Robert "Bob" Hebert

Robert “Bob” Hebert, passed away on August 14, 2024. He died peacefully with his family at his side, just a few miles from Lime Rock Park, a place where he enjoyed many great weekends of racing, and the company of wonderful lifelong friends.

Bob was born in his parent’s house, Arthur and Hazel Hebert, in the center of Monterey, Massachusetts on June 1, 1935. He attended the one room schoolhouse there through the 9th grade. He graduated from Searles HIgh School and later took over the family construction business, Hebert Construction. He would go on to employ many local families building lakes, dams, roads, bridges, and more.

In 1958 he married Linda Rabiner of Pittsfield. In 1959 their daughter, Cindy, was born. Son Art arrived two years later in 1961. Together Bob and Linda restored and expanded their 18th century former boarding house, barn, and shop, “Ledgehurst,” in Monterey. There they raised their family and ran both their construction and real estate operations.

In the 1960’s Bob and Linda built an A-Frame home on Lake Garfield and spent their summers there. Bob, already a successful speed boat racer, challenged himself on the lake by doing tricks off a floating jump that he built. He could also balance himself standing on a stool on a saucer behind a boat.

Bob’s need-for-speed, and for greater challenges, led to auto racing. In early 1968, he bought an open wheel Lotus Formula Ford. He was so excited that he drove the Lotus right through the center of Monterey in the snow! Bob later got sent home early from racing school with his license after beating his instructors.

Bob quickly went on to become a factory team racing driver for Lotus. That career would see him race in the pro Formula B series in the U.S., Canada, Columbia, and Venezuela against some of the best drivers in the world. Bob’s racing career took a hiatus in the mid-1970’s to concentrate on the construction business and raising his family. However, he would return.

In the 1990’s Bob teamed up with Brian Donovan to race vintage Jaguar E-Type cars. Their successes lead to Jaguar sponsoring the team in the 2000’s. Bob’s son joined the team and together they raced across the U.S., from Laguna Seca to Lime Rock, to Daytona. Bob also raced at the 24 Hours of Daytona multiple times, including in a Dodge Viper for a French team, and finished 6th in class in a prototype Argo Mazda. He also won the vintage race at Daytona driving an ex-Briggs Cunningham 1959 Lister Jaguar.

Bob won over 100 races in his career. He was voted SVRA Driver of the Year. He was inducted into the Road Racing Drivers Club along with such others as Mario Andretti and Stirling Moss. Today two of Bob’s four grandchildren continue his racing legacy. All of them learned to drive in Grampa Bob’s backyard at Ledgehust.

Bob is survived by Linda, Cindy, Art, his daughter-in-law Heather, and his grandchildren Ryan, Matt, Gunnar and Lindsey.

He was our hero. To send remembrances to his family please go to www.finnertyandstevens.com