Holbert was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, the son of Bob Holbert, a noted racing driver who also operated one of the first Porsche dealerships in the United States. After studying at Lehigh University — where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1968 — Al worked for Roger Penske before beginning his own racing career in Porsches through the northeast SCCA division. He scored his first race win in 1971 and turned professional in 1974.
His first two IMSA championships came in 1976 and 1977 driving a Dekon Monza. Notably, during this period Holbert allowed Porsche technicians to inspect his Monza, a relationship that contributed to Porsche's subsequent decision to enter IMSA with turbocharged machinery such as the 934 — effectively helping trigger years of Porsche dominance in the series. He also raced in NASCAR between 1976 and 1979, contesting 19 races primarily for James Hylton and scoring four top-ten finishes.
In 1983, Holbert won an additional IMSA GTP title driving a March 83G powered by both Chevrolet and Porsche engines. That same year he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time. He also finished fourth at the 1984 Indianapolis 500, leading Porsche's IndyCar effort in 1987–1988. Back-to-back IMSA GTP championships followed in 1985 and 1986 in a Löwenbräu-sponsored Porsche 962.
His Le Mans victories came in 1983, 1986, and 1987, making him one of the most successful American drivers in the race's history during that era. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1986 and 1987 and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1976 and 1981, giving him victories across all three of the major North American endurance classics — the combination that constitutes the informal Triple Crown.
Holbert ran his own team, Holbert Racing, while simultaneously serving as head of Porsche North America's Motorsports Division, a dual role that placed him at the centre of Porsche's American racing effort. By 1988 he recognised that the Porsche 962 was being overtaken by newer competitors from Jaguar and Nissan. He began planning a new open-top Porsche-powered car for customer teams — a concept Porsche eventually realised nearly a decade later as the WSC-95, though not in the customer form Holbert had envisioned.
On September 30, 1988, Holbert was fatally injured when his privately owned Piper PA-60 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff near Columbus, Ohio. A clamshell door had not been properly secured. The accident occurred the same evening as an IMSA race at Columbus. His race number 14 was retired by IMSA at the end of the 1988 season, and Holbert Racing was disbanded.
Holbert was inducted into both the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993. His impact on American sports car racing extended beyond his driving achievements: his technical collaboration with Porsche engineers, his team ownership, and his institutional role at Porsche North America made him a bridge between the factory and the customer racing ecosystem. His son Todd Holbert pursued a career in motorsport as a mechanic, working with Toyota on their NASCAR programmes.
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