{{Short description|American racing driver}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{BLP sources|date=August 2015}} {{Infobox racing driver | name = Randy Pobst | image = | image_size = <!-- defaults to 180px unless a value is entered --> | caption = | nationality =United States of America | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|06|26}} | birth_place = Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | relatives = <!-- list of notable relatives with line breaks --> | current_series = <!-- e.g. World Touring Car Championship --> | first_year = 1977 | current_team = | car_number = <!-- if known --> | engine = | crew_chief = | spotter = | former_teams = | starts = | championships = | wins = | poles = | fastest_laps = <!-- if known --> | best_finish = <!-- if a final championship placing has been recorded --> | year = <!-- use piped link if season article exists --> | last_finish = | prev_series = <!-- previous series with line breaks --> | prev_series_years = | titles = <!-- championship titles --> | title_years = | awards = | award_years = | updated = }}
'''Randy Franklin Pobst''' (born June 26, 1957, in Dayton, Ohio), also known as "RFP" or "The Rocket," is an American race car driver and journalist for ''Grassroots Motorsports'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.grand-am.com/DriverTeam/Drivers.asp?DriverID=47 |title=Randy Pobst |url-status=usurped |language=en |access-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928023139/http://www.grand-am.com/DriverTeam/Drivers.asp?DriverID=47 |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref>
Active in the SCCA World Challenge GT series and the Grand American series' GT class, Pobst was the 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2010 SCCA World Challenge GT champion, the 1996 North American Touring Car Championship title winner, and the 2005, 2006 and 2007 SCCA World Challenge TC vice-champion. He is also a two-time class winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, in 2001 and 2006.
Pobst has more than 90 pro wins. He is currently a Mazda, Volvo, Audi and Porsche factory supported driver.{{not verified in body|date=June 2021}}
==Career==
{{Empty section|date=September 2015}}
==2004-2007==
From 2005 to 2007, Pobst drove for Mazda with Tri-Point Racing in a Mazda 6 in the SCCA World Challenge Touring Car series, finishing second in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2007 and 2008, he won the SCCA World Challenge GT Championship with K-Pax/3R Racing in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. He repeated the feat in 2010 in a K-Pax Racing Volvo S60.
==2008==
In 2008, Pobst raced in a Volkswagen GTI for APR Motorsport in the KONI Challenge Series and for Stevenson Motorsport at the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Pontiac GXP.
==2009==
Pobst returned to K-Pax/3R Racing to defend his two Speed World Challenge GT Class championships, but in a Volvo Touring Car instead of a Porsche GT3 (K-Pax/3R switched to Volvo for this season). Additionally, he raced for Gotham Racing at the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona in a Porsche GT.
==2010==
World Challenge GT Champion
==2014==
Pobst drove on the track for ''Motor Trend'' magazine.
==2015==
Pobst drove for PPR in a 700 hp Nissan GT-R in preparation for the 2016 Pikes Peak race in Colorado.
Pobst hosted a show called The Racing Line on the MotorTrend YouTube channel, where he teaches about the basics of being a racing driver.
In December, Pobst was inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame.
==2017==
Pobst drove with Thing 3 Racing for the 7hr Enduro at Road Atlanta with World Racing League. The team took home the "GTO" class win on Friday when the sun set.
On September 23, 2017, Pobst drove with KSR (Kevin Smith Racing)/Flatout Racing in the ChumpCar World Series endurance racing series event The Sebring 14. The team won the 14 hour race with Randy scoring the fastest lap of the race with a 2:33.427 in a 1995 Lexus SC300.
== 2018 == Pobst drove the Team Fieroline 1986 Pontiac Fiero at Thunderhill Raceway Park in December for the Lucky Dog Racing League "Top Dawg Nationals" Championship, posting a fast lap of 3:26.213. The car, which was also piloted by Damian Donesky and Kevin Ford, ended up third in the LDRL B class in the 14 hour Parc Ferme Championship race and 12th overall out of 76 competitors.
== 2019 == Pobst drove the Team Fieroline car again at with Lucky Dog Racing League at Portland International Raceway, posting a fast lap of 1:33.458.
== 2020 == In late August 2020, Pobst represented Unplugged Performance in the Pikes Peak Climb, racing a customized Tesla Model 3 Performance version. The car was wrecked in one of the trial runs in the upper section of the course.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Two of Three Tesla Model 3s Already Crashed Out During Pikes Peak Hill Climb Practice|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/two-of-three-tesla-model-3s-already-crashed-out-during-pikes-peak-hill-climb-practice/ar-BB18oX3e|access-date=2020-08-30|website=www.msn.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Randy Pobst is Having a Hell of a Time at Pikes Peak|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/randy-pobst-is-having-a-hell-of-a-time-at-pikes-peak/ar-BB18twwb|access-date=2020-08-30|website=www.msn.com}}</ref> According to Pobst, after decelerating from 112 MPH to 68 MPH at Bottomless Pit, a section with frost heave road damage, the car went off the road and hit a wall at 40 MPH.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sudden disaster at Pikes Peak Hill Climb! (Bottomless Pit) - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ujuSx03eUw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/4ujuSx03eUw |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-30|website=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The heavily-damaged car, along with a donor parts car, were taken to a body shop in Colorado Springs, Eurocars, for a rebuild, after which it qualified for the Sunday race and came in second.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New Images Of Tesla Model 3 Reveal Before And After Of Pikes Peak Crash|url=https://insideevs.com/news/441528/tesla-model-3-crash-photos/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=InsideEVs|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=G|first=Mikey|date=2020-08-28|title=Can a totaled Tesla Model 3 win Pikes Peak? With some help — maybe|url=https://electrek.co/2020/08/28/can-a-totaled-tesla-model-3-win-pikes-peak-with-some-help-maybe/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=Electrek|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Lindsey|date=2020-08-28|title=Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2020 gives chance for new King of the Mountain, but without motorcycles, spectators|url=https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/pikes-peak-hill-climb-2020-gives-chance-for-new-king-of-the-mountain-but-without/article_174fe446-c492-53a9-8807-54805e798568.html|access-date=2020-08-30|website=OutThere Colorado|language=en}}</ref>
== 2021 == Finished second at the 2nd annual Freedom 500 April 2, 2021 hosted by Cleetus McFarland on the Freedom Factory. Pobst won the Exhibition Class at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb driving the newly-released Tesla Model S Plaid, prepared by Unplugged Performance.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2021 overall results|url=https://ppihc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-Overall-Results.pdf|access-date=2021-07-03}}</ref>
== 2023 == While competing for Unplugged Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Pobst accomplished a remarkable feat by achieving a record-breaking time of 9:54.901. Setting a new record for the fastest EV based on production models, as well as the fastest modified production-based EV. Pobst's performance was achieved behind the wheel of a substantially modified Model S Plaid.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-17 |title=Pikes Peak 2023 Blog - Unplugged Performance |url=https://unpluggedperformance.com/pikespeak/ |access-date=2023-08-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>
They placed second in class, and top-ten overall among 66 competitors.
==SportsCar Magazine== For many years, Randy has written a column titled "Pobst Position" in SCCA's monthly automobile publication, "SportsCar Magazine," to present his thoughts and opinions on professional and amateur racing. The article discusses everything from his personal career challenges to proper competitor behavior at the wheel of a race car.
==Personal life== Pobst is a vegetarian, healthy food consumer, and a motorcycle enthusiast with a large collection, with many vintage Japanese and cafe racer-style bikes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.randypobst.com/index.cfm?template=news&news_id=3682 |title=The Little Team That Could: RandyPobst.com |work=Randypobst.com |access-date=August 15, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000800/http://www.randypobst.com/index.cfm?template=news&news_id=3682 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is a long-time resident of the Atlanta, Georgia area.
Pobst was married to Linda Pobst, with whom he drove his first wheel-to-wheel race in 1985.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Randy Pobst Honed His Driving Skills as Teenager in Brevard - Space Coast Daily |url=https://spacecoastdaily.com/2022/06/space-coast-sports-hall-of-fame-inductee-randy-pobst-honed-his-driving-skills-as-teenager-in-brevard/ |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=spacecoastdaily.com}}</ref>
==Motorsports career results==
===SCCA National Championship Runoffs=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |- ! Year !! Track !! Car !! Engine !! Class !! Finish !! Start !! Status |- | 1991 || Road Atlanta || Honda Civic Si || Honda || Showroom Stock C || style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 2 || 1 || Running |- | 1992 || Road Atlanta || Mazda Miata || Mazda || Showroom Stock C || style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 1 || 1 || Running |- | 1993 || Road Atlanta || Mazda Miata || Mazda || Showroom Stock C || || 2 || Disqualified |- | 1994 || Road Atlanta || Mazda Miata || Mazda || Showroom Stock C || style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 2 || 2 || Running |- | rowspan=2 | 1995 || rowspan=2 | Road Atlanta || Mazda Miata || Mazda || Showroom Stock B || style="background:#DFDFDF;" | 2 || 6 || Running |- | BMW M3 || BMW || Showroom Stock A || style="background:#FFFFBF;" | 1 || 1 || Running |}
===North American Touring Car Championship=== (key) {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align:center; font-size:80%" |- ! colspan=45| North American Touring Car Championship results |- ! Season ! Team ! No. ! Car ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! 14 ! 15 ! 16 ! 17 ! 18 ! {{Tooltip|NATCC|North American Touring Car classification}} ! Pts |- ! 1996 ! TC Kline Racing ! 12 ! Honda Accord | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | LRP<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#FFDF9F;" | LRP<br />{{small|3}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | DET<br />{{small|6}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | DET<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#FFFFBF;" | PIR<br /><small>1{{sup|*}}</small> | style="background:#FFFFBF;" | PIR<br /><small>1{{sup|*}}</small> | style="background:#FFFFBF;" | TOR<br />{{small|1}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | TOR<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#FFDF9F;" | TRV<br />{{small|3}} | style="background:#FFFFBF;" | TRV<br />{{small|1}} | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | MOH<br />{{small|10}} | style="background:#FFDF9F;" | MOH<br />{{small|3}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | VAN<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | VAN<br />{{small|4}} | style="background:#FFFFBF;" | LS<br />{{small|1}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | LS<br />{{small|2}} | colspan=2 | ! 1st ! 282 |- ! 1997 ! TC Kline Racing ! 1 ! BMW 320i | style="background:#FFDF9F;" | LBH<br />{{small|3}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | LBH<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | SAV<br />{{small|6}} | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | SAV<br />{{small|9}} | style="background:#EFCFFF;" | DET<br />{{small|9}} | style="background:#fff;" | DET<br />{{small|9}} | style="background:#FFDF9F;" | PIR<br />{{small|3}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | PIR<br />{{small|6}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | CLE<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | CLE<br />{{small|4}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | TOR<br />{{small|7}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | TOR<br />{{small|7}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MOH<br />{{small|8}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MOH<br />{{small|9}} | style="background:#CFEAFF;" | VAN<br />{{small|6}} | style="background:#DFDFDF;" | VAN<br />{{small|2}} | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LS<br />{{small|5}} | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LS<br />{{small|4}} ! 5th ! 188 |}
===Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results=== (key) (Races in '''bold''' indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Team ! Class ! Car ! Engine ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! {{Tooltip|Pos.|Championship position}} ! Points |- | 2014 ! Mühlner Motorsports America ! GTD ! Porsche 911 GT America ! Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 |style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DAY<br />{{small|20}} | SEB<br />{{small|}} | LGA | DET | WGL | MOS |style="background:#EFCFFF;"| IND <br />{{small|17}} | ELK | VIR | COA | COA ! 101st ! 15 |}
==References== {{Reflist}} https://spacecoastdaily.com/2022/06/space-coast-sports-hall-of-fame-inductee-randy-pobst-honed-his-driving-skills-as-teenager-in-brevard/
==External links== * {{Official website|1=http://www.randypobst.com}} * [https://www.youtube.com/user/TheVolvorocks YouTube channel] * {{Racing-Reference driver|Randy_Pobst}} * [http://raceremote.com/media/roadracerspodcast/randy-pobst/randy-pobst-and-some-quick-questions-from-the-road-racers-podcast Randy Pobst Interview on The Road Racers Podcast]
{{s-start}} {{s-sport}} {{Succession box | before = Inaugural | title = North American Touring Car Championship Champion | years = 1996 | after = David Donohue }} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pobst, Randy}} Category:1957 births Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers Category:American Le Mans Series drivers Category:Rolex Sports Car Series drivers Category:Living people Category:Racing drivers from Dayton, Ohio Category:Porsche Supercup drivers Category:WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers Category:North American Touring Car Championship drivers Category:SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners Category:Audi Sport drivers Category:Porsche Motorsports drivers Category:Michelin Pilot Challenge drivers Category:12 Hours of Sebring drivers Category:IMSA GT Championship drivers Category:Petit Le Mans drivers Category:Mühlner Motorsport drivers Category:Champion Racing drivers Category:Alex Job Racing drivers Category:The Racer's Group drivers