SPEED is owned by FOX. It has become a shill for FOX's N-Car coverage. It is sad to see how it has fallen. SPEED was never an option.
Another optimist. Reminds me of another forum where I can read as many posts like this as I want as fans fight a war that ended over a year ago. You should post there and you will gets lots of cheers of support. But even their former hero PT called for them to give up the lost war and move on.
Stater got it right. Versus was the only network who was interested in producing a product that would promote and support the IRL. Look at the situation with ALMS. SPEED did a good job with Sebring, as it does with Petit, but the other races are delayed coverages that show up in unwanted time slots when no one is watching. The IRL didn't need that.
There seems to be one unexpected big positive with the Versus coverage. Sure the rating are dismal (in the US about the same as that other lessor series called F1), but the coverage is fantastic. But it is the tone and focus of the coverage that is the biggest plus. The fans expressed for years that TV had to show the human side of racing, and they have with great interviews, a look at all of the teams and drivers, and humor. Where have you ever heard AJ Foyt talk about going after Arute with a big water pistol - with a completely straight face?. Or Danica crack a very drool, and very funny comeback to a Marco remark while standing in a parking lot without a handler? Never.
Everyone involved just seems to be having fun, and it seems to be rubbing off as positive energy. Witness the Twitter explosion with many drivers and some media having lots of fun with the medium. I don't like Twitter, but if you haven't looked at the sites of Kannan or Morias, you should as they can be seriously funny.
http://twitter.com/mariomoraesindy
http://twitter.com/TonyKanaan
After qualifying, drivers ended up on comedy shows, not your typical talk shows. For the first time in a long time, we are getting to see the drivers as real people with real personalities.
Versus is listening to the fans and it is showing. If the IRL is going to grow, you couldn't ask for a better partner. If this type of coverage doesn't eventually help move the sport forward, then open wheel will never be more than a niche sport. But it took N-car decades to built to their current level, so if someone is expecting a big ratings bump in the first few months of the relationship, they are smoking something. It is going to take time for the word to get out, and the Versus user base to expand. Frankly, it is just refreshing to see open wheel treated with respect in the media.
