Motorsport

SPEED is gearing up for a huge week of Indycar action when qualifying for the 100th anniversary Indy 500 gets underway this Sunday 22 May.

LIVE coverage of the qualifying rounds will begin at 1am AEST on Sunday, where the top 24 spots in the 33-car field for the Indy 500 will be up for grabs on ‘Pole Day’.

Aussie driver Will Power has opened up an early lead in the 2011 IZOD Indycar Series Point Standings with two victories from the opening four races of the season. Fellow Australian Ryan Briscoe sits in fifth position after two consecutive top three finishes.

The two Aussie stars will be among the favourites for this year’s Indy 500, which celebrates a century as the Indycar’s flagship race.

Qualifying coverage will continue on SPEED on Monday 23 May with the final nine race positions to be decided on ‘Bump Day’.

The week-long racing festival concludes the following weekend with the traditional ‘Carb Day’ warm-up event on Saturday 28 May setting the pace for the big one – The Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on Monday 30 May from 1am AEST.

James Harrison, SPEED Channel Manager, said: “This is one of the most exciting years in the great history of the Indy 500 and we’re delighted to be able to provide LIVE coverage of all the qualifying action as a lead in to our LIVE coverage of the main race on May 30.”

“It’s been a fantastic Indycar series for Aussie fans with Will Power and Ryan Briscoe in such outstanding form to start the season,” he said.

“The Indy 500 is considered the pinnacle event in open-wheel racing and with Will having already won the Alabama and Sao Paulo races and Ryan on a roll with two straight podium finishes we could be in for a spectacular one-two finish for the Aussies next Monday morning.”

SPEED’s coverage of the 2011 IZOD Indycar Series is available to FOXTEL and AUSTAR subscribers.

Indy 500 LIVE qualifying coverage on SPEED & SPEED HD

Sunday 22 May – Pole Day LIVE @ 1am AEST (Part One) & 6.30am AEST (Part Two)

Monday 23 May – Bump Day LIVE @ 6.30am AEST

Saturday 28 May – Carb Day LIVE @ 1am AEST

100th Anniversary Indy 500 Mile Race

Monday 30 May @ 1am AEST

LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

Mon 18 Apr, 2am AEST, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The world famous Talledega Speedway hosts the eight round of the NASCAR Sprint Cup. NB ‘Hot Pass’ will not be available on this broadcast.

Sun 10 Apr, 9am AEST, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

Kyle Busch sent an ominous warning to his senior rivals with victory in Bristol this week, while older brother Kurt maintains a narrow series lead as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas for the Samsung Mobile 500. NB ‘Hot Pass’ is available on this broadcast.

Mon 28 Mar, 6.30am AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana hosts the fifth round of the season in NASCAR’s flagship Sprint Cup Series. Chevrolet’s Tony Stewart and Dodge driver Kurt Busch currently sit equal for the series lead, with Australia’s Marcos Ambrose currently placed 17th. NB ‘Hot Pass’ is not available on this broadcast.

Sun 27 Mar, 9.30pm AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The WSBK series continues onto Britain for the British Superbike Championship at the renowned Donington Park Circuit, where Spain’s Carlos Checa will look to build on his success at Phillip Island last month. Troy Corser is the best placed of the Aussies after the opening round, but will need a strong showing in the UK to stay in touch with the leaders. The 2011 Superbike World Championship is LIVE and only available on SPEED and SPEED HD.

Mon 7 Mar, 6.30am AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts the third race of the season in NASCAR’s flagship Sprint Cup Series. SPEED viewers will have access to unprecedented coverage of the Kobalt Tools 400 by pressing the red button on their remote control to activate ‘Hot Pass’ – providing access to four dedicated viewer channels, including different on-board cameras and an audio feed from the pit crews.

Mon 28 Feb, 6.30pm AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The Phoenix International Speedway event has been dominated by the Fords in recent years. The 313-lap race is the second of the season in NASCAR’s flagship Sprint Cup Series. SPEED Viewers will have access to unprecedented coverage of the Kobalt Tools 500 by pressing the red button to activate ‘Hot Pass’ – providing access to four dedicated viewer channels, including different on-board cameras and an audio feed from the pit crews.

Superpole, Sat 26 Feb, 2.30pm AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

Race, Sun 27 Feb, 11.30am AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The spotlight shines on Australia’s iconic Philip Island for the launch of the 2001 Superbike World Championship. Italian champ Max Biaggi and his Aprilia racing team are gunning for back-to-back crowns in 2011, while Aussie riders Troy Corser (BMW) and Chris Vermeulen (Kawasaki) are both chasing a breakthrough world title. The 2011 Superbike World Championship is LIVE and only available on SPEED and SPEED HD.

SPEED, Australia’s only dedicated 24-hour motorsports channel, welcomes the return of NASCAR this weekend when the 2011 season commences with the traditional four-day event at Daytona.

SPEED will provide LIVE year-round coverage of NASCAR’s flagship Sprint Cup Series in 2011, with additional LIVE coverage of the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series.

The Sprint Cup action begins this Monday 21 February with LIVE coverage of the Daytona 500 from 4am AEDT on SPEED & SPEED HD.

As well as enjoying a full LIVE broadcast of the event, including practice and qualifying rounds, SPEED viewers will have access to exclusive additional content with ‘Hot Pass’.

Hot Pass, an interactive feature activated by pressing the red button on the FOXTEL remote control, offers a selection of four unique viewer channels each showcasing different on-board cameras, combined with a LIVE audio feed direct from the pit crews.

James Harrison, SPEED Channel Manager, said: “NASCAR is one of the most popular motorsport brands world-wide and SPEED will deliver the most extensive coverage ever seen on Australian television with LIVE races from the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series throughout the season.”

“Hot Pass will be available on selected Sprint Cup Series races to allow subscribers to choose how they want to watch the race, whether it be through the eyes of the driver, from within the cockpit, or viewing the action from the rear of the car.”

Hot Pass will be active for Monday’s broadcast of the Daytona 500, the season-opening Sprint Cup event which is billed as “The Great American Race”.

Over 200,000 fans will cram the Daytona International Speedway for the famous event, which will be seen by millions more motorsports enthusiasts across the globe on television.

Daytona coverage on SPEED & SPEED HD Friday 18 – Monday 21 February, 2011

Fri 18 Feb – Duel at Daytona LIVE @ 6am AEDT

Sat 19 Feb – Daytona 250 (Camping World Truck Series) LIVE @ 11am AEDT

Sun 20 Feb – Daytona 300 (Nationwide Series) LIVE @ 4am AEDT

Mon 21 Feb – Daytona 500 (Sprint Cup Series) LIVE @ 4am AEDT

Sun 13 Feb, 11.55am AEDT, LIVE on SPEED & SPEED HD

The invitation-only Daytona race marks the first competitive event of the season and launches the NASCAR portion of ‘Speed Weeks’. The race carries no series points for the winner, but a rather large purse which ensures the drivers will go all-out for victory.