The Racing Line Shootout: Randy Pobst vs. Justin Bell

(rumbling)
(car starting)
(action music)
- This time on The Racing Line,
we're going to do something a little bit different.
Last season we focused on teaching proper driving
and racing techniques.
(action music)
This time we're going to apply everything we've learned.
Turn preaching into practice.
Woo hoo, yeah.
Woo, yai yai yai yai yeah.
Now I've searched high and low.
Scoured the racing paddock.
Looking for a worthy adversary
who can push me to the limit,
and maybe a little beyond.
- And that's only because I've watched
every episode of your show in preparation for this.
- Ah he's going to know what he's doing.
Justin, hi and welcome to The Racing Line.
- Well thank you very much for having me sir.
- If you beat me, you're off the show.
(dramatic music)
(rock music)
Justin, I challenge you to race me
for The Racing Line cup.
- Okay then, like all your fans,
I know what you do on The Racing Line
in a normal show.
You got me here at a great race track.
How is this one going to be different?
- It's time for a little less talk
and a lot more action.
We're going to three great race tracks coast to coast.
Road America, New Jersey motorsports park,
and Sonoma in California,
in identical Lexus sports car.
- Sounds perfect.
You got great tracks, fast cars, seasoned veterans.
What could possibly go wrong?
(lounge music)
I've got to ask you,
why did you choose this track
to kick off our mini challenge?
- Well it is one of the greatest road circuits on earth,
and I've been around.
- [Justin] And it's a real drivers track too.
I think that's what's appealing about it.
- It has a lot of variety.
When it was built it was right after they realized
that racing on real roads was too dangerous
so they created tracks that were like real roads.
This is like driving on a real road.
You've got to keep it on track.
- Talking about on track,
are we going to race?
- Yeah let's go out there and do this.
- Driving a stock car on a very fast race track
involves every bit of skill that we have.
I'm actually bloody nervous.
- Now Justin, this is a race track.
We have to be responsible and especially set
a good example for all our viewers on The Racing Line.
- I'm going to leave that whole behaving good thing
to you because it is your show.
As my dad said "Do as I say not as I do".
- Set a good example in my rear view mirror please.
(engine revving)
(epic music)
- [Announcer] Three, two, one.
Green flag, there a race.
- Oh he got a good start.
- Woo. - Oh man.
(engine revving)
(epic music)
- He's right off my quarter.
- I'm tucking behind.
Try and get him down the next one.
(anxious music)
My rally way, god he was good on the exit too.
(anxious music)
(motors humming)
Oh he got a little too sideways there.
I may have the draft.
(motors humming)
Wow it's fast up here.
(motors humming)
Can I do it, yes.
- [Randy] D'oh.
(tires squealing)
(laughing)
- Oh he's on the inside again, oh no.
- [Randy] Dive bomb into six.
Down here.
(tires squealing)
- He knows his territory this guy.
Okay let's get through here.
Oh no no, I messed the line up.
No! (laughing)
(action music)
(tires squealing)
Oh he's sideways.
Have I got a run.
- Carousel and blue blue blue blue,
hug the inside.
I like to hug the, oh whoa whoa whoa whoa.
(laughing)
What's he doing on the outside.
Lord have mercy.
(engines revving)
- Oh I am, ah.
That was really nerve-racking.
(engines revving)
(action music)
I got to do a dive bomb now.
(engines revving)
Oh, late.
- [Randy] Good move, good move.
- I've got to block him coming up here
that he won't like that.
That's almost the last corner.
He won't like that.
No way mate, you're not going by me here.
(engine revving)
One corner to go, it's mine.
- [Randy] Oh (beep)
- [Justin] Don't me an ass ah man.
Randy you mad man.
(tires squealing)
(laughing)
Have I got the draft.
- [Randy] I got it, I got it, I got it.
- [Justin] Come on baby.
- Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa - Yeah!
(engines revving)
(groan)
I don't know how,
how I beat him on that one.
(laughing)
I though you had me.
(upbeat music)
Well Randy that was outrageous.
It was like a 10 lap race jam packed
into one intense lap of shoot out.
I don't think I've ever done anything like that.
Employed all my skills in such
a short period of time, crazy.
- It reminds me of early in my career.
You know I started in autocross.
That was one car at a time against the clock.
Right, and I was good at it.
I've won six national championships.
I knew how to drive,
but you know what I didn't know how to race.
It's a very different deal.
It raises a whole new level of awareness
and risk, I didn't know what you were going to do.
- But what happens now.
That's not what--
- That's desperation.
I knew there's a chance.
Stick it down the inside right at the last corner,
the last lap.
The run to the checker I was in so hot
I couldn't get the power down.
- All I did was I saw you on the inside.
The minute you did the move I saw you go sideways
and I thought you know I'm going
to drag race you to the finish.
- And when you said you saw me,
that's the key.
Getting into the drivers vision
before he enters the corner is how you make a clean pass.
It's just that simple
because when a person is entering the corner,
they're not looking in their mirrors anymore.
They're looking at the apex.
I got in there but I had to brake
so late to do it I couldn't hold it.
- I think it's called being predictably unpredictable
and he is Randy Pobst by the way
so I knew he was going to try and pull a move.
But it was great fun.
A crazy race.
- Well, from here
we're going to New Jersey and I got another shot.
- You mean I'm not fired?
- Not yet.
(casual music)
Here we are at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
It's a new circuit.
Well it's got two circuits.
Thunderbolt on the far side and this is Lightning.
- [Justin] And of course you actually have raced here right?
- Last year I came here
and did an endurance race.
I started one car, finished another,
and passed my myself for the win
right there at the finish line.
- There is more to that story.
Maybe over a beer you can tell me
all the juicy details.
But obviously this is turn one.
I've never been here but I can tell, a lot of compression.
- You come down that straight away,
I think the RCFs are going to be running better
than 130 miles an hour.
And this corner goes steeply uphill
and the car just runs into it
like a ball into a catcher's mitt.
Great grip on the way in
but then when you hit the crest,
if you hit that wrong where do you end up?
- All the way in those trees.
- Right in those trees.
- Wow we don't want to do that,
but obviously at Road America I had pole.
Inside line at the start.
It's your turn here.
- It's my turn Justin.
- And this is a pretty good overtaking spot.
- It's one of two here at the Lightning circuit.
- Okay, turn one, nine more to go.
What else you got for me?
- Oh no, you're one up in the shoot out.
Have a nice walk.
(lounge music)
(knocking)
What?
- Thanks mate for that little morning warm up.
- Oh, yeah you bet, you bet.
- I got it now.
Oh and have I mentioned that I have
a ton of laps in the RCF?
- You'll need 'em.
After all I finished first
and second here in the same race.
Justin what's different about the RCFs
we have here in New Jersey
versus the GSFs at Road America?
- In theory not much.
Obviously two doors, versus four.
Same engine, same horsepower.
Pretty much the same drivetrain.
Slightly different format on the electronics.
More dynamic aggressive stance to this one
but you're just going to
find this a little bit more edgy.
- Well I love the way that motor sounds
at high revs.
- Yeah you should, because the exhaust come out the rear
which is where you are.
- Keep talking buddy, keep talking.
(ominous music)
(car starting)
(rock music) (engines revving)
- [Announcer] Three, two, one, go.
(rock music) (engines revving)
(cheer)
(rock music)
(laughing)
- Good move into one.
- Ah I've got to go down the inside here, ah.
(rock music)
Oh how did I do that, whoo hoo.
(engine revving)
Oh you've got to tuck the nose in here.
- I'm good here.
(engines revving)
Come on, come on, let's go.
(motors humming)
Let's go, right side.
That was close.
(laughing)
English son of a gun.
- Oh he's got the run of me, no.
(rock music)
God that was a good exit.
(motors humming)
- [Randy] Hoo, ha ha, yeah buddy.
- Okay he certainly schooled me there, jeez.
If you're going to lose you might as well lose to him.
Okay you schooled me.
Sorry about the blocking.
- I think I cleaned all the dust off your back bumper.
- [Justin] You did right.
- I could hear the motor real clearly.
- Do you know there is an absence
of a Racing Line rule book?
- Yeah there's no rule book on this show.
- And it's a one lap shoot out so I had to get it done
and you were so quick over that right hand brow.
- I was right up your back bumper
so I hung it out to the left
to pull you down into the hairpin.
- [Justin] Yeah and I went left.
- [Randy] So I went back right.
- [Justin] Yeah and I reacted right.
- So I cut it back inside.
- And then I slammed the door shut.
- Justin that's three moves.
People you only get one move.
When you're leading the race
and there's a guy on your butt,
you can go left, you can go right,
and you're committed to that.
Guy behind you can do whatever he wants though.
- Yeah you definitely can't make more than one in reaction,
but you know what it cost me.
The minute you suckered me to go left,
I knew I had a terrible corner entry.
I had this awful exit, I'm sideways up on the curb.
- It wasn't that bad.
- And then I'm pretty compromised.
- But I got a run on ya and got it back in the lead.
- Which you held all the way to the checkered flag.
- Yeah I did.
- Which by the way congratulations,
a great victory.
- Thank you Justin.
So now it's one and one in the shoot out
and onto Sonoma.
(wind)
- What happened to Sonoma then?
- Well Justin you're too quick.
I've done a whole lot of hot laps here
in Motor Trend's best drivers car for eight years.
Had a good win here in 2012 in the Volvo
in Pirelli world challenge.
Won the first race I ever did at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
(ding)
Figured I need a little home court advantage.
- Have I ever mentioned that I clinched
the FIA GT2 world championship, right here.
- So much for the home court advantage.
- So I suppose you changed the car too.
- Well we got a Lexus LC 500.
See if you handle that.
- Think I can.
Let's get suited and booted.
(dramatic music)
No wonder you're always late.
(western music)
- So Mazda Raceway.
And it's one to one.
We've had a lot of fun,
but this time it's serious.
I want to win this.
I have to win this.
I'm the Motor Trend hot lap guy.
- I've got to say I've gone from
wanting to beat Randy to really wanting to beat Randy.
The trouble is,
he's really good on this track.
But, I really want to win.
- If I hit my apex I'm going to have a good exit speed.
We're driving cars that are identical.
He's not going to be able to pass me.
Just hit the marks, focus.
(engines revving)
- [Announcer] Five, four, three,
two, one, go.
(action music)
- [Justin] Oh no. (engine revving)
- Got a good start, got a good start.
(engines revving)
Got a great start.
(laughing)
(engines revving)
(cheer)
(engines revving)
Oh just get those apexes.
Trail the brake until you hit the apex.
(engines revving)
- Come on JB you've got to try and position it.
(motors humming)
I've got to make it better here.
(motors humming)
- [Randy] No, ah down the inside.
(motors humming)
- [Justin] Hold it up the hill.
(engines revving)
He won't like that.
(motors humming)
- [Randy] Corkscrew.
(laughing)
- [Justin] What's he doing there?
That was beautiful.
Oh can I do it, I think I,
(motors humming)
oh, no.
He's out wide, he's out wide.
Can I do it.
(engines revving)
JB.
(motors humming)
More patience.
(motors humming)
(tires squealing)
- All right finish line, finish line.
Here we go.
(laughing)
Whoo, ha.
(motors humming)
(cheer)
- [Justin] Well.
- Justin thanks for giving me a race man.
- I was second, I really wanted a win.
I was in the car before the start going,
I'm going to win this, I'm going to beat
the man on his track, but,
you know what finishing second to you
isn't such a bad thing I got to say.
- Well it wasn't easy
and that's what racing's all about man.
We're just scratching the surface.
- But I think for me the telling moment
was through the corkscrew,
once you did that very committed pass,
it was all over because you were focused.
- Well I had to pay you back.
- Yeah that's true.
- And then from the top of the corkscrew
all the way to the finish line it was apex,
apex, apex, focus.
I knew with identical cars,
that if I hit the apex and got a good exit,
there was no way you were going to get around me.
- But you know what this means?
- You want another shot Justin?
- Of course I want another shot.
- Well I like how you really make me push.
- The question is: what are we going to drive
and what track are we going to go to?
- Well let's find out next time with Randy Pobst
on The Racing Line.
- With Justin Bell.
(tense music)

The Racing Line Shootout: Randy Pobst vs. Justin Bell

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