The off season

[jenna]

i hate the off season of any of the sports i watch but this one is really bugging me! im so indy deprived ive taken to watching the DRIVEN dvd over and over, mainly just for the 2 second glimpse of tony kanaan et al at the end but also for the racing. are there any actual indy season dvd/vids? ive had a look around but couldnt find anything...

[indycool]

There are a number of Indianapolis 500 tapes available through www.brickyard.com. I have a number of VHS tapes from races through the years that I often toss in the VCR for grins.

But yeah, the holidays are kind of an "unracy" time. But now it's the first of the year and Daytona is coming, St. Pete and Homestead.

I believe Kanaan is supposed to test at Homestead next week, so that should make some of the ESPN shows, etc.

Best I can come up with for now.

[GTRMagic]

The VHS system in the US doesnt always work compatibly with the Australian version, although DVD's seem to be better in this regard.

I am not sure whether we will get all the ESPN stuff either, in the holiday season, Foxtel the pay tv mob tends to show rehashed highlights of the year past, and the cricket, and not a lot else.... can be quite dull as it happens...

[marcus]

thank god for ten tenths huh

[GTRMagic]

You're not wrong there at all!!!!

[indycool]

Well, we'll certainly try to keep you folks up to date as well as we can.....

[jenna]

does this mean i have to get cable?

[indycool]

Don't know how it works down there. The IRL races are on ESPN and ABC up here. CART races are a smattering of Fox, CBS and Speedvision. I've read threads on other forums that CART's international TV deals are up in the air. I believe ABC distributes internationally for the IRL except for Brazil.

[GTRMagic]

I would suggest Jenna you ask either Foxtel/Optus for a program guide... IRL is on Foxtel sometime after the event, not live usually, sale with CART... I only steal a look at other people's cable, cant see that its worth $80 a month!

Although, given that the Australian rights to F1 broadcasting are still unconfirmed, it could make some sense...

[marcus]

I have Austar Jenna , and the IRL is shown on ESPN here in Oz , but not all races are live, several are but a few are shown the day after or even a few hours delayed , I have no idea if any commercial channels will pick up the rights for 2003 but im sure channel 10 would be looking at it , but for now if you wanna see the IRL season Pay TV is the way to go

[racer69]

I've got achoice to make. With Foxtel the only way to get ESPN is in one of the extension packs. For 12.95 per month i get a package which includes ESPN, plus stuff like the Comedy Channel and so on, or for 19.95 per month i can get ESPN and FOX Footy. I'd say i'll get option 1, i'm only getting the add-on for IRL anyway.

I was under the impression that most of the roudns were live. Most of them would be on a 4 or 5 in the morning. I know the last two rounds were live, i got them taped by someone who had access to ESPN.

Apparently 10 had the rights in 2002 but only wanted to show the 500.

[marcus]

yeah Racer most races are live but there are a few that they dont show live, I dont really like the ESPN coverage I thought the old ABC coverage was much better , but anyway at least we still get to see it.

I would imagine that channel 10 will at least show the 500 again this year, but as for the rest of the series I doubt it because they now have the F1 coverage as well, so cable may just have to be the way to go

[jenna]

i dont understand the logic behind showing like 8 hours of cricket in one day but not even giving an actual exciting sport a look in. look at how ga-ga the country goes at the surfers indy, theres obviously a lot of interest. australian tv is so annoying!

[Crash Test]

Video's and DVDs are a bit hard. Unless you have a NTSC video/tv, videos aren't much chop, and with DVDs, you have to be careful. In Australia we are in compatability zone 4, so that makes it hard to have American DVDs

I think ESPN used to be better when you could get CART live, plus Indy Lites, FAtlantics, and a heap of other things etc etc, but these days, you seemingly only get the IRL and a different brand of drags to what Fox show. If everyone combined all of their available motorsport, we'd be sweeet

[indycool]

ESPN and CART parted company a couple years ago and when IRL got a deal with ESPN. There's apparently no deal signed yet for CART, but it's supposed to be CBS, Fox and Speedvision for '03.

[jenna]

i am a very smart cookie and made sure my dvd player was multi-zone. i buy american dvd off the net all the time, its totally worth the extra money, cos you get all the new releases ages before theyre out in aust. and also you can track down rare ones you'd never be able to find here.
youd think that, being an ultra-popular international sport, IRL would just get its act together and sit down and work out all its television rights all around the world in a way that would best benefit the fans. or maybe im just being naive?......

[indycool]

Heard on another forum that CART's European package is wavering badly with Eurosport and that probably is not good for the rest of its international package.

I know the IRL is trying to upgrade internationally because of the influx of foreign drivers. They're upgrading for sure in Brazil. I'm in Indy and it's just a phone call down the street for me to ask a question about TV in Australia, so I'll try to find out for you tomorrow.

(Haven't gotten into DVDs yet...have an eight-track tape player around here somewhere, though!)

[GTRMagic]

IRL's base business is that it is the 'American' series out of the 2 on offer because it operates only inside the North American continent....

If they wanted to run in Australia, there is no real oval possibility other than the Calfer Park Thunderdome which would need total resurfacing, rebuild the pit area, empty the swamp in the middle etc etc

I suppose in the Australian psyche American baseball and basketball and the like have some penetration here but not enough to show detailed sporting packages of each in regular prime time slots, except on cable... and Aussie cable companies arent as rich now as their prospectuses once thought they could be

[racer69]

Originally posted by Crash Test
I think ESPN used to be better when you could get CART live, plus Indy Lites, FAtlantics, and a heap of other things etc etc, but these days, you seemingly only get the IRL and a different brand of drags to what Fox show. If everyone combined all of their available motorsport, we'd be sweeet

I reckon Fox Sports could almost do it now with all the stuff they have rights to. Alot of the stuff they have the rights to they don't show fully, like Tras-Am, SCCA Rally, World Challenge Touring Cars, British and US Superbikes, BTCC, FIA Sportscars, we see a couple of rounds, but rarely the lot for some reason, plus their archives of motorsport that they occasionally pull out and the stuff they regularly show. I suppose that could be said of a few sports, and i don't see it happening

Bob Jane took Tony George on a tour of the Calder complex in 2000, when Tony was out for the AGP, so Bob must have been abit keen, though apparently more so that TG.

If they emptied the lake in the middle where would the supposed Crocs that i've heard about living in there go I'd love to see it though. Wasn't there talk of running a CART race there in the late-80s.

[Crash Test]

The problem is that the track would need to be fixed up, costing a bucket, and for what return?

I dunno, how would open wheelers (apart from FVee) run on the high banks? Is it too steep?

[racer69]

I'm not sure. Calder was modelled on Charlotte, which i think the IRL used to run on.

It really saddens me the state of Calder Park, i reckon there is so much potential in the complex, but it seems like the Dome is just going to be left there rotting for years to come. AT least the road course gets some occasional use.

[jenna]

you cant be serious, that place is NOTHING without the swamp. in fact i think all tracks should have a mandatory swamp in the middle. (gosh sometimes being aussie can really make you cringe!)
anyway of course it would be great to have races run here but i would settle for a 24 hour motor sport channel on cable.......

[indycool]

Jenna -- and all other posters -- I'm still trying to find out about IRL TV down there for you.

Question: Regarding availability of Speedvision, are you able to pull that down on a satellite dish?

[Crash Test]

Swamps? Surfers Paradise was built in a swamp, Amaroo had a bit of a swamp, ditto Oran Park, Queensland Raceway has a bunyip hole, Lakeside was a virtual swamp, Sandown has a good duck pond, the toilets at Winton turned into a swamp and the STs had to be cancelled, Albert Park is built around a swamp, and Oran Park is often soft under foot.

What were we talking about?

At least the Dakar is on the idiot box atm...

[marcus]

Originally posted by indycool
Jenna -- and all other posters -- I'm still trying to find out about IRL TV down there for you.

Question: Regarding availability of Speedvision, are you able to pull that down on a satellite dish?

Indycool , no we dont get Speedvision here in Australia but we do get ESPN on Cable TV , which carried the IRL last year and Im fairly certain that they will again be carrying it in 2003.

are ESPN covering the series in the states this year ???
if so then we should get it not a problem.