14 manufacturers’ championships for the Honda and Acura brands.
Although Cunningham is best known for his affiliation with Honda and Acura, he also drove for many other professional race teams, including those campaigning BMW (1998-2001), Chevrolet (1987-90), Nissan (1986, 2003-04), Toyota (1985), Porsche (2004) and Audi (2003).
Cunningham also founded RealTime Logistics (RTL) in 1993 to assist in the introduction of Bridgestone’s Blizzak winter tire. Since then, RTL has been Bridgestone Americas’ exclusive provider for organizing and implementing dynamic driving events across North America.
Cunningham was a founding shareholder of WC Vision LLC, owner of the Pirelli World Challenge Championships and is a current member of its Board of Directors. Cunningham is married to Rhainey Watts-Cunningham and along with their teenage daughter, Audrey, lives in Milwaukee.
About Road America: Established in 1955 as the first permanent road racing course in the United States, Road America is located midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The world’s best racers have competed at this legendary four-mile, 14-turn road circuit for 60 years. The 640-acre, park-like grounds offer amazing viewing opportunities, fantastic concessions and high-speed excitement to hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. In addition to public race weekends, Road America offers a variety of group event programs, the Road America Motorplex for karting and supermoto, and the Road America Motorcycle and Advanced Driving Schools. For more information, visit www.roadamerica.com or call 800-365-7223.