Motor Sport
A Visual Change And More: V8Supercars and Events
Around the world there are various forms of motorsport that are homegrown; NASCAR in the USA, the British Touring Car Championship and here in Oz we have the V8 Supercars. Of recent times the broadcast element of the category has been hosted by the Seven Network and not to universal acclaim. Not that long ago, after much to-ing and fro-ing, a two year deal was signed, for 2013 and 2014. The dollars on offer weren’t that much, in the greater scheme of things at “just” 18 million per year. Today (18 December 2013) it was announced that the rights to broadcast the Supercars would be taken up by the Ten Network and in alliance with Foxtel, Australia’s primary pay television group.
It’s a deal worth around $241 million and spread over six years, allowing the category 
management some much needed certainty in their negotiations with teams in regards to divvying up income. The breakup is said to be $45 million in advertising and a huge $196 million in just plain dollars. It’s an interesting situation with Foxtel broadcasting more useful content in high definition that the free to air networks have so far and with their main motorsport channel, Speed, being shown in both HD and SD,alongside Ten and ONE, it’s an incentive for those that haven’t already got a full HD tv or the HD package from Foxtel to do so. Timing wise is interesting as Foxtel are due to release the new IQ3 set op box/hard drive recorder with extra functionality and a bigger hard drive than IQ2 in early 2014.
More in the world of entertainment and motorsport and tv with the return of the Top Gear Festival to Sydney in early March 2014. On track hosting duties fall to Shane Jacobson, Steve Pizzati, James May and Jeremy Clarkson with the addition of V8 Supercar driver Craig Lowndes. There’s some decent format changes to the event, including the opening round of the Porsche GT3 category, (I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Webber shows up in some capacity); his replacement at Red Bull F1 Racing, Daniel Ricciardo, will be attempting to break Mark’s lap record and a tribute to one of the most highly regarded Formula 1 drivers ever, the late Ayrton Senna. His championship winning McLaren car will be flown over and his nephew, the talented Bruno Senna, should be in attendance. As the incumbent circuit commentator for Sydney Motorsport Park, I and my co-anchor, John McCoy-Lancaster, will be working alongside the main BBC crew and a local production company holding the show together.
Just a month after this will be a first time event for the circuit, with Ferrari adding its weight to entertaining the south east Asian region by bringing to Sydney Motorsport Park their Ferrari Racing Days. This is scheduled for 11-14 April and will feature the second round of the Ferrari APAC Challenge, hundreds of privately owned Ferraris and five Ferrari Formula 1 cars. Numbers of vehicles are yet to be confirmed however 
there is talk of over four hundred cars taking part in the event. 
It’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes that the NSW Government and the operating board of SMP have done to secure these events; details for the Ferrari event including ticketing will be available soon whilst the Top Gear Festival has already proved itself to be immensely popular. More information can be found here: http://www.topgearfestivalsydney.com.au/
5 Reasons Why Mark Webber is Better off Without F1
As we all know, Mark Webber is at the end of this year leaving Formula 1.
After more than a decade in the business (with a large and loyal following, albeit minimal success) he is off to drive for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship in what may well career wise be an excellent move.
F1 is in many ways a stagnant industry – here are 5 reasons Mark Webber is better off without it and out of the business altogether.
The Money
Not really anything to do with getting more of it – to be honest, it’s more the other way around. We all know the money in F1 is silly…the sponsor’s, the business deals, the parties, the girls….it all adds up to a lucrative but otherwise fairly boring and ‘safe’ environment
The Racing
If F1 is a safe environment both on and off the track, the world of Porsche will seem like a breath of fresh air and the most rebellious thing Webber has ever done in comparison. The racing will be intense and the pressure in many ways greater than in F1…something Webber will undoubtedly relish.
The Back to Basics Approach
Arguably Webber will ultimately benefit in the Porsche Cup because he’s a proper man. Without taking it away from any if the other F1 drivers out there…it’s safe to assume that because Webber is the oldest he also has the most distrust of the technical wizardry that rules the roost these days. I may be wrong, but….
The Lifestyle
When anyone gets to a certain age, with responsibilities, they like to take a step back and admit that family comes first. F1 doesn’t give you that option…and the alone time living out of hotels must get wearing. Things won’t automatically change at Porsche, but they’ll certainly have a different outlook on the work/life balance.
Finding Success
It’s safe to say that Webber has had less success than expected in the past couple of years. Ultimately, without motivation and the mental strength to carry on in the industry, success won’t be there, and he’s far better off finding an avenue to pursue which makes him feel passionate about racing again.
Any more reasons you can think of? Don’t forget to let us know on Twitter, Facebook or Google +!
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