The End of an Era

Earlier this weekend, I was deeply saddened to hear the announcement that our American F1 coverage on Speed had not been renewed for next season, instead being bought by NBC, where it will air on NBC Sports Network.

The Motorsports Authority, or whatever.

Since I began watching as a seven year old, with legitimately no knowledge of the sport aside from a Playstation 1 video game and a boyhood idolization of Juan Pablo Montoya fresh off of his Indy 500 victory, plenty has changed. I could have simply woken up at 6:30 in the morning, saw a procession of cars going around and around in distorted circles, and easily dismissed it as boring. But instead, I found every bit of it absolutely fascinating, and in return I’d routinely find myself waking up earlier and earlier, or staying up later and later, just to catch a glimpse.

Through time, and through every single season since, I've been addicted. In grade school I’d much rather miss class than miss an opportunity of watching something as silly as Free Practice 2 from Imola. I’d much rather forgo doing things with friends on Saturday nights, to ensure that I’d be able to wake up early enough the next morning to watch a race in Monaco.

The Three Musketeers, circa prehistory

Now that I think about it, regardless of the teams, or the drivers for that matter, there has always been one constant for met: Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett. If not for them, I highly doubt that I’d still be a fan today. They’re wit and humor; along with an incredible knowledge for racing as a whole, are simply not the types of things you’d usually find in a broadcast of a sporting event, at least not over here or in such an uppity genre. Over the years, those three have almost fertilized my brain with F1 knowledge, planting copious amounts of seeds that leave me with an undying thirst to continue on learning about it. In other words, without them and their stories, I would never, ever give two shits about how the 1961 World Championship ended nor would I spend my free time going through endless Wiki pages covering the most lame duck of drivers from the mid-80’s.

In short, without Varsha, Hobbs and Matchett, I might be watching NASCAR instead, fawning over orchestrated hillbilly soap opera storylines instead of getting a taste of the world and its wonders, even if it may only be through my television.

The best gridwalker in North America.

All of these things and more make me wish that NBC and/or NBCSN will bring these guys along to announce their newfound coverage of Formula 1. They are, after all, the voices of Formula 1 in America*.

*Along with Will Buxton, it wouldn't be the same without him, either.