Former world-class racing driver and current Formula One commentator for SPEED TV, David Hobbs submitted himself to be roasted, all in the name of charity, this past Friday evening at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha, Wis. Hobbs may be better known around Milwaukee for owning David Hobbs Honda in Glendale, Wis., but 350 attendees found out more about Hobbs’ many Motorsports adventures as he was subject to good-natured grilling by a few of his closest friends.
Event organizer Russ Lake reported that $25,000 was raised through this one-time event, with all proceeds benefiting Curative Ranch Community Services Campus and their efforts to empower people with disabilities, in making the most of each individual’s abilities.
Hobbs’ quick wit and humor were matched by SPEED TV personalities Dave Despain and close friend Bob Varsha – who’s been traveling the world broadcasting races with Hobbs for better than twenty years. Their hilarious accounts of Hobbs antics and shortcomings were very well received.
Motorsports publicist and friend of Hobbs for nearly forty years, Judy Stropus, shared some lighter moments about Hobbs and his propensity to nod off no matter the time of day or situation.
Team principal with Team Lowe’s Fernandez Racing, Tom Anderson was a mechanic on Penske Racing’s Indy car team Hobbs drove for in the mid-1970’s. Anderson presented a metal block he’s carried in his tool box for 30 years to Hobbs, which was inadvertently left in Hobbs’ racecar. Anderson went on to point out the various racecars he’d had to fix while working with Hobbs in the early 1970’s.
Derek Bell, a contemporary of Hobbs’ and accomplished endurance racer paid homage to Hobbs’ driving career and shared some stories of Hobbs’ LeMans 24 Hour and Indianapolis 500 success and near-successes, much to the delight of the crowd.
Varsha was also able to obtain letters that were read, each commending and condemning Hobbs, from some of auto racing’s elite – Mario Andretti, Roger Penske, Dan Gurney, among them.
“I can’t believe how many people showed up, and I’m extremely touched and thankful for the amount of effort put into it, ” Hobbs said in his closing comments.
An accomplished driver, Hobbs finished as high as 5th in the Indianapolis 500, and drove for noted Indy car owner Roger Penske in his Hobbs’ first Indy 500 in 1971. After turning professional in 1964, he raced extensively in formula cars in Europe and in the United States. The Englishman was the 1971 U. S. Formula 5000 champion and 1983 Trans-Am Series driving champion. His American network television debut occurred when he was still an active road racing driver, as a commentator on CBS Television’s coverage of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 in 1979.
The October 12th David Hobbs Celebrity Roast included a sizeable raffle, autograph session and prime rib dinner, with motorsports personality Jim Tretow serving as the evening’s emcee.
From 1992 through 2006, Hobbs was the popular co-emcee with Tretow of a motorsports banquet that cumulatively raised over $425,000 for Ranch Community Services. The annual gathering that honored motorsports champions on all levels was organized by longtime motorsports photographer Russ Lake of North Prarie, Wis.
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