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Grand Am
GRAND-AM: Super Joao
Now that everyone in the racing world knows Joao Barbosa’s name, the Rolex 24 winner is adjusting to being treated like a super hero inside and out of the cockpit.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted March 05, 2010   Homestead, FL
The sheer joy of achieving the ultimate prize in GRAND-AM racing, winning the Rolex 24, was impossible to hide for Portugal's Joao Barbosa. (Patty Tantillo)
It must be the name. That’s the best I can figure. What else could explain Portugal’s Joao Barbosa’s continual state of being overlooked or mentioned as one of the world’s premier sportscar drivers?

Is it ‘Joe-Owww’…?... ‘Jo-A-O’ … ? ... it must be the intimidating first name that keeps so many journalists at arm’s length, right?

Is it something just as simple as a daunting first name, or could it be his quiet and respectful demeanor?

Whatever, Barbosa might not walk around with that glint of killer instinct in his eye, but put him in a firesuit and strap him into the cockpit of a Daytona Prototype – his version of Superman’s phone booth – and all of the niceties go out the window in a heartbeat.

If you look at the man’s heroic drive while anchoring Action Express Racing’s win at last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, it’s no surprise to learn that more than a few of his crew members suggested Barbosa should start wearing a cape with ‘SJ’ (Super Joao) emblazoned on the back.

While he’s too modest to accept such adoration from his team, the longest ‘overnight success’ in sportscar racing is still riding the high from adding his name to the history books as a Rolex 24 winner.
Teamed with three other sportscar veterans, Barbosa led home the Action Express Racing Riley-Porsche V8 to a popular victory last month at Daytona. (Marshall Pruett)

“It’s almost unbelievable! I really wanted to win this race so badly! Daytona is a very special place for me and winning the Rolex 24 is a dream come true. Action Express is made up of the best group of people around, and being a part of that group is really an honor for me. You’ve said I have achieved so much already, but for one reason or another, I always just missed scoring that big win. Now I can finally add a Rolex 24 victory to my resume!”

I first met Barbosa in the late 1990s when we both had more (and darker) hair. Barbosa was in the middle of a Formula Atlantic campaign, and had impressed everyone with a number of stirring drives while working from a shoestring budget.
As Barbosa found, his efforts to achieve the American dream endeared him to road racing fans throughout the country.

“My first experience in the States was really good. I loved the way motorsports were run in the US -- there is such a great connection with the fans. I always thought that this country would be the best place for me to proceed with my career, but I never thought it could last this long. With the conditions I had to deal with at the time, it seemed almost impossible and I made a lot of sacrifices to continue to compete in the US. At this point, those sacrifices have paid off big time. The last two years with Brumos Racing were a dream come true for me – I really felt at home with the team and have made some good friends. As a result, the dream of winning the Rolex 24 felt more real than ever. Now, to have won it with Action Express Racing on the team’s first race was very, very special.”
Barbosa's results and respect on an international stage made him a sought after driver, most notably for Henri Pescarolo, and Rollcentre Racing. (LAT)

If Barbosa accepted his role as an underdog, or as a perennially underappreciated driver, it never showed in his on-track performances. And thankfully, the patriarch of a legendary sportscar team felt the same way. A win at the Rolex 24 goes a long way to validate any driver’s career, but for those who’ve followed Joao’s results in Atlantics, the Le Mans Series, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and over the past few years in GRAND-AM, his win at Daytona merely cemented his status as one of the sport’s elite drivers.

“I feel that I proved myself on the track every race and I am where I am today because someone knew what I could do and gave me the opportunity to prove it. Bob Snodgrass saw something in me and felt I was the right fit to replace Hurley Haywood as a full-time Brumos driver when he chose to step down, so I owe much to him. Bob was a great person and a real gentleman – I’m just sorry that I was not able to know him better and did not have the opportunity to spend more time with him. I do feel that this win is the result I was missing, certainly.”

As Barbosa pointed out repeatedly, he wasn’t alone in the cockpit for the Rolex 24, and while the cast of characters behind the wheel might not have had the name recognition of other all-star entries, the four pilots banded together quickly and formed a strong union.

“The whole team and all the drivers did a perfect job throughout the 24 Hours. I really felt from the beginning that we had one of the best team of drivers out there – maybe not the best known, but we definitely all wanted to win this race badly – maybe even more than anyone else. We were consistent, we were fast, and we had mistake-free stints during the entire 24 hours. It was a perfect race. We worked with one goal, and as a team, no egos! And we came out on top.”
Standing in victory circle with his teammates was a life changing event for Barbosa, although he's having to learn with the notoriety that has come with it. (LAT)

Now that ‘Super Joao’s’ identity has been revealed, living and working in anonymity is a thing of the past. I think he’d still prefer to play the role of mild-mannered racing driver by day, but his newfound popularity is something Barbosa says he’ll gladly accept.

“I’ve joked with my friends that I was better off before this win! I’m getting quite a lot of attention and have been really busy with interviews for television and newspapers. But despite the challenges, I know that now a lot of people know who Joao Barbosa is – and that was not the case before this race. I know that I will get much more attention now and that is something I will have to learn to deal with, especially since I really do want more…more wins, another Rolex, and the championship!”

Marshall Pruett is SPEEDtv.com’s Auto Racing Editor, and also covers IndyCar and sportscar racing for the site. Pruett grew up at ‘Pruett's Olde English Garage,’ his father's shelter for abused foreign cars, and spent his childhood being dragged across the West Coast to help with his dad's amateur racing exploits.

Pruett spent 20 years working in the IRL, CART, IMSA, and most of the known open-wheel feeder series before retiring from active duty in 2001. And in case you were wondering, no, he isn’t related to Scott Pruett.

Marshall lives in Northern California with his wife Shabral.

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