Just Minutes after the start of the 52nd Daytona 24 hours David Hobbs, former British Formula 1 and Endurance racing driver as well as this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona Grand Marshall, commented on the first moments of the race and answered some questions for CARS GLOBALMAG.

“I told them to be careful!” said Hobbs while watching the No. 0 DeltaWing racecar spinning. “At the driver’s meeting I made sure the drivers understood that you don’t win a 24 hours race on the first lap. It is such a tough race when you have almost 70 cars on track and about 200 drivers racing through the day and night. But after a while you get to know the other drivers and you understand which ones you want to stay away from.”

According to Hobbs the new United SportsCar Championship could trigger a new Golden Era in motor sport, particularly in the United States: “I cannot see any down side to this new USCC series. US racing couldn’t be worse than before, when GRAND-AM and American Le Mans Series were separated”.

When asked by CARS GLOBALMAG about a possible US Formula 1 team coming in 2015 or 2016 (NASCAR team co-owner Gene Haas said to be interested), David Hobbs commented: “It will be a great thing to have an American team, but mostly and American driver will make a huge difference. But he will need to driver a competitive car. I feel sorry for Alex Rossi, driving the Catheram, because I would really like to see an American drive for McLaren or Ferrari.”

He continued telling us that another Grand Prix in the United States would be a great thing for Formula 1 worldwide: “They’re talking about the New Jersey street circuit. If they can arrange an event like the night race in Singapore, I think it would be fabulous. The sights and sounds of an event with the New York skyline as background would be terrific!”