DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Alwin Springer, whose name is synonymous with Porsche's decades-long racing heritage, was honored by the Road Racing Drivers Club with the 2025 Phil Hill Award. The 2019 award recipient, RRDC President Bobby Rahal, made the presentation at the annual RRDC members’ dinner on January 21 prior to the 64th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The Phil Hill Award has been presented annually since 1993 to the person who the RRDC feels has rendered outstanding service to road racing. The recipient may be a driver, entrant, an outstanding member of a sanctioning body or has contributed highly to the legacy of the sport.
Alwin Springer image courtesy of Porsche Motorsport
It is named in honor of America's first Formula 1 World Champion (in 1961), and is not only a tribute to his masterful accomplishments on the race track, it also recognizes his contributions as a great ambassador for the sport. Hill passed away in 2008.
Today, German-born Alwin Springer, in his semi-retirement, lists his "occupation" as "consultant, Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA), Historic Department," which is the culmination of his longtime work with Porsche and its race teams since 1965, when he was first a technician at VW/Porsche Canada in Toronto following tech school graduation.
He soon took a job as chief technician at Vasek Polak Racing in Hermosa Beach, California, fielding a variety of Porsche models in club racing events and a normally-aspirated 917 and a turbo 917 in the 1971-73 Can-Am Series.
By 1975 his expertise with Porsches helped him launch ANDIAL Road & Racing in Costa Mesa, California, with partners Arnold Wagner and Dieter Inzenhofer. The trio established ANDIAL as the leading USA independent shop for Porsche street cars and the most successful racing engine-rebuilding facility. ANDIAL-prepared engines have won numerous long-distance races and IMSA championships from 1976-1996.
Springer and ANDIAL achieved success with such teams as Gunnar Racing, Preston Henn's Swap Shop, Al Holbert Racing, Bayside Racing, Dauer Racing, B.F. Goodrich Racing, Bob Akin Racing, A.J. Foyt Racing, Brun Racing and Dyson Racing, which dominated IMSA competition from 1984-89.
In 1989, until 1996, he became general manager for PMNA in Santa Ana, California, having transferred his ANDIAL shares to his partners. In 1997 he was named President and CEO of PMNA in Santa Ana, and in 2004 he took on the position of consultant to PMNA in the Rules and Regulations and Historic Departments.
From 2022-25, he continued as a consultant to Porsche AG in Weissach, Germany, on the Porsche Penske 963 IMSA program.
His history with Porsche is clearly legendary.
The Phil Hill Award. (Brian Clery image)
"This is an awesome award and it represents something so special in racing," said Rahal. "To me, Phil Hill was not only a great driver, he was a true gentleman and a great proponent of the sport. He represented motor racing to the world, especially in this country, in such a manner, such a fashion, that is something you had to admire.
"We've had a lot of great recipients of the Phil Hill Award over the years, and this year's honoree is no different," Rahal added. "I have tremendous respect for Alwin Springer. I met him probably when I first started racing in IMSA with the Turbo Porsches in 1980. Alwin was the guy. If you raced Porsches, Alwin was the guy you really looked to. I'm really proud and really happy that tonight we're honoring my good friend."
"It is wonderful to stand here in front of you and receive the prestigious Phil Hill Award," said Springer, who was joined for the evening by his longtime supporter and wife Yolande. "This is more than an honor. I can tell you that, for me, it's one of the highlights of my career because I have been here many times in the evenings and I saw the trophy going to some very good friends of mine. And I have to tell you that I'm sitting here and receiving it and it's something special. And what I really like is that a lot of my friends are here to share the moment with me and that means a lot to me. Thank you.
"The most important part of the RRDC are the champion race-car drivers who are members. And so I'm very nicely surprised that you guys picked me to receive the Phil Hill Award for this year."
NBC sports commentator and RRDC member Leigh Diffey conducted an interview with Springer covering insider stories from Springer's time with numerous top teams on the sports-car circuit, commenting, "For those of you in the room who aren't 83 (Springer's age) and might be a little bit younger and may not be so familiar with Alwin, this guy's relationship with Porsche is like fish and chips. It's like peanut butter and jelly. It's just synonymous. His name and the brand and what he's done in this sport is incredible."
Past RRDC Phil Hill Award Winners include:
1993 John Bishop
1994 Juan Manuel Fangio II
1995 Leo Mehl
1996 Charlie Slater
1997 Danny Sullivan
1998 Rob Dyson
1999 Bob Fergus
2000 Elliott Forbes Robinson
2001 Bill France
2002 Jim Downing
2003 Derek Bell
2004 Brian Redman
2005 Jim France
2006 Roger Werner
2007 Skip Barber
2008 Roger Penske
2009 Bob Bondurant
2010 Nick Craw
2011 Rick Mears
2012 George Follmer
2013 Peter Brock
2014 Hurley Haywood
2015 Vic Elford
2016 Scott Pruett
2017 Chip Ganassi
2018 David Hobbs
2019 Bobby Rahal
2020 Jack Roush
2021 Scott Atherton
2022 Mark Raffauf
2023 Bob Riley
2024 Mike Shank
About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club's membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.
In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar – www.SAFEisFAST.com – featuring RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers' questions on the site in a feature called 'Ask a Pro.'
Bobby Rahal is President, John Fergus is Vice President/Treasurer and John Clagett is Secretary.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org.
Road Racing Drivers Club | rrdc.org
ARTICLE BY: Judy Stropus