Randy Lanier

Randy Thomas Lanier (born 1954) is a convicted drug trafficker from the United States. He is also known for his car racing efforts in the mid-1980s, including winning the 1984 IMSA Camel GT title for the wholly independent Blue Thunder Racing team, and for being arrested for marijuana smuggling in 1988 to support his racing efforts.

Personal life Lanier was born in 1954 in Lynchburg, Virginia to a family of tobacco farmers.

In 1976, Lanier married his wife Pam. They had a daughter, Brandie in 1980 and a son Glen in 1987, who was named after Lanier's younger brother who was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 16. He has other siblings as well.

In 1986, Lanier became romantically involved with Maria De La Luz Maggi, and she accompanied him during his time as a fugitive. In 1993, Maggi was convicted of money laundering, and by the time she was released from prison in 1999, the two were divorced.

Some time after his 2014 release from prison, Lanier moved in with his ex-wife, Pam, and the two are planning to marry. According to a 2021 Netflix documentary about Lanier, "Need For Weed", he is a brand ambassador for a medical marijuana company and plans to continue racing with them as a sponsor.

Motorsports career Lanier began his motorsport career in 1978, following a meeting with the Sports Car Club of America at an auto show taking place in Miami Beach Convention Center on how to make a start in racing, he bought himself a 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster, where he used it to compete in E Production at the SCCA Southeast Regional Championship, eventually winning the class in 1980.

Lanier made his IMSA Camel GT series debut at the 1981 Daytona Finale, partnering with Dale Whittington, finishing 30th. The following season at the 24 Hours of Daytona, he was approached by a crew member for the North American Racing Team to fill in for Janet Guthrie, who was unable to race due to illness. Partnering with Bob Wollek and Edgar Dören, the trio ran in 3rd place for 18 hours until their run ended

Lanier was invited by the same team to partner with Preston Henn and Denis Morin at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, At Lanier's fifth race at the 6 Hours of Mosport, he brought an ex-works March 82G Chevrolet, scoring his first podium finish with a third, and then another at the Mid-Ohio 6 Hours.

In 1984, after driving for a variety of teams in the previous seasons, including a second place at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Lanier formed his own team, Blue Thunder Racing, with Bill Whittington and crew chief Keith Leyton consisting of two March GTPs. he took six wins, enough to score a driver's championship with one race to remain along with the Most Improved Driver award, despite having a lack of sponsorship and being a wholly independent team, unsupported by March Engineering.

Lanier began to focus on his Indycar career, with the hope of winning the Indianapolis 500. His final race was at the Michigan 500 where he collided into a wall at 214 MPH following a tire blow out, breaking his right femur and shortly after this, he was arrested. Prior to that, he drove in 18 CART races in 1985 and 1986.

A year after his release from federal custody, Lanier returned to the track, coaching and racing with Rally Baby Racing, and the Road & Track teams in BMW E30s at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the American Endurance Racing series.

Drug conviction and imprisonment Lanier's presence in Florida during his youth has been suggested as a potential precursor to his later involvement in the drug trade. and Ben Kramer, owner of Apache boats; and twelve others ran a multi-million dollar drug empire between 1982 and 1986 when the arrest took place. Kramer was the great-nephew and one of the putative heirs of a top boss of the U.S. crime syndicate, Meyer Lansky.

A week prior to the Indy time trials, his former driving partner Bill Whittington was arrested and Lanier's name began to surface. Shortly after his Indy 500 drive, he made his largest haul Ronald Harris Ball, was arrested and denied bail. believed to be worth $68 million by prosecutors and was due to be sentenced when he disappeared.

Lanier was believed to have fled to Puerto Rico, but fled first to France, where he went into hiding in Monte Carlo, and later went into hiding in Antigua, where he kept properties, He was initially placed in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary and was later transferred to the higher security United States Penitentiary I in Coleman. He spent his time in prison exercising, playing chess and answering letters sent by race fans.

Maggi, who married Lanier on August 31, 1990, at Oxford Federal Correctional Institution in Wisconsin.,

She was released in 1999: by that time she was no longer married to Lanier.

Release from prison

Otherwise serving a life sentence, for reasons undisclosed under sealed motions, Lanier was scheduled to be released from prison, with a discharge date of October 15, 2014, which was reportedly confirmed to Autoweek magazine insiders by Jim Porter, first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. The Federal Bureau of Prisons website also confirmed Lanier's date of discharge conditional to the requirement that he spend six months in a halfway house before entering a three-year period of supervised release where he would be disallowed alcohol and firearms. Lanier stated that he had a job awaiting him at a classic car museum in Florida, said to be for Preston Henn, owner of Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop.

In 2015, Lanier took part in a race in Mid Ohio, driving for Rally Baby Racing, which was covered in-depth by Road & Track magazine.

Motorsports career results

American open–wheel racing results (key)

CART Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points Ref 1985 Arciero Racing Lola T900 Cosworth DFX V8 t LBH INDY MIL POR MEA CLE MCH ROA POC MOH SAN MCH LAG PHX MIA 41st 0 1986 Arciero Racing March 86C Cosworth DFX V8 t PHX LBH INDY MIL POR MEA CLE TOR MCH POC MOH SAN MCH ROA LAG PHX MIA 20th 21

Indianapolis 500 results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Class No Tyres Car Team Co-Drivers Laps Pos. ClassPos. 1982 GTX 73 Ferrari 512BB/LMFerrari 4.9L Flat-12 NART/T-Bird Racing Preston Henn Denis Morin 43 49th 10th

Complete IMSA GT results