OT: Racing 2011 (Spoiler Alert)

[toonarmy]

I don't know what's happened this year. Last night while watching the MotoGP race at Laguna I found myself about halfway through just hoping it would end soon. During the F1 race I didn't want to leave to leave the room for a few minutes because I was afraid I would miss something. It used to be the opposite -- F1 podium predictable after 20 laps or sooner and MotoGP a nail-biter every race.

[pk500]

I don't know what's happened this year. Last night while watching the MotoGP race at Laguna I found myself about halfway through just hoping it would end soon. During the F1 race I didn't want to leave to leave the room for a few minutes because I was afraid I would miss something. It used to be the opposite -- F1 podium predictable after 20 laps or sooner and MotoGP a nail-biter every race.

Good thing you didn't turn off MotoGP -- you would have missed Stoner's decisive pass for the lead, on the outside cresting the hill before the Andretti Hairpin -- with six laps remaining.

I thought the three-way battle between Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa -- the three best riders in the world -- was pretty compelling.

The F1 race also was entertaining at the Nurburgring, especially the early duel between Hammy and Webber. But let's face it: The drama in the middle and at the end of that race was created in the pits rather than on track.

The big question was when Hamilton, Webber and Alonso would pit, and what position each would be upon exiting the pits, not on-track moves. Also, the only reason Vettel beat Massa was because Red Bull beat Ferrari on their respective last-lap stops to pit for the required hard tires.

[toonarmy]

I don't know what's happened this year. Last night while watching the MotoGP race at Laguna I found myself about halfway through just hoping it would end soon. During the F1 race I didn't want to leave to leave the room for a few minutes because I was afraid I would miss something. It used to be the opposite -- F1 podium predictable after 20 laps or sooner and MotoGP a nail-biter every race.

Good thing you didn't turn off MotoGP -- you would have missed Stoner's decisive pass for the lead, on the outside cresting the hill before the Andretti Hairpin -- with six laps remaining.

I thought the three-way battle between Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa -- the three best riders in the world -- was pretty compelling.

The F1 race also was entertaining at the Nurburgring, especially the early duel between Hammy and Webber. But let's face it: The drama in the middle and at the end of that race was created in the pits rather than on track.

The big question was when Hamilton, Webber and Alonso would pit, and what position each would be upon exiting the pits, not on-track moves. Also, the only reason Vettel beat Massa was because Red Bull beat Ferrari on their respective last-lap stops to pit for the required hard tires.

Yeah, that was a good pass and I was thrilled that Casey won the race, but overall I thought the race was a snoozer, as have been many of the races this year. Perhaps past MotoGP seasons have spoiled me and I am expecting too much this year.

BTW, I watched the Indy race in Edmonton and I have to give kudos to the TV producer of the race. The camera work and following of the action on the track was superb yesterday. Some of the angles were phenomenal and gave a real nice sense of the on-track action. I don't know if the track lends itself better to those angles or if the production is just getting better, but it was very cool. Of the three races I saw yesterday the Indy race was actually the most entertaining IMO. I was disappointed in where Sato finished, but overall it was a fun race to watch.

[Rodster]

I haven't followed MotoGP as much this season. I think for me it's that for the first time in a long time Rossi is in an uncompetitive bike. He's such a character that fans are drawn to his on track antics and he's one of the few World Champions were people want to see him win.

[pk500]

BTW, I watched the Indy race in Edmonton and I have to give kudos to the TV producer of the race. The camera work and following of the action on the track was superb yesterday. Some of the angles were phenomenal and gave a real nice sense of the on-track action. I don't know if the track lends itself better to those angles or if the production is just getting better, but it was very cool. Of the three races I saw yesterday the Indy race was actually the most entertaining IMO. I was disappointed in where Sato finished, but overall it was a fun race to watch.

A little of both. I think airport courses give production crews a bit more leeway in camera placement. But I also know VERSUS really is committed to a higher-quality broadcast this year, from talent to camera angles to pre-race and post-race shows.

If only more people would tune in ...

[toonarmy]

BTW, I watched the Indy race in Edmonton and I have to give kudos to the TV producer of the race. The camera work and following of the action on the track was superb yesterday. Some of the angles were phenomenal and gave a real nice sense of the on-track action. I don't know if the track lends itself better to those angles or if the production is just getting better, but it was very cool. Of the three races I saw yesterday the Indy race was actually the most entertaining IMO. I was disappointed in where Sato finished, but overall it was a fun race to watch.

A little of both. I think airport courses give production crews a bit more leeway in camera placement. But I also know VERSUS really is committed to a higher-quality broadcast this year, from talent to camera angles to pre-race and post-race shows.

If only more people would tune in ...

It's too bad that tv numbers are down for the Indy races. There is a good mix of drivers from a variety of countries, female drivers, experienced drivers with a solid past, and just enough shitty drivers to make for flared tempers and racing track incidents . VS in my estimation is doing a FAR better job than ESPN did back when they showed the races. I guess VS is not a channel people flip to (if they even get the channel) when surfing, so unless you are a fan and specifically looking for the races you are not going to run across them and watch.

[pk500]

It's too bad that tv numbers are down for the Indy races. There is a good mix of drivers from a variety of countries, female drivers, experienced drivers with a solid past, and just enough shitty drivers to make for flared tempers and racing track incidents . VS in my estimation is doing a FAR better job than ESPN did back when they showed the races. I guess VS is not a channel people flip to (if they even get the channel) when surfing, so unless you are a fan and specifically looking for the races you are not going to run across them and watch.

To be fair, ratings are up on VERSUS. They've climbed from those resembling a test pattern to very small. Still, baby steps. Must start somewhere.

But you're right about VERSUS: It's just not a channel people think of for mainstream sports, sadly. Plus its institutional penetration in hotels and hospitals is poor.

[Rodster]

Now this is how to do an invocation.

And "Lord I want to thank you for my Smokin Hot Wife tonight". “In Jesus' name, boogity boogity boogity, Amen.”

[Dave]

NASCAR rolls into Indy this weekend for the Brickyard 400. But my attention is more focused on the tiny bullring to the west, Indianapolis Raceway Park. Fair warning, I'm going to get nostalgic!

This is the last time the Nationwide Series will race there, and I think it stinks that the race is heading to IMS next year.

The Nationwide Series as a whole has lost most of its soul over the years, parading around with the big series featuring a lot of the same teams and drivers while racing in front of empty grandstands. I liked it better when the Busch Series hit tracks too small for the Winston Cup; tracks like Indianapolis Raceway Park, Hickory, Myrtle Beach, South Boston, etc.

I grew up going to IRP to watch USAC races--the Silver Crown event the week of Brickyard has typically been the best race in town. With the Nationwide Series packing up, I'm concerned about the future of the oval.

As for the Brickyard 400, it sounds like ticket sales are down even further from last year's (relatively) dismal crowd. Goodyear and the car of tomorrow did a hell of a job torpedoing the race a few years back.

Next year, they'll make a big deal about the Nationwide Series making its IMS debut and I won't give a damn. It'll be just another Nationwide race dominated by Roush and Gibbs cars in front of a bunch of empty aluminum.

[Rodster]

So could this be why the Beeb questions if it will stay in F1 after their contract is up?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93491
"A surprise deal was announced on Friday morning that the BBC and Sky Sports will share coverage of the sport in the UK from 2012 - with the satellite and cable broadcaster showing all live sessions while the BBC transmits only half on terrestrial digital television - prompting a wave of angry responses from license holders on internet forums and Twitter."

[GB_Simo]

Not yet, no. This is why the Beeb say they're extending the F1 contract to 2018 rather than giving up the rights at the end of next year. No doubt it gives them a very easy out once 2018 arrives, though.

It's probably worth holding fire for a while before assessing this fully, mate, particularly as we don't yet know the finer details of rights and get-out clauses. It seems like the deal is still evolving as we go along - already it's gone from Auntie showing 10 races live and 10 highlights packages to showing full race distances every time, with 10 of them being shown on tape delay.

Before that, I'd have had to pay Virgin Media £22.50 a month for a Sky Sports package, an extra £7.00 for HD sports and stomach the fact that for half the season, the money was being wasted because BBC were going to provide the same coverage as part of the compulsory licence fee. Creating value for the viewing public is clearly not the top consideration here - or indeed ever, at least where F1 is concerned - but they have to commit to at least having as-live races on BBC to avoid stiffing the audience completely.

[Rodster]

Hopefully none of this will affect my free to view live streaming.

[DChaps]

NASCAR rolls into Indy this weekend for the Brickyard 400. But my attention is more focused on the tiny bullring to the west, Indianapolis Raceway Park. Fair warning, I'm going to get nostalgic!

This is the last time the Nationwide Series will race there, and I think it stinks that the race is heading to IMS next year.

The Nationwide Series as a whole has lost most of its soul over the years, parading around with the big series featuring a lot of the same teams and drivers while racing in front of empty grandstands. I liked it better when the Busch Series hit tracks too small for the Winston Cup; tracks like Indianapolis Raceway Park, Hickory, Myrtle Beach, South Boston, etc.

I grew up going to IRP to watch USAC races--the Silver Crown event the week of Brickyard has typically been the best race in town. With the Nationwide Series packing up, I'm concerned about the future of the oval.

As for the Brickyard 400, it sounds like ticket sales are down even further from last year's (relatively) dismal crowd. Goodyear and the car of tomorrow did a hell of a job torpedoing the race a few years back.

Next year, they'll make a big deal about the Nationwide Series making its IMS debut and I won't give a damn. It'll be just another Nationwide race dominated by Roush and Gibbs cars in front of a bunch of empty aluminum.

Agreed on all counts Dave. I also grew up watching USAC run at IRP and the Fairgrounds and I really hope that the Nationwide series moving to the big house does not impact IRP's future (I mean Lucas Oil Raceway). I think it probably gets enough of the local racing to stay in business. Good news is that I believe the iRacing folks have either already laser scanned it, or are in the process of laser scanning it so we will have a virtual version of it to hold onto regardless.

I am sure that alot of these decisions on the Nationwide series are financially based to keep the series going, but I enjoyed them being at the different tracks as well.

Even though I have let go of most of my "purist" beliefs when it comes to the Brickyard, one thing I still do not like is lower tier series racing there. I was actually all for Nascar, F1, and MotoGP coming to Indy. I just don't want to see trucks and nationwide cars running there. It should be reserved for the top rung of whatever series it is, Indycars, F1, Nascar, MotoGP, etc. However, I get that it probably makes better planning and financial sense to let them run there as well. Plus, if a feeder series is supposed to get a driver ready for the next tier, I guess you probably want to give them racing experience on the track before they step up.

[Dave]

Hell of a truck race at IRP (I do not bow to the corporate sponsors!), I can't believe they went over 100 laps without a caution.

[Rodster]

I know one man can't make a difference but can't help thinking what a turn around Ferrari has made since Pat Fry took over for Aldo Nova. It's like they figured out what they need to do. Alonso asked for quick 1st sector times out of his car in Hungary and so far in Q1 he's been banging out the fastest 1st sector times.

Looks like the Beeb is happy with the arrangements between them and Sky. They said it will allow them to spend those resources elsewhere. Hmmm did they get a rework on their contract?

[fletcher21]

Never realized what a d***** Bernie is, lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAHsKh97 ... re=related

[Rodster]

Can't blame Bernie on that one although he is a d***** but he's not responsible for Michelin's tires. He was caught in between selling a race to the public and the teams saying they didn't want to risk any injuries and boycotting the race.

[Dave]

Tremendous F1 qualifying this morning, epic conclusion with all cars on the track.

And the curtain falls on NASCAR at Raceway Park. Talk about a contrast in coverage between the two nights, the SPEED crew did a fantastic job while ESPN did their usual crappy job. How the hell do you get zero footage of an accident on a 5/8 mile track?

[GB_Simo]

Looks like the Beeb is happy with the arrangements between them and Sky. They said it will allow them to spend those resources elsewhere. Hmmm did they get a rework on their contract?

Yes. That's the entire point of it, mate. Coverage will remain free-to-air until 2018, instead of the BBC threatening to walk off at the end of next year, on the basis that they'll show fewer live races. The fewer live races they show, the smaller their outlay for the broadcast rights. Presumably this will extend to production costs too; will they see a need to have Humphrey, Jordan, Kravitz and McKenzie on-site for a tape-delayed race or an extended highlights package?

[fletcher21]

I can't recall what it's been like in previous Brickyard 400 races, but Indy looks EMPTY today. So many open seats, sometimes massive sections with no one there. Any word on an attendance number? Seems strange to me, because I don't recall it being empty in previous races there. My memory is spotty at best, so maybe I am wrong here but it seems like attendance is very low for such a prestigious race at one of the top 3 venues in the country. Is it due to the economy, or do people just not care about Neckcar anymore?

[toonarmy]

Another fun race from Hungary today. It appears that McLaren have caught up to Red Bull going into the break. Button drove a great race. It was too bad that Hamilton suffered from some unlucky strategy and a boneheaded move on his part that resulted in a penalty.

[Dave]

I can't recall what it's been like in previous Brickyard 400 races, but Indy looks EMPTY today. So many open seats, sometimes massive sections with no one there. Any word on an attendance number? Seems strange to me, because I don't recall it being empty in previous races there. My memory is spotty at best, so maybe I am wrong here but it seems like attendance is very low for such a prestigious race at one of the top 3 venues in the country. Is it due to the economy, or do people just not care about Neckcar anymore?

There are a number of reasons, both larger scale and more local.

You can't have the discussion without starting with the tire debacle a few years ago. That 'race' was a complete joke, my Dad hasn't been back to watch NASCAR since that day.

The economy sucks.

The racing (mostly) sucks. The car of tomorrow isn't helping, that's for sure.

There's also the overall decline of NASCAR's popularity over the last few years.

When the Brickyard 400 started, it was the second race at Indy. Now you have MotoGP in a month, and previously the USGP.

Kansas, Chicagoland, and Kentucky didn't exist during the Brickyard 400's heyday. Why spend the money on a weekend in Indy when you can just drive to Joliet, IL for the race?



All that said, the last 20 laps of today's race were fantastic. I thought Gordon had enough to get by all of the guys saving fuel, but Menard was able to hold on. Cool to see that family get a win at Indy.

[toonarmy]

A couple articles discussing the poor attendance at the Brickyard 400 today.

http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/7/3 ... r-speedway

http://heraldbulletin.com/sports/x20576 ... attendance

NASCAR appears to be less than honest in saying attendance was down only 2000 this year. On a positive note, traffic was not an issue at all and tickets were dirt cheap, lol.

[Rodster]

2007 – 270,000

2008 – 240,000

2009 – 180,000

2010 – 140,000

2011 – 138,000

Goes to show how figures lie and liars figure.

[toonarmy]

Interesting numbers. If the first article I linked to is correct, that 138,000 figure should be quite a bit lower. I didn't realize exactly how much the attendance numbers had plummeted in such a short time.