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Thread: Globalising V8 Supercars

  1. #1
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    Globalising V8 Supercars

    There's a couple of things i'm hoping to get out of this thread:

    Firstly, who on UCP, outside of Australia and New Zealand, actually watches the V8 Supercars. Channel 10, the people who broadcast the series, quite regularly mention networks around the world who also broadcast the series and i was just interested to see who actually is interested or pays any attention to the series outside of where they actually race. To add to this, the V8 Supercars have a non championship meeting for the Australian Gran Prix 2 weeks before the official start of the season, as well as a championship support event to the Indy 300 on the Gold Coast after Bathurst, so do these races get broadcasted overseas with the footage of the Indy and F1?

    Secondly, would anyone like to see the V8 Supercars race overseas in say Europe, the UK, Canada or the US? Theres an official round thats ben running for a couple of years now in New Zealand and China missed out this year on their planned Shanghai round as AVESCO decided the event was being too rushed to be on time so it was rescheduled for next year. Bathurst and Phillip Island are widely regarded as the best racing tracks in Australia but how would you like to see perhaps the V8 Supercars racing at Laguna Seca or somewhere in the UK?
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    I don't know of any european network dealing with this. A satellite dish might help though. I for myself have never watched the V8 supercars, but there is a network "motors" that does some occasional australian racing, I think I saw the Touring GTP or GTS class, (discussed in another thread) but also something involving Fords and Holdens, but i really can't remember it was called Supercars.

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    yeah i remember that, it was the GTP championship which is basically the closest thing to competitive production class racing here. well Bathurst i would say gets broadcasted moreso than the normal rounds for obvious reasons. channel 10 is also the broadcaster of the F1 (although late at night on sunday), i think they have highlights of WRC and the MotoGP as well as the Australian superbike championship and australian rally championship so when they claim their australias home of motorsport theyre not kidding.
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    Not seen any over in the UK - sorry.
    'course that might just mean that Sky are broadcasting it at 3am !!!!

    Anyway on importing other forms of motorsport, I'm not an advocate.
    I'd rather see the other tracks as well as the cars

    There is a European V8 series already - I think loosely based on NASCAR and we built an oval for the series at Rockingham. I don't think it's a success.
    Saw the European Supercars ( V6 IIRC ) at Knockhill and it would have been more interesting watching grannies in their scooters on an ice rink.
    "A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'

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    well one of the major attractions to V8 Supercars is although theyre loosely based on the mechanics of NASCAR's, they dont require long straights, oval circuits or banked turns to race. as briefly mentioned before, they were going to go to the Shanghai GP track later this year but the plans were too tight to be run smoothly. if anything they go better at GP tracks like Phillip Island and Albert Park so they wouldve shined at Shanghai. over here ive seen the BTCC's on Fox Sports which is cable so i wouldnt be surprised if that was the case in Europe and N.America
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    I have watched the V8s on Channel 5 here in the UK. That was in 2001 and 2002, but I haven't seen it scheduled last year or for this season, but seeing as how I don't have a TV for most of the time, I haven't really been looking out for it.

    Despite the fact that it was on at about 4 in the morning, it is some of the best touring car racing I have seen, great fun.

    I think that it would do well amongst petrolheads, but the fact that the cars are exclusively antipodean, and the races are all held in Australia would keep it from becoming as popular as the BTCC for instance.

    I think that there should be a new global touring car series. It would be fantastic, but very hard to implement, as to get the best racing you would want the best drivers from touring cars, but this would probably damage the national series.

    Maybe If they changed all of the touring cars to an international standard, rwd and V8, with caps on weight and power. Even then there would be disparity between companies in terms of money invested. There would also be conflicts with the cars that are used. GM wouldn't really want the Holden Commodore racing against the Opel Vectra.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coventrysucks
    ....the Opel Vectra.
    Which is 2litre straight 4 or V6 in European racing.
    The European Touring car series never took off for the same reasons a world series would fail........
    Different countries have different history of competition and different preferences. Most of all different tracks. I'd love to see a DTM car struggle round Cadwell Park or Knockhill
    I prefer to see American Nascar on banked oval with capacity crowd, I like Bathurst - even if it is fixed for local manufacturers - and best of all light, nimble cars round the twisty tracks of the UK.
    One size never does fit all !!!
    "A woman without curves is like a road without bends, you might get to your destination quicker but the ride is boring as hell'

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    Quote Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine
    Which is 2litre straight 4 or V6 in European racing.
    The European Touring car series never took off for the same reasons a world series would fail........
    Different countries have different history of competition and different preferences. Most of all different tracks. I'd love to see a DTM car struggle round Cadwell Park or Knockhill
    I prefer to see American Nascar on banked oval with capacity crowd, I like Bathurst - even if it is fixed for local manufacturers - and best of all light, nimble cars round the twisty tracks of the UK.
    One size never does fit all !!!
    The Vectra GTS for DTM has a 4.0 V8.
    I do agree with you though, it would be impossible to implement, I just think that if it was handled correctly, kept basic and not allowed to become as reliant on technology as F1, it could be the most interesting and close fought racing series in the world.

    Back to the main topic:
    I believe Motors TV is showing V8 Supercars in the UK this year, I don't know when though.
    Thanks for all the fish

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    Here in the US the SPEED TV plays Australian V8 races. I don't really follow this series but I will occasionally tune in because the races are close and the cars are pretty fast. I don't know why Ford doesnt sell the Falcon in the US. The US always gets screwed out of all the good cars.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine
    I like Bathurst - even if it is fixed for local manufacturers - and best of all light, nimble cars round the twisty tracks of the UK.
    One size never does fit all !!!

    You might be interested in watching the Bathurst 24hr event this November held by Procar, its got about 7 classes competing from GT-production to Nations Cup where the controversial 7L Monaro's race against Diablo's and Vipers. Theres soem international plavour as usual with a couple of Moslers entered last year, and a modified Carrera cup 911 i think it was that came 3rd.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coventrysucks
    I just think that if it was handled correctly, kept basic and not allowed to become as reliant on technology as F1, it could be the most interesting and close fought racing series in the world.

    This is whats so great about the V8 Supercars. Sure theyve got a top of the line MoTec ECU running the engine, but theres no DOHC, no VVT, no VVL, no ESP or launch control, its basically just pushrods, pistons and fat slicks. i think people consider the technology better spent on driver safety. Unfortunately, this year the categories adopted FIA rules, which require full fireproof underwear to be worn, which for the 1st round had drivers racing around in near 50 degree heat
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coventrysucks

    Back to the main topic:
    I believe Motors TV is showing V8 Supercars in the UK this year, I don't know when though.
    For such a low budget, obscure little digital satellite channel (ch. 416) Motors TV has a pretty good line up. It shows all the V8 Supercar action (though not live), all the ALMS series live, Le Mans 24 hours live, NASCAR live, plus a load of domestic British action. Shame that hardly anyone watches it really!

    Personally I'd love to see the V8 Supercar series globalised. The top teams all seem to be so close it always makes for exciting racing. Plus the fact that there are numerous street circuits and the fact that the drivers aren't scared to give each other a good shove now and then means that cars are always going backwards and sideways into the walls. All exciting stuff!

    On a similar train of thought I'd like to see more European racing going Down Under, particularly to Bathurst. It's just such a spectacular track, reminiscent of the classic European races like Spa and the Nurburgring before they were watered down. I managed to watch a rerun of last year's 24hr race on Motors TV here in England, and the last few laps when the two leading cars were separated by a hair's breadth after a full 24 hours, and were setting fastest lap after fastest lap on worn tyres while passing back markers was some of the most absorbing motor racing I've seen for years. I know that last year there was an increase in overseas participation with the likes of the plucky little Morgan having a crack, but I'd love to see some more teams from our side of the globe giving you Aussies a run for your money!

  13. #13
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    and we'd welcome the competition to be honest. those 2 cars that were battling it out for the finish after 24hrs were special built racers whilst the rest of the field were mildly modified production cars. the real winner last year was a 911 which was actually driven by a V8 Supercar driver
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    ***Newsflash***

    Tuesday 13th 1.25am channel 5 : V8 Supercars
    Thanks for all the fish

  15. #15
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    that might be something to set the VCR to record
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