Augie Pabst, Who Drove in the Golden Era of Sports Car Racing, Has Died
American sports car racing legend August “Augie” Pabst Jr. passed away October 9 at the age of 90.
“Pabst leaves behind a legacy both on and off the track, celebrated for his remarkable racing career and dedicated service to the motorsports community,” read a statement from Pabst’s home track of Road America.
Pabst was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2011, and the Hall summarized his career upon his induction:
“Augie’s involvement with racing began when he founded Pabst Motors, an imported car dealership on Milwaukee’s east side. He started racing in May, 1956, with a Triumph TR-3, then moved up to an AC Ace-Bristol the next year. Augie had several class victories in both cars before buying a 2.5-liter Ferrari TR for 1958. In this car he won the first of many National races, winning the Milwaukee SCCA National over a field of much bigger cars.”
Success in the TR lead him to be noticed by Harry Heuer, who owned the Meister Brauser Team and had just purchased a Scarab. Moving up to the Scarab, Pabst quickly won the Meadowdale and Vaca Valley rounds of the USAC Road Racing Championship, and, combined with points scored earlier in the season, won the 1959 USAC Championship.
Pabst kept winning in 1960, including the SCCA National races at Road America, Meadowdale, Watkins Glen, El Paso, and Daytona, enough to claim the SCCA Championship that year. Those accomplishments lead Autoweek, then called Competition Press, to name him its Driver of the Year.
In his career he piloted some of the greatest cars of the golden era of sports car racing, for some of the greatest teams, including Briggs Cunningham, for whom he won his first Road America 500, and placed fourth overall at Le Mans, both times in the ungainly rear engine V12 Maserati T-63. He also drove for Shelby American, John Wyer, NART-Ferrari, and John Mecom. His teammates included Walt Hansgen, Roger Penske, and Bill Wuesthoff.
He drove the most renowned cars of his era: Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes, Corvette, Lotus, Jaguar, Chaparral, Lola, McLaren, Shelby Cobra, Ford GT40, and his all-time favorite, the Scarab. The tracks he drove included Sebring, Watkins Glen, Meadowdale, Nassau, Mosport, Daytona, and Road America. He competed at Le Mans twice, as well as at Brands Hatch.
He even drove in a handful of stock car races including the 1963 Riverside NASCAR event, in a Ford Galaxie.
And, as sometimes happened in that era, Pabst once drove his Hertz Ford Falcon rental car into the Mark Thomas Hotel pool in Monterey, California, in October of 1961, on a bet.
His driving career wound down after the 1965 season and he followed the family path into the brewing business, becoming an executive with Pabst Brewery, where he worked for the next two decades. But when he retired in 1983, he entered vintage racing, driving his old Scarab, which he had purchased earlier.
Augie Pabst is survived by his wife, Joanie, his four children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
“Augie Pabst’s passion for motorsports never waned,” Road America said. “His legacy continues through his family, with his son, August Pabst III, managing the Pabst Racing Team, which recently celebrated the 2024 USF2000 Championship.”
Autoweek sends its condolences to the family of our old Driver of the Year and recalls fondly hearing from him when we needed “Owners Voices” for a sports car featured in our AutoFile section many years ago. Godspeed, Augie Pabst.