B/R Exclusive: SPEED's Bob Varsha on the 24 Hours of Daytona

Joining me is SPEED TV’s Bob Varsha. Bob’s duties include calling Formula 1 races, hosting Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction coverage, and is frequently on the SPEED Report. This weekend though he’s in Daytona for the Rolex 24 Hours.

Bob, welcome and thanks for your time.

BV: My pleasure, Adam. Good to be with you.

AA: Alright let’s start with the 24 Hours of Daytona. This is the premier event in American sports car racing. How long have you been covering this race?

BV: Well Adam this was actually one of the first major international events I came to. The first time was 1984 I believe and it’s been pretty much every year since. Not every year consecutively, but it’s always a thrill to come down here to Daytona and get out of the winter weather and just get back to racing.

Everyone has a little cabin fever after the off season no matter how long or short it might have been. So to get back down here and smell the brakes, and the oil, and the tires, and the engine exhaust – it’s a real rite of Spring and I’m sure a lot of people that come down here will agree with that.

AA: How has the 24 Hours changed over the time you’ve covered it?

BV: Well, you know if you ask any driver in the field who has experience the first thing they tell you (it) is so much faster. You know back in the day old hands like Hurley Haywood – who’s going for a sixth victory here in the 24 Hours – back then the idea was just to preserve the car. Stay out of trouble, run to a pace that’s maybe a couple of seconds off your qualifying speed – be there when the race finishes.

That’s still the case but it has become so competitive, and the cars here in the Grand Am Rolex Series are so evenly matched that’s it’s basically a sprint now for the entire 24 hours. The key thing is to maintain your speed, again stay out of trouble, and stay out of the pit lane.

I believe last years’ winner with Ganassi Racing spent just an astonishingly small amount of time to do 25 or so pit stops. I mean they were barely in the pits for thirty minutes of the entire 24 hours. It really was a charmed run for them, and that’s why they’re going for an unprecedented fourth in a row here – something nobody has ever done. In fact nobody had ever won three until Ganassi did last year. I think their secret is go fast and stay out of the pit lane.

AA: Your perspective – the difference between the 24 Hours at Daytona and the 24 Hours at Le Mans?

BV:

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