The tatty old VW bus with “Porsche” emblazoned on the side and a mutt’s mug enjoying the breeze out the passenger window was accompanied by just such a character – 2007 Rolex 24 class winner Scot Gabel. We’d heard tell from the HSR guys that this was no ordinary bus, that Bob the canine co-driver was no ordinary four-legged friend and that Scooter had a tale or two to tell. We caught him as he was giving a 935 the once over for co-winner of the Rolex, Carlos de Quesada.
Rolex 24 2007
“It’s a crazy story. That whole episode was something else. The short version is that the car was an utter disaster to drive in test days and all the other stuff that lead up to the race.
“That was the year Porsche built a specific car for the 24-hour but we’d already bought the Cup car. They brought out the update package but we weren’t allowed to test with it. We put it all on the car and the thing was just undrivable.
“Not long before qualifying, I asked quite strongly to withdraw the car. I said this car’s not gonna make 24 hours without somebody crashing it.
“On the last practice session before the start of the race, I asked if they’d checked the rear bump steer and they’d not. They corrected that, we qualified the car a second off pole in stone stock configuration and we went on to win the race! So it’s a good thing we didn’t withdraw it!”
You couldn't make it up...