Rolex 24: Haywood believes technology has eroded some endurance from sports car race
His
sports cars didn’t have power steering, sequential shifting or an anti-lock
braking system. Engines and suspension parts were handmade by mechanics and not
built by 3-D robots and engineers with space-aged materials.
Much like sedans that self-park and alert drivers not to drift over the centerline, modern sports cars have become so advanced they've transformed the approach
to long-distance racing, according to Haywood.
“The
configuration has not changed, but the conditions have changed,” the
76-year-old legendary driver said shortly after the 63rd Rolex 24 at
Daytona started Saturday afternoon at the Daytona International Speedway. “The
new generation of drivers and manufacturers look at the guys that are really good at video games because video games give you so much information that you
have. You have to adapt to that information. You have to do it very quickly if
you want to win that video game. Same thing with the race car. You've got a lot
of information coming to you, and you must adapt to what that information tells you to do.”
Haywood
and Scott Pruett are the only drivers to win five 24-hour races at the
Daytona International Speedway. Haywood also has three victories at the 24
Hours of LeMans and two at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
At
the same time, Haywood said the evolution of the prototypes has led to more
competitive racing, which has expanded IMSA’s fanbase. This weekend’s crowd
around the 3.56-mile circuit that utilizes portions of the superspeedway’s high
banks and a twisting course filled the rest of the track’s infield.
“The
cars will do a lot more than they did back in the day that I was racing, and the result is it makes better racing,” he said. “So, when you finish a 24-hour
race and have five cars on the lead lap, the sanctioning body is doing
something right. Because the cars are so strong, you can be very aggressive on
the racetrack. If we were doing that when I was driving, the chances of damaging
our car would be pretty great. Now they don't have to worry about that so much,
because the cars are really strong. The engines are strong.”
Haywood
won the 24-hour race in 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979 and 1991. In ’73 and ’75, he won
with just one co-driver, Peter Gregg. In 1977, Hurley drove an eight-hour stint
during the night.
“Peter
Gregg once told me, ‘A good racing driver adapts to whatever the
condition might be.’ That’s what I did. But eight hours is still eight hours,”
he said.
When
they raced, Haywood said the crew had tires and gas on pit road. They slept in a
sleeping bag in the car trailer and snacked on McDonald’s hamburgers.
Today’s
teams have banks of computers and engineers monitoring every computer on the
car. Teams have a nutritionist, and most have a masseuse on standby and utilize
a hyperbaric chamber to keep drivers at their peaks.
“I
think all that information adds to the level of stress and commitment to the
driver,” Haywood said. He must race competitively against equally performing
cars while also dealing with radio communication. To me, that's a distraction.
I was focused 100% on driving. I didn't have to worry about all the other
things. I had a standing rule to not talk to me on the radio unless I asked a
question or I was on fire.”
Despite
the progress, Haywood admitted he will always be one of sports car racing’s
biggest fans. He observes technology, speed and competitiveness with
appreciation and awe. The cars were sure to change. So were the drivers. But
he knows the passion will never change.
