Robb Holland

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Location
Denver, Colorado
Expertise
Motorsports, Porsche, Modern and historic racecars
  • A chance email to newly anointed Jalopnik editor, Matt Hardigree way back in 2011 led Robb to write the "Grocery Getter" series and from there become a semi regular contributor to Jalopnik.
  • He once wrote a feature about taking a salvage Z06 Corvette and turning it into a Pikes Peak hillclimb race car in 45 days.
  • In one of his favorite pieces for Jalopnik, Robb called out Elon Musk when he highlighted Telsa's attempt to beat Porsches EV record at the Nurburgring.

Experience

Robb has worked as a freelance automotive journalist for the past decade and a half starting off with a series of posts Jalopnik about building and racing Volvos. From there he went on and has written for The Drive, Racecar Engineering, Road & Track, Grassroots Motorsports and Autoblog. He is also an accomplished, professional, racecar driver, racing in such diverse series as the Nurburgring endurance series, World and British touring Car, and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb where was the time attack class champion in 2025. He currently is the host of "The Joy of Racing" on Racer Network.

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Stories By Robb Holland

  • Porsche
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    The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Is Race-Car Fast, But Approachable For Anybody

    What can I say about the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 RS that hasn’t already been said? It takes everything that was good with the 991.2 version — and there was much good stuff — and pushes it to the extreme. The 2023 GT3 RS’s full active aero system and the on-the-fly, driver-adjustable damper system are without peer. Porsche turned up the wick on the 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine, now making 525 horsepower, and the gearing in the 7-speed PDK automatic gearbox has been tuned s

    By Robb Holland
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  • Audi
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    The 2023 Audi R8 GT Is A 602-HP Tribute To V-10s And Rear-Wheel Drive

    Since 2006, the R8 has been the top dog in Audi’s performance lineup. Powered by a 5.2-liter V-10 shared with its Italian corporate cousin the Lamborghini Huracan, the R8 has remained one of the most enjoyable and livable supercars available on the market today. After a decade and a half, it’s time to say goodbye to the venerable V-10, but Audi’s top brass weren’t about to send it off to the dustbin of history without a proper farewell. So let’s welcome the limited-edition R8 GT — the alpha amon

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    Driving Audi's Dakar-Tackling Electric Truck, The RS Q E-Tron

    Vorsprung durch Technik — “progress through technology” — has been Audi Sport’s slogan since its formation in 1981. During that time Audi has been one of the most prolific manufacturers in international motorsports. World Rally Championship, Pikes Peak, Super Touring Cars, DTM, GT racing, Le Mans — Audi has earned victories and championships in almost every form of racing. But there’s one event missing from Audi’s CV. The most grueling off-road race on the planet: Dakar.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    A Race Car Driver's Perspective On NASCAR At The LA Coliseum

    I’m not sure whose idea it was to build a quarter-mile racetrack inside the LA Memorial Coliseum, but I want to shake their hand. The Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum was one of the most entertaining sporting events I’ve been to in a long time. I have no idea how it came across on TV, but I can tell you being there live was an amazing experience. Mix 60,000+ spectators (a fair few of whom had never been to a NASCAR race I’m guessing) and more than 20 stock cars in a stadium designed for footbal

    By Robb Holland
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  • Porsche
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    GT3 Vs GT3 Cup: Head To Head

    Earlier this year I wrote a post on Porsche’s new 992 GT3. I started off that post talking about how a lot of manufacturers talk about their cars being “race cars for the street” and how very few of those cars actually live up to that billing, Porsche GT3 being the exception. The problem with that post was that it was all a bunch of bullshit.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    Why I'm Starting A New Diversity Program In Racing

    “Green! Green! Green!” OK. Here we go. Four laps remaining after the restart. My Pirelli tires, as good as they are, are starting to fade under the punishment of 30 minutes of racing a 3,500-pound, high horsepower, rear-wheel-drive car on Sonoma’s notoriously rough circuit. I’m still leading the race but my early five second buffer to the rest of the field is gone. Down to a few car lengths at best. That’s what an ill-timed, late-race, full-course caution will do.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Porsche
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    The 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Is The 911 Honed To Perfection

    There are an awful lot of manufacturers out there talking about their motorsports heritage and how their current sports car is really a “racecar for the streets.” When you dig down into it, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Sure, their racecar might use the stock engine block or the headlights from the street model, but when it comes down to it that’s as deep as the connection goes. Porsche, however, is one of only a very few manufacturers that can directly make the connection between its factory race

    By Robb Holland
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  • News
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    12.42 Miles, 4,725 Feet Of Elevation, 156 Corners, And Three Fucking Seconds

    The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the most insane and dangerous races I have ever done in my career. With high-speed corners obscured by century-old trees, 140 mph blasts along a cliff’s edge and high-speed corners with only sky as your reference point, it challenges every skill I’ve ever earned as a driver. It is also one of the most addicting races I’ve ever competed in, unsurprisingly for those same reasons.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    What To Watch For In This Years Pikes Peak Hillclimb

    The 2020 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was always going to be interesting, unlike any other in the race’s history. Starting with last year’s decision to no longer run motorcycles following the death of star rider Carlin Dunne, the event was already in historically uncharted waters. Then came the coronavirus and the announced postponement of the 2020 hillclimb, originally scheduled to run at the end of June.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    Racing Recap Roundup For The Weekend Of July 11

    Welcome back to the second edition of Racing Recap Roundups from our friend Robb Holland. It was another busy weekend of motorsport action with F1, NASCAR, endurance and sprint sports cars, and an IndyCar double header. If you missed any of the action, here’s a quick look at what happened this weekend.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    Racing Recap Roundup For The Weekend Of July 4th

    We’re going to try something new here this week. This weekend’s full schedule of racing was a breath of fresh air after months without our favorite motorsport series running at all. Formula One finally returned, IndyCar and NASCAR shared a track weekend for the first time in history, and IMSA shipped off back to Daytona. Every time you turned around, there was another great race to watch. Well, We’ve got a recap of all the action straight from the typing fingers of a bonafide racer. Without furt

    By Robb Holland
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  • Jalopnik Explains
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    I Have All-Wheel Drive. Do I Really Need Winter Tires?

    Every time snow season rolls around I get inundated with questions on how effective winter tires really are versus standard, run-of-the-mill all seasons that come factory standard on almost every car you buy these days. Ironically, I get the most questions on this topic from people who have all-wheel-drive cars. The ongoing misconception is that if you have AWD you don’t need to upgrade to winter tires.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Technology
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    The Most Revolutionary Thing About The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 May Be The Carbon Fiber Wheels

    The new 760 horsepower 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is an impressively long-named machine. But as production cars hit levels of power previously considered unreachable, we are coming to a point of diminishing returns. Our ability to create titanic power is outstripping our ability to put said power to the ground without massive amounts of electronic intervention. Intervention, which by its very nature, reduces power in order to maintain traction.

    By Robb Holland
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  • BMW
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    2020 BMW M8 Competition: So Good It Was Worth The Long Wait

    Twenty-five years ago, the King of the Hill at BMW was the 8 Series coupe. It’s a crowd-pleaser at Radwood today, but it was a tough sell back in the day. That didn’t stop fans from wondering when BMW would make a full-on M version of that car—something that only happened in prototype form.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    Here's What Happened With Tesla's Ambitious First Attempt At The Nürburgring

    Once again, Tesla has defied expectations. After wrapping up its first-ever Nürburgring test this week and heading home to America, it’s pulled off an apparent hand-timed seven minute, 24 second lap in one of its Model S test cars, a mere second slower than the attempt at the beginning of this week—but still nearly 20 seconds quicker than the electric Porsche Taycan. And it bodes well for an exciting upcoming electric war at the world’s most famous race track.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Culture
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    The Nürburgring Is No Place For Elon Musk's Bullshit

    Let me start off by saying I like Tesla. I really do. I was seriously impressed when I first drove a Tesla Roadster over a decade ago. That impression stayed with me all the way through to when I took the first ever lap of a Tesla at the Nürburgring. Tesla makes good, fast cars that I enjoy.

    By Robb Holland
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  • BMW
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    The 2020 BMW 330e Plug-In Hybrid Is Full Of Surprises

    Full disclosure: I’ve never been hugely impressed by any of the hybrids I’ve driven. I like my cars sporty, with power outputs that should make you question their legality. Neither of those characteristics have been typically found in any hybrid I have driven. I figured, then, perhaps I’m not the right guy for BMW to ask to come to Munich and test the new 2020 BMW 330e plug-in hybrid.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Buying
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    With 306 HP, The 2020 Mini JCW Clubman Becomes A Legit Hot Hatchback With Barn Doors

    I underestimated Mini once and I promised myself I would never let that happen again. A few years back I tested the the Mini Cooper S Convertible in Los Angeles. Despite my initial misgivings I ended up really enjoying my time in the car, far more than I expected. You would think that after that experience, I wouldn’t dare prejudge a Mini with 306 horsepower and a sport suspension. You’d be wrong.

    By Robb Holland
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  • Porsche
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    How The Extreme Porsche 911 GT3 RS Compares To The Even Faster Porsche 911 GT2 RS

    I’m going to throw a hypothetical your way. Let’s say that, unlike certain people, you decided not to spend $350,000 (or more) to make sure your spawn—a budding Instagram celebro-shill with less-than-stellar SAT scores—gets into the University of Southern California. Let’s say you decide to spend that money on yourself instead, on an extreme Porsche to enjoy while your kids fend for themselves. Which one do you buy?

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    Jaguar's I-Pace eTROPHY Race Car Does Some Amazing Things With Electricity

    I know that for some who pray to the Gods of Octane it is heresy to say this, but I’ll say it anyway: I like electric vehicles. I spent much of my misguided youth terrorizing the East Coast in electric golf carts and as I grew older that attraction never faded. So when I got the chance to be among the first to drive a Tesla around the Nurburgring Nordschleife in anger, I jumped at the chance. And even its tepid, limp mode lap didn’t dull my enthusiasm. And I’ll let you in on a little secret: lot

    By Robb Holland
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  • BMW
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    The 2019 BMW 8 Series Goes From Clark Kent To Superman

    Just like how Clark Kent and Superman are never in the same place at the same time, the 2019 BMW M850i xDrive shows up on the scene shortly after the 6 Series departs. Coincidence? Is the 8 Series just a replacement for the venerable 6 or, like Superman, something far more special?

    By Robb Holland
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  • Racing
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    How We Transformed A Flooded Salvage Toyota 86 Into A Race Car For Charity

    The idea seemed simple: we find a Toyota 86 that damaged in Hurricane Harvey, and then do whatever it takes to transform it into an endurance race car for a charity event aimed at helping the city’s residents get back on their feet after last fall’s devastating floods. But as with all my ideas, the execution itself was far from simple. Here’s how we pulled it off.

    By Robb Holland
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  • News
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    I'm Turning A Salvage Toyota 86 From Hurricane Harvey Into A Race Car For Charity

    Long after the news cycle moved to Russian Facebook meddling or debates on whether we should arm day care workers with rocket launchers, people from the Gulf Coast are still recovering from the effects of last fall’s devastating Hurricane Harvey. That kind of comeback doesn’t happen overnight. Fortunately, a lot of people are still in the game to try and help, and I’m about to join them the best way I know how—with race cars. A salvage-title race car that’s also a local, to be specific.

    By Robb Holland
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