Bob Earl

Last updated
Jim Miller Racing's Spice SE89P-Chevrolet IMSA GTP car, driven by Bob Earl and Jim Miller at the 1989 West Palm Beach Grand Prix. They finished 4th in the race. SpiceSE89P-Chevrolet64-89wpb.jpg
Jim Miller Racing's Spice SE89P-Chevrolet IMSA GTP car, driven by Bob Earl and Jim Miller at the 1989 West Palm Beach Grand Prix. They finished 4th in the race.

Bob Earl (born January 13, 1950) is an American former racing driver from Claremont, California. He began racing in Formula Ford in 1972 and was the 1973 national champion. In 1979 he made his professional debut in Formula Atlantic. In 1981 he became the only American to win the Macau Grand Prix, driving a modified Hayashi 320. At the time, the race was contested with Formula Atlantic cars. [1]

Contents

He moved to sports cars in 1985 and drove a Pontiac Fiero for Huffaker Racing in the IMSA GTU series for two years. He moved up to the GTP cars in 1986 driving for a prototype for Spice Engineering. Earl and the Spice team earned a class victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1987. He continued with Spice in GTP class in 1988, but in 1989 moved to Roush Racing's Lincoln-Mercury effort in the GTO class, capturing class honors at Daytona. He moved to the Nissan GTP factory team in 1990 and captured victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Miami and Watkins Glen. He stayed with Nissan until they left the series in 1993. For the 1993 season he competed in the Camel Lights prototype class in an Acura powered Spice with 2 wins.

He retired as a competitor after the 1993 season to become a driver coach. In 1996 he was hired to start the Derek Daly Academy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In 2000 he returned home to the Marin County to resume freelance driver coaching. From 2002 to 2009 Bob was the Technical Director and overlooked the Mechanics Training Program at the Jim Russell Racing School at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma California.

He has also developed and sells the "Virtual Racing Chassis", an advanced racing sim for use with Racing video games.

Bob Earl continues as a freelance driver coach, lecturer on racing organization and mental training, and promotes the advantages of Alkaline Water Ionizers for improving your health. Bob has recently moved to Humboldt County and is involved in many Environmental activities doing Restorations of Beach Dunes, Redwood Forest trails and many others. He has become an environmentalist of sorts working to address climate change.

Racing record

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

YearTrackCarEngineClassFinishStartStatus
1973 Road Atlanta ADF Ford Formula Ford 11Running
1974 Road Atlanta Royale Ford Formula Ford 234Retired

24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-driversCarClassLapsPos.Class
pos.
1990 Flag of the United States.svg Nissan Performance Technology Inc. Flag of New Zealand.svg Steve Millen
Flag of Ireland.svg Michael Roe
Nissan R90CK C131117th17th

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Brabham</span> Australian racing driver

David Philip Brabham is an Australian professional racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians to have won the Le Mans 24 Hour sports car race, winning the event in 2009. Brabham won the American Le Mans Series in 2009 and 2010. He also competed in Formula One, racing for the Brabham and Simtek teams in 1990 and 1994, respectively. Brabham is the youngest son of three-time Formula One world champion Sir Jack Brabham, brother to Geoff Brabham and Gary Brabham. He is also brother-in-law to Mike Thackwell, father to Sam Brabham and uncle to Matthew Brabham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Redman</span> British racing driver

Brian Herman Thomas Redman, is a retired British racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Adam</span> Canadian racing driver

Bill Adam is a Canadian racing driver born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Angelelli</span> Italian racecar driver

Massimiliano Angelelli is a retired Italian racecar driver. He won the 2005 and 2017 24 Hours of Daytona and the 2001 Six Hours at the Glen. Also he was the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series champion in 2005 and 2013, as well as runner-up in 2010 and 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Manning</span> British motor racing driver

Darren Manning is a British motor racing driver who has raced in the IRL IndyCar Series for Chip Ganassi Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

John Lee Paul Jr. was an American racing driver. He competed in CART and the Indy Racing League competitions, but primarily in IMSA GT Championship, winning the title in 1982.

Michael John Borkowski is an American race car driver. Borkowski has raced in a variety of cars and series, is experienced in both road and oval racing, but is best known for his victory over Tommy Kendall in the 1997 Trans-Am Series race at Pikes Peak International Raceway, ending Kendall's historic run of 11 consecutive race wins. Borkowski also went on to win the final race of the 1997 Trans-Am Series at the Reno Grand Prix.

Sascha Maassen is a veteran sports car driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Gurney</span> American racing driver

Alexander Gurney is an American racing driver who competes in the Rolex Sports Car Series for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing. He won the 2007 and 2009 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype drivers' championship and is the son of racing legend Dan Gurney. In 2013, he came in third place with teammate Jon Fogarty. The following year he became the first Corvette Daytona Prototype driver with an overall pole position for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, after which he retired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spice Engineering</span>

Spice Engineering was a British racing team founded by driver Gordon Spice with Raymond Bellm in the early 1980s, later becoming a successful sports car constructor in 1986. They competed in the World Sportscar Championship in Europe as well as the IMSA GT Championship in North America, at times partnering with major manufacturers such as General Motors and Honda as well as race engine manufacturer Comptech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IMSA GT Championship</span> Auto racing championship in the United States

IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nissan R90C</span> Motor vehicle

The Nissan R90C was a platform used for Group C racing cars built in 1990 by Nissan Motors for competition in World Sportscar Championship (WSC) based in Europe and the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship (JSPC). The cars based on the basic R90C platform would compete until 1993 before Nissan chose to withdraw from sports car racing, not returning until 1997. It won three JSPC championships and several significant endurance races during its career.

Dan Marvin is a former American racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pipo Derani</span> Brazilian racing driver

Luís Felipe "Pipo" Derani is a Brazilian race car driver who is currently driving a Cadillac prototype for Action Express Racing in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and is an overall winner of the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona and the 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023 12 Hours of Sebring. Pipo is the son of the late Walter Derani and younger brother of Rafael Derani, both well-known Brazilian racing drivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Blomqvist</span> British-Swedish racing drver

Tom Leonard Blomqvist is a New Zealand-based, Britain-born Swedish professional racing driver. He competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Meyer Shank Racing. Blomqvist also competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with United Autosports in the LMP2 category. Blomqvist won the 2022 and 2023 24 Hours of Daytona with Meyer Shank and the 2018 24 Hours of Spa with BMW Motorsport. He is the son of 1984 Swedish World Rally Champion, Stig Blomqvist, and raced under a Swedish racing licence until March 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intrepid RM-1</span>

The Intrepid RM-1 is a sports prototype racing car designed in 1991 by Bob and Bill Riley and built by Pratt & Miller to IMSA GTP specifications. Powered by a Chevrolet V8 engine, it was campaigned variously by Jim Miller, Prototype Technology Group and Wayne Taylor in the IMSA Camel GT from 1991 through 1993. Though it won only one race in its three seasons of competition, the shovel-nosed Intrepid was notable for the extreme—and at one point, disastrous—levels of downforce it generated, giving it the highest cornering speeds of any prototype of its era. The car's development was set back by a devastating 1991 crash at Watkins Glen that critically injured driver Tommy Kendall, and the program never fully recovered.

Rob Wilson is a former racing driver from New Zealand. Wilson raced in various formula racing and endurance racing series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misha Goikhberg</span> Canadian racing driver

Mikhail "Misha" Goikhberg, is a Russian-born Canadian race car driver who is best known for competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Bob Lesnett is a former Sportscar and Formula racing driver, team owner and race engineer. With 14 championships, over 60 career wins, Lesnett's career spanned the most competitive amateur open wheel series and includes numerous professional accomplishments including winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and a driver and engineer, winning the Sebring 12 hours and SCCA National, Divisional and Regional Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1991 24 Hours of Daytona</span> 30th 24 Hours of Daytona

The 1991 SunBank 24 at Daytona was a 24-hour endurance sports car race held on February 2–3, 1991 at the Daytona International Speedway road course. The race served as the opening round of the 1991 IMSA GT Championship.

References

  1. Lerner, Preston (25 November 2021). "Bob Earl: America's only Macau Grand Prix winner". Motor Sport magazine . Retrieved 25 November 2021.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Macau Grand Prix Winner
1981
Succeeded by