Spencer Pumpelly
Spencer Pumpelly (born December 28, 1974 in Arlington, Virginia) is an American race car driver.
Currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, Pumpelly is active in the American Le Mans Series, Rolex Sports Car Series[1] and the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Spencer drove for Flying Lizard Motorsports and BGB Motorsports during the 2013 season.
Racing career
Pumpelly made his professional debut in the 1998 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona driving a GT1 Class Camaro entered by Diablo Racing. Later he partnered with Chris Mitchum to form Pumpelly/Mitchum racing where he competed in sport car racing events in a tube frame Porsche 911 until the team ran out of funding in 2000. During this period Spencer began working as an instructor for the Skip Barber Racing School.
Zip Racing
While teaching at Skip Barber, Spencer met Steven Ivankovic who helped him form Zip Pumpelly Racing which later became Zip Racing and then Hazardous Sports. Partnering with Ivankovic, Rick DiIorio, Tom Pumpelly, Randy Pobst, and Andy Lally, Spencer competed in the Rolex Sport Car Series as well as the American Le Mans Series in the GT class securing a his first victory in 2001 at Trios Rivieres.
After the demise of Hazardous Sports at the end of 2003 Spencer drove for several teams in the sports car ranks including Synergy Racing, Race Prep Motorsports, Marshal Cooke Racing, and TPC Racing where he and his teammates collected a victory in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was his performance and win at the 24 Hours of Daytona that vaulted Spencer into the upper ranks of sports car racing in the U.S., and a highly sought after coach for racers such as Duncan Ende, Bob Doyle, and James Norman, MD who were also racing the Porsche GT3.
The Racer's Group (TRG)
At the end of 2006 Spencer was brought in to help Andy Lally and Marc Bunting secure the Grand-Am Rolex GT championship in the final 9 hour race at Miller Motorsports Park. The trio took the class victory and Spencer was invited back to drive full-time for TRG in 2007, where he continued to drive as the team's Porsche specialist thru the 2012 season in both ALMS and Grand-Am. During that period, partnering with Andy Lally, he claimed 2 GT victories in the 6 Hours at the Glen and the GT Victory at the 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona (his second win in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Daytona).
In addition to winning the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2011, Spencer also finished second at the 12 Hours of Sebring, also for TRG. With two more wins and 4 podiums in ALMS, Spencer finished tied for second in the 2011 ALMS championship standing. In 2011 he competed for the first time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTE-Am class driving for Flying Lizard Motorsports, leading the race at the 18-hour mark until the car failed.
Flying Lizard Motorsports
Following two appearances for Flying Lizard Motorsports in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011 and 2012, Pumpelly was hired to drive alongside team principal Seth Neiman in the team's American Le Mans Series GT Challenge Class Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for the 2013 season.
Personal life
Spencer lives with his wife Lindsay, son Ryder, and daughter Parker in Atlanta GA. He has been a vegetarian since 2003 and a vegan[2] since 2010, meaning he does not eat any products that come from an animal, including dairy products, eggs or honey. During a visit to the Farm Sanctuary in June 2011, Spencer was quoted, “I’m honored to support Farm Sanctuary and the people who are devoted to defending others.”
He also holds a commercial helicopter pilot's license.
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |  Flying Lizard Motorsports |
Seth Neiman Darren Law |
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | GTE Am |
211 | DNF | DNF |
| 2012 | Flying Lizard Motorsports |
Seth Neiman Darren Law |
Porsche 997 GT3-RSR | GTE Am |
313 | 27th | 4th |
| 2014 |  JMW Motorsport |
 Abdulaziz Al-Faisal Seth Neiman |
Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | GTE Am |
327 | 27th | 7th |
References
- ↑ http://www.grand-am.com/drivers/driver.cfm?series=r&did=2144 Verified January 23, 2012.
- ↑ "Vegans in NASCAR? What the Daggum…?". TimesUnion. August 17, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2013.