NASCAR Tickets - Kyle Busch Takes Checker Flag

Kyle Busch knows he is fast and fearless on the track. When this bad boy gets a chance to burn rubber watch out NASCAR fans, he is heading towards victory lane. That exactly what happened on Sunday when Busch won his second Sprint Cup Series race of the season in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He led a pretty impressive race with 378 of 503 laps before taking the checkered flag. After the race, many compared number 18 to another driver who happens to be a legend, Dale Earnhardt. However, the Bristol Motor Speedway Champion doesn't want to be compared to one of the most revered drivers in history. He believes he's his own man in his own time. Get NASCAR tickets and see Kyle Busch on the track.

Number 18 received his customary chorus of boos both before the race and during his victory lane celebration. But with 14 career Cup wins (47 spanning all three of NASCAR'S to series) he's grown comfortable with the discord. There are spectators who say Kyle enjoys the dissension. After the race, the Las Vegas native told reporters he doesn't care about the hecklers from the stands and being labeled as number one, he's out on the racetrack to win races. So those who wish him ill, the bad boy from the sin city wishes ill right back at them. What really drives the crowd mad is when Kyle wins his races and then gives a sarcastic celebratory bow.

Kyle Busch doesn't care what people think and doesn't censor himself before he speaks. The speed demon is not Earnhardt and that is a good thing for NASCAR. Whether fans love him or hate him Kyle is one of the best faces for the sport. Sure, he is confident and cocky, but in an era where the drivers are too watered down and politically conservative, Busch keeps things interesting. He never holds back on his raw emotions, which tends to hurt plenty of feelings. On Saturday, his racing crew fumbled away a tire during the final pit stop of the Nationwide Series race. The bad boy would have had another victory underneath his belt; however, the carelessness drew a NASCAR penalty that took him out of contention after he'd led a race 157 laps.

So what was Kyle's reaction? The man parked his car in Turn 3 near the pedestrian tunnel and walked to his motorhome. The crew ended up collecting the car, which was a reminder that they blew a sure victory. You would think the Las Vegas native would have apologized to his crew for his actions on Sunday, but the driver didn't bother to make nice before he took on the track. On this day, number 18's crew made no mistakes. It was critical that Busch be the first car off the pit road on the final stop because the track position would play heavily into the outcome. Runner-up Denny Hamlin and third-place finisher Jimmie Johnson both acknowledged that the race was won on the pit road during that final stop. NASCAR really hasn't seen a person like Busch.

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Damon Hill Graham Hill Phil Hill Peter Hirt

Brilliant Hamilton brings season alive

Lewis Hamilton was fighting back the tears as he prepared to go out on to the podium after winning the Chinese Grand Prix. It had, he said, felt like "an eternity" since his last victory, in the Belgian Grand Prix last August. After he has come down to earth, he might well think it was worth the wait. This was - Martin Brundle and David Coulthard agreed - one of the greatest performances of Hamilton's career.

A thrilling race, in which it was impossible to pick a winner until very close to the end, put an end to Sebastian Vettel's domination of the 2011 season. From looking like his Red Bull had the pace to win every race, the world champion now knows he faces a fight.

From the very beginning of the season, it has looked like Hamilton would be the man giving the Red Bulls their closest challenge, but events had transpired in the previous two races to prevent him taking the fight to Vettel.

In China, though, Hamilton finally got the chance he had been waiting for and the result was one of the most exciting Formula 1 races for a very long time.

It ebbed and flowed, the advantage swaying one way and then the other between four teams and five different drivers, all coming together in a thrilling final few laps as the various strategies chosen by the different teams merged.

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What allowed it all to happen was both Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button beating Vettel, who started from pole position, away from the grid. That demoted the German to third place on the first lap and prevented him from unleashing the full pace of the Red Bull and building an advantage he could then defend for the rest of the race.

Instead, Vettel spent the first part of the race bottled up behind the McLarens and from that position Red Bull made what eventually turned out to be a critical error - to do only two pit stops compared to the three of McLaren.

For a long time, it looked like it would work - starting from when Button made the astonishing error of stopping at the Red Bull pit instead of his McLaren one as he and Vettel came in for the first time.

That put Vettel ahead of both McLarens, into clear air and seemingly on course to cruise to victory. But it soon became clear it would not be as simple as that. He did not close on the leading Mercedes of the impressive Nico Rosberg as quickly as might have been expected, and neither was he pulling away from Felipe Massa's Ferrari behind him.

As the race developed, it soon became clear that it was turning into a classic F1 strategy battle - two stops versus three.

Had this been last year, with more durable tyres, the two-stoppers - Vettel and Massa - would have won out, as they were in front by the time all the leading runners had completed the stops.

But the deliberately rapid degradation of the new Pirelli tyres means that races are no longer about track position going into the final stages. Because the tyres can lose their edge so quickly, they are about who has the most grip in the closing laps. It is no good being in front if you do not have the grip to defend your position.

That created a brilliant spectacle - as was the idea when Pirelli were asked to design tyres in this way. Once everyone had completed their pit stops, Hamilton was in fourth place, and on tyres with much more grip than Vettel, Massa and Rosberg in the first three positions.

Hamilton's passing moves on those three got better and better - peaking with a superbly audacious dive down the inside of Vettel into the 150mph Turn Seven to take the lead. It was, as even Vettel had to admit, "a good move".

But arguably the best of all was the overtake that made the victory possible - taking what at the time was second place from Button into Turn One on lap 35, with 21 laps to go.

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It is not the easiest of places to pass - there is no sharp braking into that corner; the cars dive in and slow progressively as it gets tighter and tighter through nearly a complete circle. Hamilton seemed to catch Button unawares and there was a nervy moment when the older man suddenly realised his team-mate was there.

Button had a little wobble as he made room for Hamilton, and up on the pit wall team principal Martin Whitmarsh had his heart in his mouth. But it worked out and Hamilton had three laps to make up some time before his final stop.

"It felt absolutely incredible and was probably one of the best races I've ever competed in," Hamilton told BBC Sport's F1 Forum after the race. "It was one of the best grand prix wins I can remember."

It was indeed a quite superb drive, probably his best in the dry, and one that certainly ranks up there with his wet-weather wins at Japan 2007, Silverstone 2008 and Spa last year.

It was also a timely reminder that for all Vettel's impressive run of wins and pole positions at the end of last year and the beginning of this, there are a few other drivers out there who are at least a match for him if they are provided with the right equipment and circumstances.

Among them, Hamilton is right up at the top - and this win has closed the gap to Vettel in the championship to 21 points. Suddenly, a season that had looked poised to be a Red Bull walkover has come alive.

The key themes of the narrative are still not absolutely clear.

One, it seems, will be Red Bull's struggles with Kers. These again proved an Achilles heel for the team - Webber struggled with the system through the weekend, and it malfunctioned on Vettel's car in the race, just as it did in Malaysia a week ago.

Another will clearly be the impact of the tyres and the controversial moveable rear wing, or DRS as it is known in F1 jargon. For ultra-purists, there is an argument that the racing, while exciting, feels a little artificial at times.

As Webber, whose fabulous recovery drive ironically made him one of the biggest beneficiaries of the massive grip differences between old and new tyres, put it: "I'm still not a huge fan of how it is; sometimes the overtakes are not all that genuine because the guys don't have anything to fight back with."

But after a race as good as this, how much does that matter?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/brilliant_hamilton_brings_seas.html

Loris Kessel Bruce Kessler Nicolas Kiesa Leo Kinnunen

My review of the first three races of 2011

Two wins for Sebastian Vettel in the flying Red Bull, a superb recovery from pre-season problems for McLaren culminating in a stunning victory for Lewis Hamilton in China, Ferrari struggling, impressive pace from Renault and debutant Paul di Resta, and signs of a resurgence for Mercedes.

Watch my review of the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season.

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IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE UK, YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2011/04/my_review_of_the_first_three_r.html

Michael Duane Bliss Kurt Thomas Busch Kyle Thomas Busch Jeffrey Tyler Burton

Starting the season in style

Can I start by saying how great it feels to have F1 back on the BBC, and in HD glory?

I loved the tweets telling me about all the F1 parties going on around the UK and, even though many of you had to do some serious coffee drinking to cope with early morning action, #bbcf1 was trending on Twitter the whole weekend, which was awesome.

Mind you, it's funny how life can conspire against you sometimes isn't it? Having waited all winter, and an extra couple of weeks, I wanted to have the perfect preparation ahead of the opening race weekend of the 2011 F1 season. But it didn't quite work out like that.

Now, I'm an eight-hours-a-night man at the best of times, so having spent the day grabbing the latest info in the paddock and then grabbing a late dinner, I was already worried about finally getting to bed at midnight ahead of Saturday's first qualifying session of the year.

However, an hour or so later and my night was set to get worse. A lot worse.

Australian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel is sprayed with champagne by runner-up Lewis Hamilton

Australian Grand Prix winner Sebastian Vettel celebrates with runner-up Lewis Hamilton. Pic: Getty Images

You know those horrible, startled wake-up calls that you get sometimes when you spend the first 20 seconds just trying to remember where you are? That was me, staring into the darkness trying to work out what the sound of rushing water was in my hotel room at 2am. Moments later I was flying across the room in panic as out of the ceiling, on to the laptop, all over the desk... a water leak!

Thankfully, I managed to rescue the computer and, after moving rooms, eventually got my head down - welcome to the new season, Jake!

It felt really strange starting the season off in Australia again, actually.

The last time I welcomed you guys to the BBC's coverage of the opening race there, it was 2009 and I was in a serious state of panic. I'll never forget standing in the pit lane in Melbourne and hearing 'The Chain' for the first time. I'd never stood under the winner's podium, interviewed a driver, or even done live TV with Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard before. It's amazing how quickly you can get used to something isn't it?

Mind you, after a break of a few months it always feel a little bit like it's the first time you're popping in your earpieces and hearing the seconds count down until we're on air.

Like anything that involves a group of people working together, you get a great flow going when you do something regularly, and equally after a big break you can feel pretty rusty. I'll certainly admit to feeling like a badly oiled bike this weekend.

Before each show we always get together in the production office to discuss what's on the programme and watch the taped elements of the show. I also talk with Steve Aldous the assistant editor about where we want to be. We try to inform the teams so we don't surprise them by suddenly appearing inside their garage live on air and then we take to the pit lane - all seven of us!

With Steve, a sound man, monitor man, a couple of cameras, me, and two pundits we can be quite a big group to negotiate what is at times a really rather claustrophobic pit lane.

Australia was particularly busy, with my random moment of the weekend being former Westlife member Brian McFadden having a beer with Beppe Di Marco from EastEnders while Leo Sayer and Danny Cipriani wandered past...That's F1 for you!

One element I really did enjoy was the F1 Forum and if you're in the UK and you've yet to see it I'd suggest you take a look on the iPlayer. We had the Sauber drivers, Paul di Resta, Sebastian Vettel, and DC getting cake in his face - so pretty much something for everyone.

So, what did you make of the first race of the year?

I feel really sorry for the Sauber pair of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez after their cars were ruled illegal. Perez in particular did an awesome job, just one pit stop, great speed and points on his debut that have now been taken away from him.

If you check out the F1 Forum it's interesting to see the surprise on Kobayashi's face when talking about Perez. If there is one thing an F1 driver likes less than a slow car it's a fast team-mate!

We'd actually made it away from the track when the Sauber news broke and we were heading out for dinner. A quick U-turn in the car, though, and it was back to the track for a late-night piece to camera. It happens every season!

One rookie was certainly not left frustrated. It was great to speak to Di Resta live ahead of qualifying. We always ask for drivers to join us live before the action gets going on a Saturday and they frustratingly rarely say yes.

But Paul was happy to chat and I think he did a great job. He was pretty candid in saying that he thought his car could struggle to make it into the top 17 in qualifying, so to finish with points after the stewards had punished Sauber was great news for him. He did, however, let his team-mate through twice so we'll have to watch that situation carefully.

Despite all that was going on, it was all about one performance this weekend, wasn't it? Vettel's dominance was incredible. No Kers power-boost system but the best start on the grid, masses of speed over a team-mate who he really does have the beating of currently. And most pleasing of all? He's still such a normal guy!

There are a few drivers in F1 that I have interviewed numerous times now yet they still wouldn't give me the time of day. They'd walk past me in the paddock, probably not even know my name. They're so intense that whatever you do you just can't get close to them.

Vettel definitely doesn't fit into the category.

He took the time out to congratulate DC on his 40th birthday having just started his title defence in style, not scurrying off for a massage and avoiding the media at all costs. Relaxed, approachable, honest and stunningly fast, I think it tells us so much about him that he can put in such amazing performances and enjoy it at the same time. He will go on to be an even bigger star if he can marry up such personality with such speed for seasons to come.

So, we head to Malaysia with Red Bull looking like they're around a second quicker than the rest with a super-confident driver very much playing a game of 'catch us if you can'.

The best news of all, though, is you'll only need an 0800 alarm to enjoy the action on race day, so I hope I'll see you then.

Jake

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/03/can_i_start_by_saying.html

Germain com Toyota Brendan Gaughan Loan Max Toyota Aric Almirola

NASCAR Tickets - Busch Contemplates Open-Wheel Switch

Kyle Busch is back on top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup throne, a familiar position for the No. 18 M&M's racecar driver. After suffering a disappointing start to the NASCAR season when he was taken out by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s aggravating crash in the Daytona 500 in February, Busch fought back to earn third place honors at the Auto Club 500 in Fontana in late February before jumping headfirst into the Shelby 427 in his hometown of Las Vegas on March 1. Busch won the race at Las Vegas after starting at the back of the 43-car pack, proving his mainstay status in the NASCAR realm. While Busch is sitting pretty in the Top 10 in current rankings, however, the famed No. 18 could be seeing a different kind of racing in the near future.

NASCAR online recently reported on a probable Formula One startup in the U.S., and Kyle Busch is one of the names being tossed around as a possibility to fill the driver's seat. Racing heavyweights Ken Anderson (former Ligier and Onyx engineer) and Peter Windsor (former Ferrari and Williams team manager and pit-lane reporter) have recently announced plans to start an F1 organization in Charlotte, North Carolina, saying they will have seats for two American drivers to partake in the F1 excitement starting in 2010. Busch is one figure being considered out of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series, and IndyCar racers Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Scott Speed are also being considered, though Speed has already tried his hand at Formula One and has expressed no interest in returning to the league.

Busch, on the other hand, has already entertained the idea of switching from stock cars to open-wheel racing, recently stating, "I wouldn't mind trying IndyCars and running the Indianapolis 500 once, or running Formula One. But it's not quite time for me to do that yet. If I can win a championship here in the next two or three years, then I wouldn't mind going over there."

While Kyle Busch is now contemplating a possible future switch to IndyCar or F1, his resume is currently lacking in the open-wheel sector of racing. Busch followed his older brother Kurt Busch onto the stock car racing scene from his youth, starting to race at age 13 in the Legends Series before moving on up to NASCAR's late model series, which he excelled in before joining Roush Racing while still in high school. Busch became the youngest race winner in NASCAR's history at age 20, and, now still in his twenties, Busch has become one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' best drivers, maneuvering his No. 18 stock car around the nation's toughest courses. Busch's game plan for his racing future seems yet uncertain, as he recently made a statement saying, "I think I'd still be young enough where if I could win a championship by 25, go run Formula One for a couple years, be back by 28, I've still got plenty of time left to run in NASCAR. That's just what I see, but a lot of things would have to work out for that to happen."

Clearly, nothing is set in stone now, nor will be for a while, but if you want to see Kyle Busch in his famed No. 18 stock car before he makes a possible switch to F1, get NASCAR tickets, available online, and watch the talented driver zoom around the track before he exits the Sprint Cup Series!

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Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet Clint Bowyer Joey Logano

NASCAR Gifts For Men

Do you have a man who is a NASCAR fan? NASCAR gifts are loved by men. Whether that gift is intended to be a Father's Day present, a birthday present, or a just because you want to show him how much you love him. He probably already has a Nascar hat and a Nascar t-shirt. If you would like to purchase unique NASCAR gifts for your father, husband or friend, checkout some of these great NASCAR gifts for men.

With spring and summer quickly approaching, racing themed barbeque tool sets make great gifts for men. Get a barbeque tool set with you man's favorite driver's number printed on the handles. These specialty racing themed barbeque tool sets often come with matching storage cases or bags. These NASCAR grill tool sets are great, but affordable, gifts for men who like to grill outside.

Did you know that they make NASCAR patio sets? Yes they do. An outdoor patio set with a racing theme is a great, yet unique NASCAR gift idea. Now these aren't real cheap so this is probably more suited for a very close family member, husband or dad. Make sure that the racing patio set has your loved one's favorite nascar driver on the seats and table. Some have the names of the drivers and some have the nascar driver's number. A NASCAR patio set will allow your nascar fan to barbeque in style on race days.

Companies also make racing themed canopy sets. These canopy sets are also really awesome gift ideas for men who love NASCAR. And, you will have to look long and hard to find someone else who has a race car canopy set.

What goes hand and hand with watching a race? That's right beer or another cold beverage. You man would love to have a NASCAR compact refrigerator with is favorite driver on it. I would love to have a Jeff Gordon compact refrigerator or may a Dale Jr refrigerator. These compact refrigerators would look great in your game room or a dormroom.

If you are looking for a NASCAR gift for a child, toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school aged children love NASCAR diecast cars. NASCAR diecast cars make very affordable gifts. In fact, most grown men that I know love racing diecast cars. My son and I play racing all the time with diecast cars. He always plays with his Jeff Gordon diecast car and I play with my Tony Steweart diecast car. He won't let me play with the Jeff Gordon diecast car.

I hope that these gift ideas help you to pick out the perfect NASCAR gifts for men.

Find out more about NASCAR at Nascar Diecast Cars. Nascar diecast cars make great collections. Check out these great Dale Earnhardt Jr Diecast cars and these Jeff Gordon Diecast cars.

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Mike Bliss PRISM Motorsports Toyota Travis Kvapil Long John Silver s Ford

My review of the first three races of 2011

Two wins for Sebastian Vettel in the flying Red Bull, a superb recovery from pre-season problems for McLaren culminating in a stunning victory for Lewis Hamilton in China, Ferrari struggling, impressive pace from Renault and debutant Paul di Resta, and signs of a resurgence for Mercedes.

Watch my review of the start of the 2011 Formula 1 season.

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IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE THE UK, YOU CAN WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/murraywalker/2011/04/my_review_of_the_first_three_r.html

Tony Gaze Geki Olivier Gendebien Marc Gené

Nascar Keeps Fans Informed

Some fans tend to forget what graphics are on a specific race car that they have seen many times at the Nascar track and when they watch a race on television. They know that they can go to the Nascar sites and get the information that they need in a jiffy and then they will be able to finish the model car that they have been working on for several days.

Nascar makes sure that the fans are always informed on the latest happenings in racing because the fans are a large part of the reason that it has become a successful business enterprise. It keeps fans informed through the use of internet web pages and through podcasts. Fans know that they can listen to commentaries to keep up on the latest Nascar changes.

Fans are entertained by some of the information that Nascar provides and relay that information to friends who might not have internet in their homes. The Nascar fan will most certainly be willing to print off the latest racing schedule so that their friends can make their plans to join in on the fun at a track that is close to their home.

Long trips to Nascar races anywhere in the United States can be fine tuned to include a visit to the Daytona International Raceway. Some fans make their RVs a rolling billboard to show the world how devoted they are to it and Nascar will provide them with all of the information that they can post on the outside of their recreational vehicle.

Some fans might want to join in on the tailgate parties that form at every Nascar track before a race. Nascar is willing to keep fans informed on what the latest crazes are with other fans in the manner that they do their barbeque cooking including any type of Nascar apron fashions that some fans have created that they wanted to share a picture of through an online Nascar related website.

Fans want to hear about the latest tongs designs that are being used to flip burgers and ribs and about the refrigeration supplies that they can create to keep their beer temperatures just right. Fans know how hot the action can be on the raceway and they are well aware of the rising temperatures in the parking lot that require beer to be free flowing and cold all of the time.

Some RV enthusiasts might want to know the rates to park their RV near the park and fans are good about sharing any type of information that makes the Nascar experience more enjoyable for the everyone. In exchange for all of this helpful information, Nascar fans promise to clean up after the tailgate parties so that the next tailgate party will be deemed a success just like the last.

James Brown writes about Mitchell & Ness coupon codes, NBAStore.com web code and Footlocker.com web code

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Caterpillar Chevrolet David Ragan UPS Ford Dave Blaney

Could F1 go pay-per-view?

Formula 1's ability to generate major news stories above and beyond the excitement of the racing has never been in doubt, and this week has been no exception. No sooner had the dust settled on Lewis Hamilton's brilliant victory in the Chinese Grand Prix than reports emerged that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation was considering buying the entire sport.

The stories appeared first on Murdoch-controlled Sky News, quickly followed by the Murdoch-controlled Times newspaper, and they certainly set tongues wagging within F1.

The prospect of the sport being taken off free-to-air television - in the UK, it is currently on the BBC, which took over the contract from ITV in 2009 - and put on pay-per-view has also created debate on social network sites.

So could it happen?

Given that this is F1, it is no surprise that not only is there no definitive answer to that question, but that any explanation of the situation is complicated. I'll try to make it as straightforward as possible.

There are two inter-related issues here - who owns F1's commercial rights, and where it is broadcast. We'll leave the ownership of the sport aside until later and deal with the issue of free-to-air versus pay-per-view first.

F1 is governed by a document called the Concorde Agreement, which binds together the teams, governing body the FIA and the commercial rights holders, currently the private equity group CVC Capital Partners, represented by F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.

The Concorde Agreement is secret - so secret that the teams are not even allowed to retain their own copy - but it is known that it contains a clause which dictates that, in major territories, F1 has to be broadcast on free-to-air television.

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The reason for this is that free-to-air TV has much bigger audiences than pay-per-view, and the bigger the audience, the greater the chance of bigger sponsorship deals and therefore financial security and, for the teams, on-track success.

Take F1 off free-to-air TV and the audience would shrink dramatically. The smaller the audience, the less keen sponsors are to be involved, and the less money those that are involved would pay to the teams and Ecclestone.

However, the current Concorde Agreement runs out at the end of 2012, and negotiations to scope out a new one are beginning - at exactly the time that the global economic climate is making the commercial environment increasingly tough.

So teams are about to discuss the contents of a new Concorde Agreement at a time when several are struggling to raise funds and when the amount of money available from free-to-air broadcasters is, in a lot of cases, stagnating or reducing.

In that environment, might the F1 teams be tempted to try to secure their own short-term financial futures by removing the bar to pay-per-view in the Concorde Agreement, so they can free up the possibility of a big pay-day from, for example, Murdoch?

The short answer is that they don't know yet. While teams are beginning to focus on the need for a new Concorde Agreement, they are, in the words of one team principal, "nowhere" on the subject of broadcasting.

It is going to be a thorny and protracted debate, because so much is wrapped up in it:

F1 teams are typically short-sighted and self-interested when it comes to such matters - so it is not hard to imagine that some might see the appeal of Sky's millions as a way of securing their own short-term futures.

The risk with that would be that by reducing its audience, F1 could also reduce its appeal, and put its longer-term survival at risk.

You might think that the teams with least resources at the moment - both from TV revenues and sponsorship - would be most keen on a commercial model that raised more money from pay-per-view. But you would be wrong.

I put these arguments to the Virgin team's sporting director, Graeme Lowdon, who said: "My view is that the sport is served much better in the world of free-to-air for all the reasons you mention.

"F1 is an incredibly popular sport. It's talked about by people. It's the ultimate team game and the drivers are the heroes. If you remove the majority of the public, it removes a lot of the spirit of what F1 is about, as well as the ability for the teams to stand on our own two feet without reliance on the commercial rights holder.

Red Bull driver Mark Webber is interviewed by television crews

The BBC is in the middle of a five-year contract to broadcast F1. Photo: Getty

"It's more important that we have an agenda that grows the popularity of the sport than one that gazes inwardly.

"F1 is way bigger than pay-per-view and deserves its place on the global stage with the viewing figures it gets. We would be concerned if the sport was heading towards a pay-per-view only model.

"The biggest mistake any team can make is to assume you'll never be at the bottom. Look at Williams. They have called it themselves a poor start to the season - and that's an extremely good team. Anyone who assumes they'll always win and argues the financial model on those lines at some stage could come a cropper.

"There are a lot of examples in football - lots of teams have built their model on winning the championship. But only one can win and (beyond that) there's wreckage.

"We have tried to highlight that the model for F1 needs to make sense for the team with the least resources.

"The attraction of free-to-air is it gives you more opportunity to diversify your revenue streams. If we go pay-per-view and find people use other (TV) channels, then we're at risk. At least if you have underlying popularity, you can get your revenue.

"I'd be surprised if a race headlong into pay-per-view would provide F1 with the defences (it needs). Free-to-air provides you with so much flexibility - it means the business is less at risk than if you put all your eggs in one basket."

Of course, there is an opposing view - as expressed by English rugby and cricket executives earlier this week as Sky Sports celebrated its 20th birthday - that pay-per-view can re-invigorate a sport and provide it with much-needed revenues to fund grass roots and youth development. On that subject, the Telegraph has quoted a News Corp source saying the company would "transform" F1.

The issue of who owns F1 is clearly both linked to the debate over free-to-air versus pay-per-view and separate from it.

Ecclestone himself says the potential News Corp sale is a non-story. He told the BBC: "I know Rupert and [News Corp international boss] James Murdoch and Carlos Slim, and if they wanted to do anything they would contact me direct. And they haven't."

Elsewhere, he added: "We would not sell to a media company because it would restrict the ability to negotiate with other broadcasters."

One senior insider said this was one of "Bernie's curve balls - he's always throwing them up; they don't necessarily amount to anything".

And a team principal said he did not think CVC was looking to cash in on its investment in F1. "I think CVC are in it for the long term," he said.

CVC spent $1.8bn on buying F1 in 2006, following the collapse of the previous owners for financial reasons. CVC got into debt doing so, but those debts are scheduled to be paid down within the next two years, after which it can enjoy the huge profits F1 makes.

Any potential sale of F1 is complicated by the fact that the FIA has a veto which it can use if it does not approve of the potential buyer - referred to by Mosley as the 'Don King clause'. And where Todt stands on the issue of News Corp is not known.

Some F1 insiders are sceptical that the story was grounded in reality. "It's built up some momentum pretty quickly," said one, "and I suspect it will die away just as fast."

That may or may not be the case. But the wider conversation is only going to grow in importance over the coming months.

The ownership of F1 is tied up in the Concorde Agreement negotiations. If the teams want a greater split of revenues, that by definition means less for whoever owns the sport. And how does CVC feel about that?

The FIA is also unhappy about its financial arrangements with Ecclestone and CVC. Will it ultimately side with the teams against CVC, with CVC against the teams, or be one of three separate entities all fighting their own corner?

Whether Murdoch is involved in it or not, then, this story is not going away.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/04/will_f1_go_pay-per-view.html

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