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Porsche to develop battery cells for EV motorsports
Porsche will produce electric batteries for racing cars and some production vehicles as part of a joint venture with German lithium-ion specialist Customcells.
FIA launches 'groundbreaking' electric GT category
The FIA has unveiled a new electric GT motorsports category with the aim of pushing manufacturers to develop battery, charging and other tech for high-performance road cars.
Honda will quit Formula 1 to focus on fuel cell and EV technology
Honda is ending its participation in Formula 1 in order to focus its research and development on fuel cells and EV technologies, the company announced. It currently builds the turbocharged hybrid power units for Red Bull Racing, which sits in second place in the F1 constructor standings, along with Red Bull’s adjacent team Scuderia AlphaTauri.
NASCAR driver fired after using a racial slur while streaming
A NASCAR driver lost his real-life racing job after using a racial slur during a live-streamed iRacing event on Sunday.
ESPN will give its racing fans an esports fix
With all motorsports on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic — including Formula 1, Formula E and IndyCar — the only experiences available are virtual. Disney’s ESPN is set to elevate that a notch by launching a virtual racing series from Torque Esports.
Porsche's virtual race series starts tomorrow with pro drivers at the wheel
It's not just multi-manufacturer racing leagues like NASCAR going digital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Porsche is livestreaming its Mobil 1 Supercup Virtual Edition starting on April 4th at 10AM Eastern, when drivers take to a digital version of the Spanish Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for two races in 911 GT3 Cup cars. The iRacing-based series will have 31 drivers, 22 of which are full-time Supercup racers -- the nine others are factory and young professional drivers fielded by big-name sponsors like TAG Heuer and Vodafone.
NASCAR's virtual race was the most-watched esports TV show to date
NASCAR and Fox Sports might have started airing virtual races out of pandemic-induced necessity, but it appears their efforts paid off. Fox has revealed that the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race on March 22nd drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, making it the highest-rated esports TV program to date. It was also the most-watched broadcast on FS1 since mass sports event cancellations on March 12th and the most-watched sports broadcast on cable that Sunday, although those last two feats weren't too difficult given the dearth of live sports.
NASCAR is replacing canceled races with esports featuring pro drivers
Sports leagues and broadcasters are scrambling to fill the void now that many live competitions are cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for NASCAR and Fox Sports that means venturing into relatively uncharted territory. They've announced an inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series that will replace canceled NASCAR races with "simulation-style" esports competitions. These will involve top-tier competitors, too -- you can expect Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin among other racers and luminaries from various NASCAR series.
Pirelli app gives track day drivers a digital pit crew
Gone are the days when racing sports simply involved cars hurtling around a track as fast as possible. Now, there are eye-watering volumes of data being processed every second, providing deep metrics and guidance on everything from tire pressure to traction control. This kind of intel was once the sole domain of racing drivers and pit stop crews, but now tire brand Pirelli has unveiled a system that'll give civilian track day goers the same kind of insight.
Anti-drone tech protected a weekend of NASCAR racing
Anti-drone technology isn't just being used at airports or sensitive political and military locations. Law enforcement just relied on DroneShield's systems, including its anti-drone gun, to protect against UAVs during a NASCAR race series at the Texas Motor Speedway between April 5th and April 8th. The tech helped police watch out for drones, disable them and (if all else failed) knock them out of the air. There weren't any known incidents, but it's notable that the technology was involved in the first place -- it was the first time American law enforcers used all three of DroneShield's products.
The new Formula E cars sound like upset cats
The second season of Formula E kicks off in October, and there's one key difference for the championship's sophomore year: custom batteries and motors. The teams are now able to experiment with the car's powertrain, which includes the e-motor, inverter, gearbox and cooling system. That means the cars will perform differently on the track, adding a little extra strategy and excitement to the proceedings. What we didn't expect, however, is the sound of the cars to change -- watch the video below for a glimpse at how they'll be screeching off the starting grid. Is it me, or do they all sound like confused felines?
Formula E's first race ends in spectacular fashion
Worried that the all-electric Formula E racing league will somehow be less exciting than its gas-powered Formula 1 counterpart? Don't be. The inaugural Beijing race ended on Saturday with about as much drama as you'd expect from conventional motorsports. The last lap involved a neck-and-neck battle between Renault's Nicolas Prost and Venturi's Nick Heidfeld that ended in a spectacular crash at the last corner (shown below); Prost says he inadvertently clipped Heidfeld while jockeying for position. Audi's Lucas di Grassi ultimately claimed the historic first win by waltzing past his wrecked rivals. There's no guarantees that the upcoming Malaysia race will produce such a spectacular finish, but it's clear that eco-friendly competitions don't necessarily lead to friendly driving.
Fox Sports becomes official Formula E broadcaster
What good is an EV racing league like Formula E if there's no way to watch it? Not much, which is why the FIA has reached a deal making Fox Sports the official Formula E broadcaster. The agreement gives Fox a US exclusive for TV coverage as well as a mixture of exclusive and non-exclusive rights (including online content) in over 80 regions. We won't know if Fox is truly ready for the job until the first Formula E race begins in September 2014, but it won't be hard to tune in.
Formula 1's on-board cameras may switch to HD next season
As we enjoy our first F1 action in the US since 2007 we're glad that it's in HD this time, however it still falling short in one area -- in-car camera shots. Although the racing series belatedly made the jump to high definition broadcasts last year, protests from the teams over weight and space issues caused it to stick with standard-definition cameras for the on-board shots. Now that a couple of years have passed and presumably the technology has improved, that may be addressed next year, at the same time US broadcasts of the series move from Speed/Fox to NBC Sports. Formula One Supporters Association caught up to F1 journalist Christian Sylt who got a peek at future plans that include the possibility of HD in-car cameras, multi-channel formats offering different views of the track and an interactive 3D replay feature. We'll have to wait and see how much -- if any -- of that is actually implemented any time soon, but if you'd like to check out the technology in use today, Speed TV has a live stream from several of the cars currently racing around the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Angry Birds Heikki: because F1 and fort-breaking games are like peanut butter and chocolate
We've seen Angry Birds go into strange places both figurative and literal, but Formula 1 racing? That's a less natural mix than a peanut butter cup. As a way of backing race driver and fellow Finland native Heikki Kovalainen, Rovio has crafted Angry Birds Heikki, a free web game themed all around its namesake's escapades during the F1 race year. The gameplay changes are more cosmetic than functional, although that leaderboard matters a little more in spirit than it might otherwise. Perhaps the biggest draw is simply that your gameplay schedule is intrinsically linked to Heikki's: new sections only unlock as the real-world races get near, so you'll have an incentive to keep coming back until the Sao Paulo race determines the F1 championship on November 21st. Let's just hope that there aren't too many road hogs spoiling either Heikki's fun or our own. [Thanks, Rodrigo]
Sky Sports dedicated F1 HD channel coming next season
The 2011 Formula 1 racing season just wrapped up in Brazil, but Sky is already breaking down what it will bring to the series as it takes over UK coverage next year. Launching in March, Sky Sports F1 HD will be a channel dedicated to round the clock coverage of the world's most technologically advanced racing series including every race, practice, and qualifying session. Sky customers with the Sports and HD packages will see the HD channel appear at number 408 on the dial, although there's no word yet whether or not it will be available on BT Vision or Virgin Media. Other tidbits include a promise of Sky Go access, and that despite the broadcaster's big 3D push, there's no such coverage planned for 2012. Seeing how long it took for true HD broadcasts from F1 we're thinking that could take a while, but here in the US we'd simply settle for a promise of no more tape delayed broadcasts on Fox (and some competent challengers for the Red Bull team while we're asking) for next season. Until then, check out this brief video trailer, plus a press release with all the details after the break.
World's largest HD screen makes its debut tonight during NASCAR All-Star race
Keep your (reasonably sized) HDTV tuned to Speed Network this evening to check out the world's largest HD screen for yourself, when it makes its debut during the festivities for the NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race. According to a tweet by the Charlotte Motor Speedway the debut should happen at about 6:50 p.m., and the main event race is scheduled to start around 9 p.m. Panasonic and CMS partnered on the new screen and are paying for it by splitting advertising revenue including ads that will appear during the race and promotions like the History Channel's sponsorship of a NASCAR Nationwide race next week. We've already seen virtual racing on the screen when Dale Earnhardt Jr. played some iRacing on it but tonight is the first time the 16,000 square foot 720p LED screen will see real racing action.
Formula One Management makes it official: 2011 season will be the first in HD
After many years of waiting we'll finally get to experience Formula 1 racing the way we should, in high definition. Sky Deutschland and the BBC have already confirmed they will carry the new HD feed, and formula One Management has confirmed it will be available to all host broadcasters and will include all track sessions in 42 Mb/s MPEG-2 form. The widescreen PAL feed we've been watching has been good enough to fool a few into believing what they saw on Speed HD and others was true HD, but we can't wait to see the difference when the season kicks off. Update: Speed TV has also officially announced it will carry the HD signal for US viewers this season starting with the opener in Bahrain March 13 and installing 'continuous fiber service' to guarantee the best picture quality.
NASCAR upgrades Coke Zero 400 to 3D July 3 on PC and DirecTV
It's time to add another 3D sporting event to your calendar, now that NASCAR and Turner Sports have gone public with plans for a 3D broadcast of the Coke Zero 400 July 3. Viewers can watch on DirecTV or online via TNT RaceBuddy. The hardware requirements for PC viewing are similar to those from the Masters broadcast, and we don't expect to hear DirecTV is in a more sharing mood than cable companies were then, so it will probably be the only option to watch this on TV. NASCAR is promising two custom feeds for the 3D broadcast, with one consisting of strategically placed track side cameras, and another focused on pit road. We're really waiting for a 3D Gopher Cam, in wall cam, and roof mounted cameras, but those can probably wait for the second race that airs in 3D.
Entire 2008 IndyCar season broadcast in HD on ESPN & ABC
Fans of open wheel racing rejoice, ESPN and ABC have announced they will broadcast all 16 events of 2008 in high definition. Just like ESPN's "most advanced" NASCAR coverage, all the cameras covering the event will be HD, including in-car. The 16 races will consist of seven each aired on ESPN2 and ABC, two on ESPN, as well as 16 Indy Pro Series races that will air on ESPN2-HD. Last year's Indianapolis 500 was the first IndyCar event in HD and now its far from the last. ESPNews, ESPN U, X Games and now IndyCar have gotten the 720p treatment, we just want to know what they will do next.
