There is no question the sport of racing has grown exponentially throughout the country in the last few decades, spreading from the Southeast section of the country all the way up the East Coast. However, little do some know that one Deep River resident has been a force in the industry the past two decades and burning up tracks with new course records.

Before he became the president of the Sports Car Driving Association, Ian Prout grew up in Essex and participated in various sports, including swimming at Deerfield Academy and Union College. As soon as he became an adult, he shifted gears and started driving on race tracks and has been an active competitor in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing events for the past 20 years. Yet even with multiple accomplishments he had already achieved, Ian grabbed one of his proudest moments in his career as this past September he earned the short- and long-course records at Watkins Glen International Track in New York while driving one of his favorite makes: the BMW.

"For the past three seasons, I had been competing in the very popular and competitive SCCA Spec Miata series and wanted to try a new class," says Ian, who also won the 2012 SCCA Sprint Regional. "I have always been a BMW enthusiast and, based on data acquisition, we knew it had lap record-speed potential."

The homework that Ian and his group put in certainly yielded top-class results as he put the pedal to the metal and started the record-breaking weekend with a long course lap mark of 2:11.1. He followed it up the following day with the same achievement on the short course with a time of 1:26.03. In just two short days, Ian came through with the crowning achievement of his long racing career.

"It was a dream weekend and leaving it with two new lap records was a great reward after a lot of work improving the car," says Ian, who has also earned five race wins this season and a 2012 SCCA New York State Road Racing Championship. "The weekend was special in that these were the first lap records for me after a 20-year career of SCCA club racing. I have had a good amount of success in it and won in a variety of cars over the years, but the lap records are what mean the most."

Ian became involved in competitive racing after watching his father Bill on the track and has not hit the brakes since. In a racing career that includes now 10 SCCA Regional Championships, Ian has certainly been in his share of vehicles that include Formula Ford, Formula Continental, and a Spec Racer Ford, and the car he started with-a 1980 Ford Fiesta, a car he admits helped increased his driving skills.

"I owe my love and passion of motorsport directly to him," says Ian on his dad. "About 15 years ago, I decided to parlay my passion for high performance driving into my livelihood. I founded the Sports Car Driving Association in 1995. The SCDA is a Deep River-based small business that has many Connecticut and shoreline-based customers. I feel very fortunate to have a business that I have a genuine passion for."

That passion started years ago when Ian stepped foot in his first race car.

"It had very little power, but was a great tool to gain the skill set needed for competitive driving," he says. "The car's lack of power meant that I had to drive perfect lines and be smooth with the throttle, steering and brake applications, and not over slow the car in the turns. This skill set has been the benchmark of my driving style."

While he knows club racing is not a big TV sport like the NFL and MLB, Ian feels the family connection helps make the sport strong across the region. In a season that has been more than he could ask for, Ian also expresses how the reaction to his sport along the Connecticut shoreline has increased.

"The 2012 race season has exceeded my expectations. [Friend and race engineer] Duncan Burke and I have put a ton of effort and planning into the BMW to get the car competitive. It will go down as one to remember," he says. "SCCA Club Racing is very much a family sport. There are no big TV packages so most of the races are just racers and their families enjoying some grassroots racing. There are a surprisingly high number of car and driving enthusiasts throughout the shoreline and many of these customers have gotten a kick out of the great season."

Burke adds: "Ian is a pretty remarkable guy as far as driving is concerned. Most folks assume that, due to ownership of SCDA, he is on track and driving all the time. The fact is at SCDA events he is focused on customer experience and making certain that the people attending his events are enjoying their time. Generally speaking, he only drives his car when he's racing. The thing that resonates with me is Ian's ability to have intense focus and still keep things very lighthearted. We ran at lap record pace every single time that the car hit the track this year. There wasn't a time where he'd avoid talking to anyone or not have a smile or joke to tell."

In running a wide gamut of experiences in club racing, Ian realizes that in life, just like on the track, you just need to put in the time away from the course to earn that checkered flag of your goal at the end.

"Racing is a sport that requires preparation, discipline, planning, and strategy," says the SCDA president, who credits his family, along with various racers he follows, including Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon. "Many of these skill sets I practice daily while running my own small business. The sport takes dedication and good old hard work. If you put in the work and planning, then the results are incredibly rewarding."