Alvah Robert Holbert (November 11, 1946 – September 30, 1988) was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, the son of racing driver Bob Holbert. Al Holbert studied at Lehigh University, graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1968 after working with Roger Penske. He began competing in SCCA events in Porsches in the northeast division and turned professional in 1974.
Holbert claimed his first IMSA championships in 1976 and 1977 driving a Dekon Monza. His early cooperation with Porsche engineers — allowing them to inspect his Monza — contributed to Stuttgart's increasing interest and eventual dominance in the IMSA series with turbocharged machinery such as the Porsche 934.
Holbert added an IMSA GTP title in 1983 driving a Chevrolet and Porsche-powered March 83G, the year Porsche's 956 was ineligible for competition. He won the Grand Prix of Miami on February 27, 1983, and finished fourth at the 1984 Indianapolis 500, also leading Porsche's IndyCar effort in 1987 and 1988.
As head of Porsche North America's Motorsports Division, Holbert ran his team as the factory-supported spearhead in IMSA competition. He claimed back-to-back IMSA GTP championships in 1985 and 1986 driving a Lowenbrau-sponsored Porsche 962, bringing his total IMSA championship count to five and once holding the record for the most IMSA race victories at 50.
Beyond North American competition, Holbert and his team reached the sport's international pinnacle. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1983, 1986, and 1987, making him one of the most successful American drivers at the Circuit de la Sarthe. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1986 and 1987, and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1976 and 1981. These results placed him among the select group of drivers to complete the informal Triple Crown of endurance racing.
By 1988 Holbert recognized that the Porsche 962, which had underpinned so much of his success, was becoming outclassed by newer machinery including the Jaguar XJR-9 and Electramotive's Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo. He began planning an open-top Porsche-engined racer intended for customer teams, a concept that Porsche would eventually realize with the WSC-95 nearly a decade later — though not exactly as Holbert and Porsche 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, following an IMSA event. A clamshell door had not been properly closed. At the end of the 1988 season, Holbert Racing was disbanded. IMSA retired his race number 14 in his honor.
Holbert was inducted into both the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993. Former Holbert Racing chief mechanic Kevin Doran later became a noted team owner in his own right.