Formula E: FOX adds Varsha for Round 2, Sunday timeslot following NFL

The second round of the FIA Formula E series takes place this weekend on the streets of Putrajaya, Malaysia and features a revised presentation on FOX.

Veteran Formula 1, and sports car announcer Bob Varsha will host the Formula E broadcast, and following a practice that generated impressive ratings during the final two TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races of 2014, Saturday's live Formula E airing on FOX Sports 2 and replay on FOX Sports 1 will be rebroadcast Sunday on FOX after the featured NFL game is finished.

"With this being just the second-ever race for the FIA Formula E Championship, FOX Sports needs a host who can relate a vibrant, innovative series still in its infancy to a new, American audience," said Frank Wilson, FOX Sports VP of Production. "Bob Varsha is the perfect person for the role. He knows the drivers and the teams, but more than that, Bob is an expert at communicating the significance of a series like Formula E."

Varsha will lend a familiar voice to an unfamiliar series, and could help Formula E to make more inroads in a North America.

"I'm hosting the show the same way I host MotoGP," Varsha (LEFT) told RACER. "We'll use the series' announcers to do play-by-play, and I'll be there to introduce the series, give it some perspective, to try and bring the readers up to speed on what the series is about, the things it isn't, and try to open fans' interest to a new form of racing."

The longtime member of the FOX family also hopes to prepare the audience for Formula E's pair of races next year in Miami and Long Beach.

"To see something totally new like this to create new investments by manufacturers, in new cities, and to make new fans, I find it interesting on so many levels," he continued. "And we have two races here in the United States to raise awareness for, and we're hoping to get everyone ready for when the series lands on home soil."

Round 2 from Malaysia is scheduled to air live on FOX Sports 2 at 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 22, and then replayed at 4 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Check your local listings for the exact time of the rebroadcast on FOX on Sunday, Nov. 23.

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