BOB TULLIUS

By H.A. Branham

The history of IMSA, particularly in the 1980s, cannot be told without Bob Tullius and his Group 44 organization. Fittingly, both Tullius and his Jaguar XJR-5 and XJR-7 cars from Group 44 will be inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.

His driving accolades are only half the story of his success. Additionally, Tullius laid the framework of pristine presentation of his race team and vehicles that has served as a template for others to follow in subsequent years and decades.

He’s even lived in one of the most prominent sports car racing cities, as the Rochester, New York native later moved to legendary Sebring, Florida. According to a 2012 Autoweek feature interview, Tullius’ office was located in his airplane hangar at Sebring Regional Airport, just a few hundred yards from the racetrack.

That Sebring was one of the few venues and races Tullius didn’t win serves as a rare paradox, cast against an otherwise sterling record of races nationwide in a several-decade long career.

Tullius’ long affiliation with the British Leyland fleet of cars – he drove Triumphs and Spitfires early on – led to him bringing the memorable Group 44 Jaguar XJR-5 and XJR-7 to IMSA GTP competition in the 1980s.

His time racing the Triumph TR8 in GTO was the forerunner to his Jaguar GTP days. The Triumph ran a bevy of races in 1979, with a seventh-place finish on debut in Watkins Glen International’s six-hour race and a best result of sixth in the 500-miler at Road America.

That improved to a fourth place at Lime Rock Park in 1980 before the Triumph took home a top-10 finish at the 1981 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The Jaguars took hold first in Trans-Am, then in IMSA, over the 1981 and 1982 seasons.

Tullius’ IMSA success occurred most frequently over a five-year period from 1983 to 1987. The spectacular Group 44 Jags won nine IMSA GTP races over that period, where the peak was the debut season with four victories in the XJR-5. Tullius co-drove in all four. He finished second in the 1983 IMSA Camel GT championship in GTP.

The Jaguar XJR-5 ran through 1985 before he ran the XJR-7 for the first time at the three-hour season finale at Daytona International Speedway. A year later in 1986, that same XJR-7 was a winner in the Daytona three-hour race with Tullius and Chip Robinson sharing the car.

All told, Tullius won 10 IMSA races and in a late-career highlight, co-drove to a GTP class victory (13th overall) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1985.

Perhaps more vital to know about Tullius’ impact on motorsports is that it indeed went far beyond race results. Tullius and Group 44 established a template for modern race teams in terms of promotion and day-to-day public relations.

Tullius was marketing-savvy, fielding immaculate-appearing Jaguars with equally immaculate crews. Bright white with green piping, on both the men and machines, based on a longtime deal with Quaker State. The presentation made the cars look ominous.

“We started the practice of reaching out to the press, auto dealerships and sponsor affiliates,” Tullius told RACER Magazine. “My staff were the first real marketing professionals in motorsports. We had a PR team and would go into markets in advance of races with promotional materials for stores, TV, radio and newspapers. It was 24-7 leg work.”

The cars of the era were spaceships. The Jaguars emerged as the GTP formula came to prominence in the mid-1980s. Group 44 prototypes generated a wealth of media and fan interest. Group 44 wins occurred at venues or races such as the Miami Grand Prix, Road Atlanta, the Daytona season finale and Riverside International Raceway.

“As a competitor, Bob Tullius was tough and highly focused on winning,” explained Jonathan Ingram, a longtime American sports car journalist. “But when it came to representing the sport, he was the Richard Petty of road racing, a class act and fan favorite.”

Hall of Fames are part of the Tullius legacy. He’s been inducted into Sebring’s Hall of Fame, the SCCA Hall of Fame, British Sports Car Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and Trans-Am Hall of Fame.

It’s only fitting that Tullius joins the IMSA Hall of Fame now as one of its earliest inductees.