Thoughts from the Drivers before the Rolex 24

Last night we had a chance to get a couple thoughts from Glen Gatlin, Ron Yarab, and Daniel Graeff ahead of the Rolex 24.  We didn't get a chance to catch up with Cory Friedman, our qualifying driver because, well, his wife and he are mere hours away from bringing their second child into the world in South Carolina (good luck to the Friedman's on this joyous occasion).  He's going to try to race down tomorrow and catch the end of the Rolex 24

Due to Cory's absence the Children's Tumor Foundation #14 GT3 will start at the back of the pack, as the rules dictate that the qualifying driver must be the starting driver or the team is penalized by starting in the back of the field.  Oh well, the Rolex 24 is a marathon, not a sprint, and this race will not be won in the 1st, 100th, 200th or even 500th lap.  The drivers were certainly cognizant of that fact when we spoke with them last night:

Ron Yarab, MD
"The 24 Hours is the pinnacle of motorsports and our goal is to survive and drive our race.  We're not racing against other cars, we're racing against the clock.  We need to keep it together and endure, like the children and families who live with NF, because like them, we're in it for the long-haul."

Glen Gatlin
"We're all so excited to be able to race for something other than ourselves.  Our goal is to race to win as we see the children race to win against NF."

Daniel Graeff
"There's something amazing about racing the Rolex 24 with the support of the kids and their families.  Something magical happens that makes the drivers better, the crew better and the car better.  There's no greater honor than racing for these kids."

On a personal note, that's what each drivers said when I asked them for their thoughts on the race.  I didn't ask them for their thoughts on Racing4Research or racing for the Children's Tumor Foundation, that's the kind of people we're fortunate enough to have behind the wheel for us today.

Godspeed, indeed.