built to conquer the greatest battle of all. your ... - World Challenge

The Drivers
ANDY PILGRIM
ANN-dee PILL-grim
Del Ray Beach, Fla.
Age: 52
Career Highlights: 1995 IMSA Grand Sport Endurance Champion. 1997 and
1998 IMSA GT1 Champion. 2004 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall winner. 2005
SPEED GT Drivers’ Champion.
2008: Finished runner-up in the SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship piloting a
Cadillac CTS-V for Team Remington Cadillac. Started the season with a streak
of five podium finishes in-a-row. Capped off the season with an additional
three podiums in the final three rounds.
Previously: From 1978-1980, competed in open-class and modified production motorcycles in
England. Captured 71 wins and five Divisional and National Championships during that time. Moved
to the United States in the early 1980s and began racing professionally in 1984. Driving a Pontiac
Firebird, grabbed his first professional win in the IMSA Firestone Firehawk Endurance Championship
at Sears Point in 1986. Won 20 Firehawk series races in 106 starts over the next decade. His record
of 116 consecutive race finishes in IMSA/PSCR events is unprecedented. Made 23 World Challenge
starts from 1990-1994 and 1996. In those starts, Pilgrim recorded four wins, 11 top-fives, and 22
top 10 finishes. In 1994, won one race in the IMSA Supercar Series driving a Lotus. Captured six
wins en route to winning the IMSA Grand Sport Endurance Championship in 1995. In 1996, won
the GTS-2 12 Hours of Sebring and won two World Challenge races (Road America, Reno) in three
starts. In 1997, had four race wins en route to winning the PSCR GT1 Championhsip driving a
Porsche 911 GT1 with Alan McNish. Won the PSCR GT1 Championship in 1998 and had two PSCR
GT2 wins that same year. From 1999-2003, Pilgrim recorded seven GTS wins, driving a Corvette,
in the American Le Mans Series. Class win in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2002. In 2003, drove a
Daytona Prototype to victory circle at the Rolex 24 in Grand-Am. Made immediate impact in 2004
as one of General Motors’ Cadillac CTS-V program pilots, earning a podium (2nd place at Sebring)
in his debut while recording the fastest race lap in a charge from the back of the field. Finished the
season with six top-5 finishes and eight top-10 marks overall. Earned first GT Drivers’ Championship
in 2005 without winning a single race, using eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. Best finish
came at Road Atlanta, where he finished second in a podium sweep by Team Cadillac. His efforts
also helped propel Cadillac to the SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship. In 2006, finished all but
one race in the top-10, with five top-five finishes and four podiums. Finished season third in the
Drivers’ Championship. Broke a 10-year (29-race) series winless streak with a victory at Road
Atlanta. Finished second in the 2007 SPEED GT Championship with Team Cadillac. Finished only one
race outside the top-10 and collected wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca. Set the Watkins qualifying lap record in his Cadillac CTS-V and helped the marque earn its
second SPEED GT Manufacturers’ title.
Personal: Born Aug. 18, 1956. Drives a Cadillac CTS-V and Mini Cooper S on the street. Owns an
IT company, but first job was working at an insulin plant. Favorite food is sushi and enjoys the cartoon
Squidbillies. Monza is his favorite track. Lists Senna, Hailwood and Clark as his racing heroes.
Year Class Starts Wins Top-5 Top-10 Pts. Fin. (T10)
1990 WC 8 1 2 7 6
1991 WC 8 0 4 8 3
1992 D 1 1 1 1 -
1992 A 1 0 0 1 -
1993 A 1 0 0 1 -
1994 WC 1 0 1 1 -
1996 S2 2 1 2 2 -
1996 S1 1 1 1 1 4
2004 GT 10 0 6 8 5
2005 GT 11 0 8 11 1
2006 GT 10 1 5 9 3
2007 GT 10 2 7 9 2
2008 GT 10 0 8 9 2
Totals WC 74 7 45 68 1
118 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Media Guide
RANDY POBST
RAN-dee POBST
Gainesville, Ga.
Age: 51
Career Highlights: Porsche (2001), Audi (2003-04) and Mazda (2005-07)
factory driver, second on all-time active road racing drivers’ career win list
with more than 70 victories. 1992 Valvoline Runoffs Showroom Stock C
Champion, 1995 Valvoline Runoffs Showroom Stock A Champion, 1996 North
American Super Touring Champion, 1997 North American Super Touring
Series Champion, Won the 2001 and 2006 Daytona 24 Hour race in GT class.
Six SCCA Solo National Championships. 2003. 2007 and 2008 SPEED GT
Champion.
2008: Earned second-consecutive SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship piloting the K-PAX/3R Racing
Porsche 911 GT3. Started the season off with a win at Sebring and would earned additional wins at
Watkins Glen and Detroit. Finished the season with a total of six podium appearances and only once
finished outside the top five. Results helped Porsche earn its seventh Manufacturers’ Title. Also competed
in Grand-Am competition.
Previously: Began racing in 1985 at Sebring. Won six SCCA national Solo championships.
Prepared and raced his own Mazda Miata in SCCA Club Racing events from 1992 through 1995, finishing
first or second every year, including a win in 1992. Also won the 1995 Runoffs in SSA driving
a BMW. Won two Firestone Firehawk championships. Has had six starts at the SCCA Runoffs.
Has two touring car championships. Won the 2001 24 hour race at Daytona. In 2001 signed a deal
with Porsche as a factory driver. In 2002, missing three races he was still able to finish third in
points in the SPEED GT. driving a Porsche. Competed in ALMS and Grand Am. Also, drove in four
ALMS races in the GT class, with a season-best finish of second in class at the Petit Le Mans.
Finished fourth in Worldwide Porsche Cup point championship. In 2003, drove a factory Audi RS 6
en route to winning the SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship. In 10 SPEED GT races, Pobst recorded
two wins (Road Atlanta and Puerto Rico), eight podium finishes, started from the pole position three
times and set one fast race lap record (Puerto Rico). Helped Audi win its second SPEED GT
Manufacturers’ Championship. In 2004, earned one win (Lime Rock) in 10 SPEED GT starts.
Finished first or second in four of five events during one stretch. Drove an Audi R 6 for Champion
Racing and nailed down fastest qualifier twice (Lime Rock and Road America). Also turned in fastest
race lap at both Lime Rock and Mid-Ohio. Finished second in the 2005 Touring Car Drivers’
Championship on the strength of two wins (St. Pete, Portland), four poles (St. Pete, Mid-Ohio,
Infineon, Portland) and seven front-row starts. Led Mazda to a second-place finish in the
Manufacturers’ Championship. Finished runner-up in 2006 SPEED TC Drivers’ Championship in second
year with the Tri-Point Mazda team. Took the pole and win at St. Petersburg and returned to
the top of the podium again with a victory at Road Atlanta. Claimed a total of seven top-five finishes
and only once finished outside the top-10 (Laguna Seca). Also contested two SPEED GT rounds
in an At Speed Porsche 911 Cup, finishing eighth at Road Atlanta and helping Porsche win the
Manufacturers’ Championship by winning the season finale at Laguna Seca. Had a busy 2007 season;
competed in both categories, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 for K-PAX Racing/Jim Haughey LLC,
and a Mazda6 for Tri-Point Motorsports, his third year with the team. Finished second in SPEED
Touring Car Championship for the third year in-a-row on the strength of six top-five finishes including
a pair of victories from pole at the Watkins Glen doubleheader, where he also reset the qualifying
and race lap records. Nearly won both titles, but was spun from the SPEED Touring Car lead in
the finale with two laps to go. Coupled with his SPEED GT victory, set a new Watkins Glen record of
three professional race wins in a single weekend. Won SPEED GT race at Toronto as well, one of
seven top-five finishes, which propelled him to his second SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship.
Personal: Born on June 26, 1957. Writes a monthly column for SportsCar, SCCA’s magazine. Drives
a vegetable oil powered Volkswagen Jetta and an APR tuned Porsche 911 Turbo. Enjoys motorcycling
and owns seven motorcycles. Diet is strictly raw and vegan foods. TV viewing is limited to
SPEED, The Weather Channel and CNN. First job involved staging driving events at colleges with
Dodge Daytona Turbos for the National Collegiate Driving Championships. Lists Peter Schwartzott,
Andy Pilgrim and Bill Auberlen as his racing heroes, as well as his step-daughter Kelly, who is a professional
drifter.
2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Media Guide 119
The Drivers