Rogér Andrey — Racecraft Forged in the Golden Era of Analog Motorsport

Rogér Andrey was born into one of America’s great sports car racing families. His father, Gaston Andrey, was a seven-time National Champion whose career placed him among the legends of international motorsport.

In 1958, Gaston competed in the legendary Gran Premio de Cuba alongside Sir Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Wolfgang von Trips, Phil Hill, and Porfirio Rubirosa. The event became one of the most famous races in history after Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped by Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries on the eve of the race.

Gaston Andrey’s accomplishments also included victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring with two different factory-backed teams. In 1957, he won driving for Chevrolet’s Corvette racing program, and in 1966 he returned to victory driving for the Alfa Romeo factory Autodelta team in the Alfa Romeo TZ2. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he competed against many of the greatest drivers of the era while helping establish sports car racing in America.

Growing up in that environment gave Rogér an education few drivers could ever experience. Race tracks became his classroom. Rather than learning about motorsport from books, he watched legendary drivers perform at the highest level. He witnessed the unforgettable Trans-Am battles featuring Mark Donohue, Peter Revson, George Follmer, Horst Kwech, Bert Everett, and many of the icons who defined American road racing. When Rogér was old enough to compete, he began his formal driver training at Skip Barber Racing School. His instructor, Bruce MacInnes, emphasized the smooth, disciplined techniques that had been refined by drivers such as Mark Donohue. There Rogér developed one of the most important fundamentals of advanced race driving—trail braking—and learned that speed comes from precision rather than aggression.

He continued his education through SCCA competition, driving his father’s Tiga Sports 2000 under Gaston Andrey’s constant guidance. Gaston taught him lessons that extended far beyond lap times: how to drive with mechanical sympathy, preserve the car, remain smooth under pressure, and extract maximum performance through efficiency instead of abuse.

Those lessons prepared Rogér for the opportunity to race Gaston Andrey’s Tiga GTP Light prototype powered by the highly regarded Mazda 13B racing engine. His professional debut came at the IMSA Daytona Three-Hour Finale, where, as an IMSA rookie, he competed under the close observation of IMSA officials against one of the strongest fields of sports car drivers assembled. The grid included IMSA legends Al Holbert, Bob Tullius, Hurley Haywood, Bob Akin, John Morton, and James Weaver, together with international Group C stars Brian Redman, David Hobbs, Bob Wollek, Jo Gartner, and IndyCar champions A.J. Foyt, Bobby Rahal, John Andretti, and Ludwig Heimrath Jr.

That experience opened the door to many of the world’s greatest endurance races, including the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, along with legendary circuits such as Lime Rock Park and Watkins Glen. It also provided the extraordinary opportunity to share the track with the iconic Porsche 962, Jaguar XJR prototypes, and many of the machines that defined the golden age of sports car racing.

Learning Racecraft in the Analog IMSA GTP Era

The IMSA GTP prototypes of the 1980s remain among the most demanding race cars ever built because virtually none of today’s electronic driver aids existed. There was no traction control, no ABS, no stability management, and no electronic systems to compensate for mistakes.

Everything depended upon the driver.

Grip was never displayed on a screen—it was something the driver learned to feel. Aerodynamic downforce increased dramatically with speed, transforming the car from nervous at lower speeds into an incredibly stable machine at over 170 mph. Yet under braking, that aerodynamic grip disappeared almost instantly, demanding extraordinary precision as braking forces, weight transfer, and available grip constantly changed. Every corner required continuous adaptation. Entering the turn, the front tires carried the load under heavy braking. Mid-corner, the chassis settled into balance. On exit, weight transferred rearward as throttle application determined whether the car accelerated cleanly or exceeded the available grip.

The steering wheel transmitted minute changes in tire loading. The brake pedal revealed available grip. The throttle required millimeter precision. Engine sound, chassis vibration, and suspension movement all became sources of information.

The driver became the computer.

For Rogér Andrey, the greatest lesson from competing in the analog IMSA era—particularly behind the wheel of the Alba-Ferrari—was not simply learning to drive fast. It was learning to understand what the race car was communicating before it ever reached its limit.

Racecraft was built through observation, discipline, experience, and mechanical understanding. Every input had to be deliberate. Every correction had to be smooth. The objective was not merely to control the car, but to work in harmony with it.

Driver and machine became one.

That philosophy continues to define Rogér Andrey today. His understanding of Ferrari and historically significant sports cars is rooted not only in decades of ownership and brokerage, but in firsthand experience competing against some of the greatest drivers and race cars of one of motorsport’s most celebrated eras.