Espn/abc

[e2mtt]

One reason I believe the push towards "strategy and chess" has taken place in US motorsport has been a push towards placing the men on top of the pit box in advertising campaigns. In the late 1990's, we saw that with Ray Evernham (Pepsi), Larry McReynolds (GM Goodwrench, Lowe's/Kobalt Tools), and in this decade, we've seen Greg Zippadelli and Chad Knaus in key roles in their respective sponsors' marketing campaigns.

Sometimes the booth men are always thinking "we're only in the first quarter of the race, but we have to crunch the numbers to look at all scenarios".

This decade, with the advent of the national unified television contract, we've seen a push by the broadcasters to add the pit boss in the booth. A three-man commentary position with one mechanic has become the de facto rule.

Don't misunderstand, I like hearing about the strategy involved. I just get very frustrated hearing about strategy from broadcasters that don't understand strategy at all.

On F1 broadcasts, strategy with pit stops & fuel loads is discussed all the time, and usually very knowledgeably. The announcers are always ahead of the game with who is about to pit, and time all of the fuel fills, etc. Often they successfully predict when a team is going to change their strategy to adapt to traffic or weather. Numerous times I've heard where teams would have done better to listen to them, rather then the misguided strategy they employed for a race. (Such as Ferrari right after Ross Brawn left.)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have ABC at an Indycar road course. Usually they are completely lost... sometimes they totally miss pit stops. They best is when they get all giddy that Danica is leading and going to win, never mind that all the other drivers behind her are fueled to the finish and killing her lap time on fresh tires, and she has yet to make her final pit stop.

[Stu_H]

I agree.

Formula 1 on ITV from the UK is consistently the best motorsports announcing ever. MotoGP from the UK is good too, I think a different crew did the MotoGP USGP West on Fox, but they were still very good. (It was on Fox, but MotoGP clearly provided the graphics & production)

.

it's strage how different areas see it. James Allen (when ITV had the coverage) used to grate on me really bad, there were petitions for ITV to get rid of him, letters in the motorsport press etc!

MotoGP is excellent though, Eurosport's Toby Moody and Julian Rider are the best in the business and I like the little bits from Neil Spalding as well.

[nigelred5]

I'll second that re: Allen Bestwick.

I'd agree, as well as seeing him return to IWCR/ISCR on Speed. I really enjoy his coverage of the sport.

[nigelred5]

Don't misunderstand, I like hearing about the strategy involved. I just get very frustrated hearing about strategy from broadcasters that don't understand strategy at all.

On F1 broadcasts, strategy with pit stops & fuel loads is discussed all the time, and usually very knowledgeably. The announcers are always ahead of the game with who is about to pit, and time all of the fuel fills, etc. Often they successfully predict when a team is going to change their strategy to adapt to traffic or weather. Numerous times I've heard where teams would have done better to listen to them, rather then the misguided strategy they employed for a race. (Such as Ferrari right after Ross Brawn left.)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have ABC at an Indycar road course. Usually they are completely lost... sometimes they totally miss pit stops. They best is when they get all giddy that Danica is leading and going to win, never mind that all the other drivers behind her are fueled to the finish and killing her lap time on fresh tires, and she has yet to make her final pit stop.

To be honest, I think the ESPN coverage went to hell when Disney took over.

I think Speed's F1 broadcast and especially the broadcast team of Varsha, Matchett, Hobbs and Windsor is the best racing coverage on US television, but they just screw the broadcast up totally when it is switched to FOX and cut to a tape delayed two hours. And could they PLEASE get rid of the guy that does the movie guy voice in the F1 Intros on FOX. Sam Posey's intros are inspiring, exciting and even chilling at times. I just turn the sound down for the Fox Intro it is so damn cheezy.