In the July, 2004 issue of SportsCar Magazine, a new column was introduced: Pobst Position. For over 12 years, Randy Pobst has been telling stories, sharing insight, and generally amusing readers with his monthly column. Below is what he had to say as he introduced himself to the SportsCar readers:
“Having been granted this wonderful opportunity to expound on the world of road racing, I’ll start with a greeting to all my SCA colleagues and tell you about “My Road to Professional Road Racing.” I’ve been an SCCA member for 24 years, and it has been an adventure every step of the way.
When racing my No. 1 Audi Certified Pre-Owned Champion Racing Pre-Owned Champion Racing RS6 in the SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT Championship, I’m often asked how one becomes a professional driver. There is no set path. I started in autocross (Solo) at 19 years of age, but my love affair with cars began long before that. My mother used to joke that I was born with a toy car in my hand. I raced HO scale cars in our basement, but never ever dreamed of being a pro driver. It seemed so far away, absurd.
My tastes as a teen driver were for sporty cars—smaller, agile, sleek and smart (the cars, not me). I loved the corners, not the straight stuff. My first car was a Fiat 850 Spider, and then I had a sweet lowered Datsun 510 when I stumbled across an ad in the shopping news that said “Race your own car, five dollars!” This was 1977. Keep that quiet.
After my first event, I ran every one I could find—all on a starving student budget. Florida had several local clubs at the time, many later to develop into SCCA Solo with the help of Howard Duncan and Danny Shields, among others. I joined SCCA to run the National Championship. I wanted to test myself against the best. When Pro Solo started, I was there. These events led to my first sponsorship.
After college, my first real job was running an SCCA-sanctioned nationwide autocross competition for college students. I saved all my pay for two years before I could start racing with a VW Golf, in SCCA and IMSA races, surviving on prize money. I could not afford to fix a crash and I had to finish well enough to earn some money. It made me strong. I don’t not consider the what-ifs; I just forged ahead. I could not have done it without my former wide Linda, who housed and fed me in those early years.
In ’89, I had run out of money and options for my own team. Forced by circumstances, I reluctantly got on the phone and found out that there were a few crazies that would hire me to drive their cars, a very important step (Moral: Don’t be afraid to ask). I was often teamed, as the fast guy, with a paying co-driver or teammate in endurance races. This is a fertile ground for aspiring pro road racers.
I also used the SCCA Runoffs to further my career, running seven times, qualifying and finishing first or second every time save one. Due to generous contingencies in Showroom Stock, I could actually make money doing this, and it raced my profile in the racing world.
I combined this racing with a parallel career in automotive driving events for sales training, known as ride-and-drives. It grew directly from my Solo II background, and my talkative nature. This was a very nice combination over the years until I achieved my career goal of a factory contract—first with Porsche, and now with Audi. It is a fantastic thing to be paid for doing what you’d have spent all of your money to do anyway!
Are you dreaming of being a pro driver? Well, a pro must be amazingly fast and, at the same time, almost never crash—a rare combination. A pro must be touch enough to survive on the track, but personable enough to attract and keep clients/teams in the paddock. A pro must be a good communicator. A Pro does not necessarily have to be good friends with other drivers, but it can be a big help if times get tough and rides are hard to come by. A pro has to be persistent and resilient enough to withstand the tremendous disappointments that are part of this sport, in order to enjoy the thrilling highs and deep satisfaction that are among its great rewards. A pro must have enough ego for great self-confidence, but with the humility to always learn, or stagnate and be left behind.
Are you pro material?”
Words by Randy Pobst
Photo Courtesy of SCCA Pro Racing
