1986 - PORSCHE 962

Whereas the Porsche 956 was dominant from the outset during the 1982 FIA races, this was not the case in the IMSA GTP Championship. The 956 proved unsuitable for these prototype races organised by the North American association, where twin-turbo engines were favoured. The introduction of new safety regulations in 1984 meant that it was also unsuitable to compete in the previous racing formula. To solve these two problems, Porsche developed the 962, an evolution of the 956 designed in accordance with the pedal position standards adopted shortly afterwards by the FIA and ACO for the Sport Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was equipped in the first instance with a single-turbo version of the 2.9-litre engine, and later replaced by the 3.2-litre engine, which delivered even greater performance.

The 962 made its debut in the IMSA GT GTP category at the start of 1984 and achieved several victories, yet this was not enough to secure the title, which went to March as it had in 1983. In 1985, a number of teams entered the 962 from the start of the season, among them Al Holbert's Holbert Racing (winner in 1983 with March), with Derek Bell and Al Unser Jr. as drivers. By the end of the season, the American driver and his team recorded the most wins, but failed to win the two most prestigious events, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Those victories went to Preston Henn's team, with drivers A. J. Foyt and Bob Wollek. Apart from battling each other, the 962s also had to defend themselves against the Jaguar XJR-5 and XJR-7, which, with their V12 engines, were their most dangerous rivals. By the end of 1984, the 2.9-litre boxer six-cylinder engine was replaced by a new 3.2-litre engine with a single turbocharger, two valves per cylinder, and tuned by Andial.

After a string of victories during the 1985 season, team Holbert returned to Daytona the following year with the ambition of winning the 24 Hours, but the three drivers, working together in perfect harmony, had to fight hard to beat the other teams in their 962s. They finally won with less than a lap ahead of their rivals from Team Henn and just over a lap ahead of the third-placed BF Goodrich team, in which German driver Jochen Mass was also competing. Following this success, the team led by Al Holbert scored a string of good results, including third place at Sebring and fourth at Laguna Seca, before claiming victory once again at the eighth event at Lime Rock after 150 laps with Holbert himself at the wheel (Derek Bell finished fourth). Other victories followed with wins at Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen, Portland and Road America, securing a second consecutive title.

In 1987, Chip Robinson joined the team consisting of Al Holbert, Derek Bell and Al Unser Jr. and ended up leading the Drivers' Championship at the end of the season. Compared to the previous year, the scenario did not change much, even though the Holbert team scored fewer victories. Early in the season, the team managed to score another victory at Daytona, this time with a clearer margin: the Holbert team's 962 completed 753 laps, nearly 10 more than the Swiss Brun team, which was followed by four other 962s. Yet victory at Sebring remained elusive: it went to the Bayside team with Jochen Mass and Bobby Rahal (still in a 962). The period from 1988 to 1991 saw the domination of Australian Geoff Brabham and Nissan, but the 962 still refused to give up, bringing its number of victories at Daytona to five before being withdrawn from competition.

Responsible for the Motorsport division of Porsche's North American subsidiary, Al Holbert personally won several trophies, some of which were won outside North America. Having already won the IMSA GTP championship with March before the Porsche 962 was available, he also won the Daytona 24 Hours in 1986 and 1987, the Sebring 12 Hours in 1976 and 1981, and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1983, 1986 and 1987. The British driver Derek Bell was a veteran with two victories at Le Mans (five at the end of his career) when, in the early 1980s, he joined the Holbert team, winning two third places and one second place in the drivers' standings between 1984 and 1986, behind Holbert himself. The other American, Alfred ‘Al’ Unser Jr., competed for most of his career in the CART championship and the IndyCar series. In IMSA GTP, he distinguished himself with two victories at Daytona, not to mention his victory in the spectacular Pikes Peak hill climb in 1983.