At 64 years of age, American Robert Doyle (AF2 Motorsport) is the oldest driver in the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany. However, that isn’t going to stop him from being ambitious and working hard to achieve his goals. Doyle is a latecomer to automobile racing, having spent many years of his sporting life on two wheels.
“I was bitten by the Motocross bug when I was a kid. My dad used to compete in this sport and I was about eight to ten years old when I started,” says Robert Doyle. “I was really talented and rode in races all over the USA as a child and in my youth. I was even given time off school to go racing. Only in my mid to late 40s did I stop competing in Motocross. It is a damned dangerous sport and my wife asked me to step away from Motocross.” The fact that Motocross is a sport, in which you can pick up the odd injury here and there is something that Doyle has noticed over the years. “I have had perhaps 20 to 25 operations, including on my knees, shoulders, wrists, elbows,… And sometimes I was lucky it did not turn out worse. I actually broke my helmet in one crash. Despite this, I was back on the bike again a few weeks later.”
He also puts the fact that he has emerged from many crashes without any lasting damage down to his good physical fitness – something he still works on meticulously to this day. “At my age, I have to work hard to keep up with the young guys in the Prototype Cup Germany. I want to perform as well as possible, which is why I also do a lot of fitness training. I also eat very well, thanks to my wife, and am often to be found in my simulator. For me, being a racing driver is more than just a pastime, but a complete lifestyle – and one that I take very seriously.”
He now selects the LMP3 car in the simulator, but the switch from two to four wheels initially saw him line up in a GT racer. “I started with Ferrari Challenge cars in small regional races, but then received an offer to drive at the Rolex 24 in Daytona. That was my first professional automobile race.” That was back in 2010, since when he has raced in the Rolex 24 on a further three occasions. “I have enjoyed all four appearances in Daytona and would like to drive there again.” His greatest success to date as a racing driver came in the six-hour race at Watkins Glen. “It was in 2010, when I won the GT class alongside Spencer Pumpelly and Andy Lally. I drove the first hour and my two team-mates completed the job perfectly.”
Shortly after the LMP3 class was introduced, Doyle’s interest turned to the new prototypes, which immediately appealed to him. But why has his journey brought him to Europe? “I always wanted to race in Europe, having spent my entire career – whether on two wheels or four – in the USA. Plus, I really like the Prototype Cup Germany. I find the format really good, with races lasting about an hour. I am really happy to be driving here and am doing my best to improve all the time. Perhaps I will manage to race alongside my nephew in the Prototype Cup Germany next year. He is 31, works as an engineer, and can do many things in a race car better than I can. He is a talented racing driver.”
However, Robert Doyle also has interests outside of racing, and is not just thinking of himself. “I really cannot complain, as my business as a car dealer is also going very well. I know that that is not the case for many people who were formerly involved in motorsport. They have not managed to make the transition or have simply been unlucky with their business ideas. I want to help them by donating all the money I receive from my sponsors and partners in 2024 to former racing drivers who have fallen upon hard times. I am able to fund my motorsport activities out of my own pocket. I firmly believe that, if you have been very fortunate in life, and continue to be so, then you should give something back.”
