Category: Weekend Preview

Feature Events

FIA Formula 1

– 2009 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix
– Singapore
– (14/17)
– www.formula1.com
– with FBMW Pacific and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

A week after the FIA hearing into the Renault team and Nelson Piquet Jr, we return to the scene of the crime for the second F1 night race. Already we’ve had some fallout from this, with ING and Mutua Madrilena ending their sponsorship of the team with immediate effect (I think they may still be a personal sponsor of Alonso). It happened so quickly the stickers had to be removed on Thursday and the team clothing hasn’t been updated.

Some forecasts show rain during the weekend – how will that affect the lighting, will there be too much glare from the reflections on the track? Finally, with it being a street race you can expect at least one appearance from the Safety Car.

UK TV: LIVE on BBC ONE from 12.10pm Sunday.

US TV: LIVE on SPEED from 7.30am ET Sunday, repeated at 2.30pm.

American Le Mans Series

– Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda6
– Road Atlanta
– Brasleton, Georgia, United States
– (9/10)
– www.americanlemans.com
– with Atlantic, Star Mazda, IMSA GT3 Cup

Peugeot and Audi rejoin the ALMS regulars for 12th running of the 1000 mile / 10 hour event which has quickly established itself as a sportscar classic. It looks like the Peugeots are faster over a lap, much like last year yet in 2008 Audi’s superior racecraft won the day. Can they repeat in 2009?
If these four cars suffer any kind of difficulty you can expect the Acura of De Ferran Motorsports to be in contention, too. Normally you would also bracket the Highcroft Acura with De Ferran, however Scott Sharp’s accident in practice destroyed the car and they are working overnight to build up a new car from the tub which was airfreighted in last night.
The GT2 fight will be as tight as ever too, this year with a much greater variety in the field than the previous Porsche vs Ferrari fights. You can add to those names BMW, Corvette and Ford, and don’t forget Panoz.
Remember, this race takes place on Saturday.

UK TV: LIVE on MOTORS TV from 4pm Saturday.

US TV: LIVE on SPEED from 11am Saturday. This year, for the first time, Speed will cover the entire race.

Also: www.radiolemans.com and Speed On-Board Pass

Other Events

Open-Wheel:

Formula Nippon

– Sugo
– Japan
– (8/8)
– www.f-nippon.co.jp
– with Japanese F3

Season finale of the Japanese series.

Atlantic Championship

– Road Atlanta
– Brasleton, Georgia, USA
– (9/10)
– supporting Petit Le Mans along with Star Mazda

Stock Car:

NASCAR Sprint Cup

– AAA 400
– Dover International Speedway, Delaware, USA
– www.nascar.com
– UK TV: DELAYED on SKY SPORTS XTRA, Sunday 10pm
– US TV: LIVE on ABC, Sunday 1pm ET

NASCAR Nationwide Series

– Dover 200
– Dover International Speedway, Delaware, USA
– www.nascar.com
– US TV: LIVE on ESPN 2, Saturday 3pm ET (not covered in UK)

NASCAR Camping World Trucks

– Las Vegas 350
– Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
– www.nascar.com
– US TV: LIVE on SPEED, Saturday 9pm ET (not covered in UK)

Sports Car / Touring Car:

ALMS

– Petit Le Mans (see above)

Rally:

Intercontinental Rally Challenge

– Rally Sanremo
– www.ircseries.com

Other:

World Superbikes

– Imola, Italy
– Eurosport

British Superbikes

– Silverstone
– Eurosport

* * * *
Sources
FORIX (sub req.)
Live Sport on TV
RadioTimes.com
Series websites as mentioned
Autosport magazine

Feature Events

Sidepodradio

– Sidepodcast.com
– Live Commenting with embedded player
– Schedule

Christine and Mr.C of Sidepodcast are putting on an extended radio show! How long, you say? 12 hours? Lots of shows from the commenting community, some of which are loosely connected to F1? Live commenting throughout? Sign me up!

Starts at 12pm UK time on Sunday.

IRL IndyCar Series

– Indy Japan 300
– Twin Ring Motegi
– Motegi, Japan
– (16/17)
– www.indycar.com

The annual visit to Japan for the IRL, to satisfy Honda who provide the engines (and possibly also sole tyre supplier Bridgestone-Firestone). Curiously this year it seems to have lost Honda title sponsorship, I’m sure it used to be the Honda Indy 300.

Of course this event is perhaps best remembered for being the first major international motorsport race won by a female, in 2007. The usual commentary was interesting enough but I really do love the enthusiasm of the Japanese commentary! With the echo it sounds like they are also live to the crowd as well as Japanese TV (interestingly, so is Jack Arute..)

(Thanks to Allen Wedge for tweeting this yesterday.)

This is the penultimate round of the series, the finale is at Homestead in Florida in 3 weeks time.

This event was last night, sorry!

Other Events

Open-Wheel:

GP2 Series

– Portimao
– Portimao, Algarve, Portugal
– (10/10)
– www.gp2series.com

The season finale of the GP2 Series. The title has already been won by Nico Hulkenberg so this is the last chance for the others to make an impression, however unlike the rest of the season the F1 team bosses will not be there.

TV Guide (UK)
Race 1: LIVE on Eurosport 2 at 1pm Saturday
Race 2: DELAYED on Eurosport 2 at 3pm Sunday

World Series by Renault

– Nurburgring
– Nurburgring, Germany
– (8/9)

TV Guide (UK)
Race 1: LIVE on Eurosport 1 at 1pm Saturday
Race 2: seemingly not carried live or same-day delayed

World Series by Renault

– Nurburgring
– Nurburgring, Germany
– (8/9)

TV Guide (UK)
Race 1: LIVE on Eurosport 1 at 1pm Saturday
Race 2: seemingly not carried live or same-day delayed

FIA Formula Two

– Imola
– Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy
– (7/8)
– www.formulatwo.com
– with WTCC & F.Master

TV Guide (UK)
Race 1: LIVE on Eurosport 1 at 10.55am Saturday
Race 2: LIVE on Eurosport 1 at 12.30pm Sunday

Stock Car:

NASCAR Sprint Cup

– Sylvania 400
– New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire, USA
– www.nascar.com
– US TV: ABC, Sunday 1pm ET
– UK TV: Go to Sky Sports 3 Red Button, Sunday 7pm

NASCAR Camping World Trucks

– Heluva Good! 250
– New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire, USA
– www.nascar.com

Sports Car / Touring Car:

FIA GT

– Algarve
– Portimao, Algarve, Portugal
– www.fiagt.com
– Live on MotorsTV at 2pm

Grand-Am

– Utah 250
– Miller Motorsports Park, Toole, Utah, USA
– www.grand-am.com

DTM

– Barcelona
– Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
– www.dtm.com
– with F3 Euroseries

WTCC

– Imola
– Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy
– www.fiawtcc.com
– Live on Eurosport on Sunday at 11.30am (Race 1) and 13.30 (Race 2)

BTCC

– Rockingham
– Rockingham Motor Speedway, Northants, England
– www.btcc.net
– Live on ITV4 from 11am, including supports

Smaller Stuff:

Euroseries 3000

– Vallelunga, Italy
– with F3 Italy

British F3

– Brands Hatch

F3 Germany

– Sachsenring

International GT Open

– Magny-Cours

* * * *
Sources
FORIX (sub req.)
Live Sport on TV
RadioTimes.com
Series websites as mentioned
Autosport magazine

Feature Events

Formula 1

– Formula 1 Gran Premio Santander d’Italia 2009
– Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
– Parco Monza, Monza, Milan, Italy
– (13/17)
– www.formula1.com
– with GP2, FBMW Europe, Porsche Supercup

After Spa comes Monza. It just does. That is how it is. Next year they want to put Valencia between them and I scoff at their plans!

There is something special about F1 at Monza. Maybe it is the autumnal light and the hint of a change in the leaves of the many trees in the park in which the track resides. Needless to say this place has history bleeding out of it. It was constructed in 1922 and was only the 3rd permanent race course in history, after Brooklands and Indianapolis, according to F1.com (hmm, wonder if fans of the Milwaukee Mile might disagree?).

Monza, like Silverstone and several of the other old classic tracks, is a bit rough around the edges. A bit tatty, bits of it falling down. That’s why we love it – it has character, it has a ‘lived-in’ feel despite the modern paint and added safety features, yet it still has a bite – F1 cars exceed 200mph on the main straight.

TV Guide:
UK – LIVE on BBC ONE at 12.10pm BST Sunday
USA – LIVE on SPEED at 7.30am ET Sunday (repeated 4.30pm)

Other Events

LMS

– Autosport 1000 Km of Silverstone
– Silverstone Circuit, Northants, England, UK
– (5/5)
– www.lemans-series.com
– with Formula Le Mans, Radical European Masters, Classic Endurance

The final round of the season for the endurance racers of Europe – apart from the few taking in Petit Le Mans with the ALMS and the new Asian round in Japan!
The LMP1 title fight is between Aston Martin and the chasing Pescarolo (gonna be honest, I’m not sure how the other classes sit). Of note is Nigel Mansell’s return to top line international motorsport in a Ginetta-Zytek in LMP1.

TV Guide
UK -The start is at 11.30am on British Eurosport with 1 hour of coverage, along with 45mins at 4.45pm.

NASCAR Sprint Cup

– Chevy Rock & Roll 400
– Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia, USA
– www.nascar.com
– US TV: ABC, Sunday 7pm ET
– UK TV: Sky Sports Xtra, Sunday night 12.30am (repeated 7pm Sunday SS2)

NASCAR Nationwide Series

– Virginia 259 College Savings 250
– Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia, USA
– www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks

– Copart 200
– Gateway International Raceway, Madison, Illinois, USA
– www.nascar.com

V8 Supercars

– Philip Island 500
– Philip Island, Victoria, Australia
– www.v8supercars.com.au

GP2 Series

– Monza
– Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy
– www.gp2series.com
– UK TV – Race 1 delayed? at 5pm Saturday, Race 2 LIVE at 9.30am Sunday

Euroseries 3000

– Valencia, Spain

FIA GT3 + GT4 + British F3

– Portimao, Algarve

F3 Sudamericana

– Buenos Aires

Super GT

– Fuji, Japan

IRC

– Rally Principe de Asturias
– Asturias, Spain
– Coverage on Eurosport

BSB

– Croft
(Eurosport 2 for much of the day!)

* * * *
Sources
FORIX (sub req.)
Live Sport on TV
RadioTimes.com
Series websites as mentioned
Autosport magazine

September already! I hope you like the tweaks I’ve made to the blog layout, they should make things a little easier for you to read and for me to format. Added side-bonus: Unintended Racing Stripes! I also updated the links. On with the preview…

Feature Events

MotoGP

– GP Cinzano di San Marino e Della Riviera di Rimini
– Misano
– Misano Adriatico, Rimini, Italy
– (13/17)
– www.motogp.com

The MotoGP paddock has had to make a mad dash across the Atlantic from Indianapolis in just a few days to be ready for this race. Who puts these schedules together? Expect Vale’s fans to be out in force.

TV Guide:
UK – LIVE on BBC TWO at 12.30pm BST Sunday
USA – DELAYED on SPEED at 2pm ET Sunday
with 250cc, 125cc, etc

Other Events

DTM

– Brands Hatch
– Brands Hatch, Kent, England, UK
– (7/10)
– www.dtm.tv and www.dtm.com

The DTM pays it’s now annual visit to the little 1.2 mile Indy layout at Brands Hatch for some panel-bashing. For these fast tintops it is as close to an oval race as they have and they treat it as such.

TV Guide
UK -Apparently this is live on the new ESPN, who bought the defunct Setanta Sports. You can hopefully see it live at 12.30pm if you are a subscriber to the channel.
You can also follow along at www.dtm.tv which has a live video stream. There may be delayed highlights on Sky Sports but I don’t know when.

Joined by the F3 Euroseries and UK FFord.

NASCAR Sprint Cup

– Pep Boys Auto 500
– Atlanta Motor Speedway, S.Hampton, Georgia, USA
– www.nascar.com
– US TV: ESPN, Sunday 7pm ET
– UK TV: Sky Sports 2, Sunday night 12.30am

NASCAR Nationwide Series

– Degree V12 300
– Atlanta Motor Speedway, S.Hampton, Georgia, USA
– www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks

– Lucas Oil 200
– Iowa Speedway
– Newton, Iowa, USA
– www.nascar.com

FIA WTCC

– Race of Germany
– Oschersleben, Germany
– www.fiawtcc.com
UK TV – British Eurosport – Race 1 live at 11.45am and Race 2 live at 1.30pm

FIA Formula 2

– Oschersleben
– Oschersleben, Germany
– www.formulatwo.com
UK TV – British Eurosport – Race 1 delayed at 3.30pm Saturday and Race 2 live at 12.30pm Sunday
– with F.Master

Superleague Formula

– Estoril
– Estoril, Portugal
– www.superleagueformula.com
UK TV – highlights on Eurosport at 6:30pm Sunday

FIA WRC

– Rally Australia
UK TV – Daily updates on Eurosport and a roundup at 6pm on Dave

FIM World Superbike

– Nurburgring
– Nurburgring, Germany
– www.worldsbk.com
UK TV – British Eurosport – both races live

* * * *
Sources
FORIX (sub req.)
Live Sport on TV
RadioTimes.com
Series websites as mentioned
Autosport magazine