Formula one Australian Grand Pirx to become a Night Race

Posted on March 9, 2008

The Australian Grand Prix must become a night race or lose its place on the calendar, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said in an interview to the Mail.

“The only way the race could stay in Melbourne, or anywhere else in Australia, is if it is staged during the night so that the public in Europe can watch it. At the moment, it is ridiculous that people are asked not to sleep in order to see it live. That can’t carry on. The alternative is to pull the race completely from Australia. I’ve spoken to (Australian Prime Minister) Kevin Rudd and he’s told me it would cost too much to re-stage the race, so I guess that’s it. We won’t be going to Australia for too much longer.”

It really is not a bad idea because fans here in the united states are currently suffering by watching the race live at really odd hours. The qualifying seems to be almost on friday night and the practice on Thursday night. The sunday race is long over on saturday night and you completely don’t get the feeling of a sunday race, the ideal race day is gone. Ofcourse all this is possible only when SPEED channel is showing the race live.

Unlike those stupid schedule on local FOX/CBS/ABC where they show the race NOT live, but the next afternoon “as if it is live”.. Who are they kidding? Bernie wake up and dismiss those stupid contracts and change the telecast to SPEED, because most or all F1 fans in USA are happy with SPEED channel’s coverage of the races and you will never get anymore nascar junkies by switching to fox. You already have a loyal following in SPEED channel and you really do not want to alineate them. They are your core fans, they are the ones who hope F1 will return to Indy and go buy the tickets.

On the same token, where you are taking a stance on behalf of the fans in Europe, you should also take a similar stance for hardcore fans in America and make sure all the races are telecast LIVE and only LIVE. Of course you may have other reasons for fighting with the Aussies, the main one of which is money as we all know, but the outcome is to benefit the European fans. Likewise do something where the American fans (however small they may be), can also benefit in some fashion.