SPEED Bringing Bathurst 1000 to Viewers Live
Both prestigious V8 Supercar events will be broadcast live and in prime time on the SPEED network which is available in almost 84 million homes across North America. The intensifying interest in V8 Supercars throughout North America is a gleaming endorsement of the sport.
The signature events will also be broadcast live on Seven and live in full high definition on 7mate across the country, as well as in full HD throughout North America.
SPEED is making a significant investment in V8 Supercars by bringing their commentary and production teams to Australia. They will share the resources of V8 Supercar Television which produces the live pictures for the Seven Network domestically, BigPond’s vast online coverage and more than 130 countries around the world.
V8 Supercars will provide SPEED with a purpose built set in pit lane for both events. It will also convert all of its race graphics and information specifically, for example converting kilometers into miles and liters into gallons.
The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is one of the world’s most famous sporting events, sitting alongside the likes of the great Monaco F1 Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500 and the Le Mans 24 hour.
The Armor All Gold Coast 600 is quickly rising to a similar stature with 28 international drivers joining the field as co-pilots, including the likes of Sebastien Bourdais, Helio Castroneves, Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan and Aussies Will Power and Ryan Briscoe who are household names in the US.
Both live telecasts will be promoted extensively not only on SPEED but also on its parent FOX network through News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets.
It follows the announcement in June that V8 Supercars will race at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas from 2013, a first for any Australian sport to hold a Championship or points scoring event on American soil.
"This is a fantastic announcement for Australian sport and a tremendous endorsement of V8 Supercars," V8 Supercars Chairman Tony Cochrane said.
“Our sport is acting locally and growing globally every single month. We are on the march internationally and being recognized as such.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at FOX Sports and SPEED in America, especially David Hill and Patti Wheeler – North American motorsport fans are in for a real treat with our prestigious races from Bathurst and the fabulous Gold Coast live into their homes in prime time."
“This is a great opportunity to share one of the signature events in all of motor sports with the SPEED audience," said Wheeler, EVP of Programming and Production for the network. “Some special arrangements already are in the works as we put together our on-air team and broadcast plans."
It is significant news for V8 Supercar sponsors, teams and drivers to get such massive exposure in the US through the SPEED/Fox platforms, as well as New South Wales and Queensland who host these two prestigious races.
The New South Wales’ Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, described the decision by the U.S network to televise the event as a major coup, not only for the V8 Supercar race, but a source of pride to a regional city such as Bathurst.
“The Bathurst 1000 is one of the great sporting events on the Australian calendar and this will showcase one of the fantastic regions…the Central West of New South Wales," Minister Souris said.
“This is a wonderful chance to present Bathurst and its environs to the United States. I congratulate the organizers in arranging the international coverage of this magnificent event".
Queensland Sport Minister Phil Reeves said this is an exciting announcement not only for the event but for state tourism.
“What superb news that North America's largest broadcaster in the Fox Network through its’ Speed Network will carry spectacular pictures of the Gold Coast live into prime time across North America," Minister Reeves said.
“These pictures alone, money can't buy and will give millions of Americans a birds eye view of one of the world's greatest tourist destinations, showcasing Queensland as the champion state and the events state."
American-based V8 Supercar sponsors such as Jim Beam, Coca-Cola Amatil, Irwin, Jack Daniel’s, Armor All, Mother, Kenworth, Norton, Monster, Lucky Seven, Pepsi, Ford and Holden are delighted by the news.