Interview: David Hobbs — Part I

David Wishart Hobbs was born into an Australian immigrant family in the British West Midlands city of Leamington Spa, five days after the Nazis invaded Poland to ignite World War II. His father Howard had invented the Mechamatic gearbox that not only provided his family with sustenance, but ultimately determined his son’s career path as well. Although he didn’t actually begin racing until just before he turned 20, David used his apparent maturity to progress quickly, running a dominant club racing effort in a Lotus Elite that landed him a rare works Lotus drive at Le Mans in 1962. Teamed with veteran Frank Gardner in another Elite, they won their class while finishing 8th overall. It was the first international success of what would become a 30-year career of broad diversity that generated victories and championships in multiple categories on several continents. When it was over, he used what he had learned to create a second career for himself, in the broadcast booth. VR Associate Editor John Zimmermann recently engaged Hobbs in a discussion of his accomplishments, during which the wit and wisdom for which the Englishman has long been known were not long dormant. This is the first half, the remainder will appear next month.

How did you first get started in racing, and with what did you first race?