MOTORSPORT: 24/7 on the box from November

Although there is an abundance of motorsport on Australian TV already through OneHD, Ten and Seven, and -- for those with pay television -- on the likes of Eurosport and ESPN, the addition of Speed and Speed HD will complete the menu.

Speed is a well-established, dedicated motorsport channel that boasts that "if it goes fast -- on land, water or in the air -- Speed has it covered".

Speed will be available on Foxtel as Channel 505 and Speed HD as Channel 206. Foxtel -- half-owned by Telstra, with News Corporation and Consolidated Media each owning 25 per cent -- already is connected to 1.63 million Australian homes on cable and satellite.

"It is fantastic to be launching a channel targeted at the multitude of motorsports fans in Australia," Speed channel manager James Harrison said.

Harrison said Foxtel would be "heightening the viewing experience" of motorsport fans with the introduction of HotPass interactive technology in the coverage of NASCAR's Sprint Cup. HotPass will have four dedicated driver channels that will include differing on-board cameras as well as the audio feed from the driver's pit crew.

Apart from the Sprint Cup and secondary Nationwide Series coverage, Speed also will screen NASCAR's third-tier pick-up truck series, in which Australia's Marcos Ambrose began his American stock car career five years ago.

The Speed banquet will include the complete Superbike World Championship live. It also promises live telecasts of GT1 and Rolex sports car championships and British and international speedway.

There also will be delayed coverage of Australia's V8 Supercar Championship, as well as the Dakar Rally -- to be held in South America for the third time next January -- and Formula Two.

And Speed will show World Series Sprintcars, the 13-round Australian series starting in November, although screenings won't start until December 22 -- still a Christmas present for speedway racing fans. 

There were showers in the Asian city-state yesterday, with more forecast for today, tomorrow and Sunday. While many of the F1 drivers have had the experience of driving under lights in Singapore the past two years, they have not yet had to race on a wet track at night.

"We don't know how the spray of the cars will be in those conditions, although my money is on everything being fine -- I don't think there will be any huge problems," Webber said.

The Aussie has talked this week of the "incredible hunger" he and his Red Bull team have to become world champions.

While the title fight is likely to go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, next Tuesday -- September 28 -- will be the 30th anniversary of Australia's last F1 world champion, Alan Jones, clinching his title. This week's Auto Action magazine has a 10-page feature celebrating AJ's feat.

Meanwhile, Webber has said that he will be racing to win rather than just to accumulate points over the remaining rounds this season.

"It would be suicidal to say I can sit back and finish fifth or sixth (in races)," Webber said. "We are looking forward to podiums, and that is what we need to do keep massively in the hunt.

"Leading the championship at Singapore (where he has had mechanical retirements the past two years) is not the important thing -- it's important to lead at the end."

On the prospect of team orders from Red Bull that would require his young German teammate to assist his title challenge, Webber said: "Help from Vettel? It depends on the team. Rest assured, I have not asked for anything."

For more on Webber's thinking as the championship hots up, he has answered lots of questions on international telecaster the BBC's website and in last night's F1 press conference in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Hamilton -- winner in Singapore last year, closest to Webber in this year's standings, but with two non-finishes and one win from the past three GPs -- has tried to portray Ferrari's Fernando Alonso (and his former McLaren teammate) as his main rival.

It sounds like an attempt to put Webber down, as the Australian is now favourite to win in Singapore and to take the title, while Alonso will incur a 10-place grid penalty when Ferrari next changes his engine as he is already on his stipulated eighth engine for the year.

Meanwhile, Hamilton has spoken passionately this week about racing on the Singapore street circuit.

"It's just man, machine and a wall ... very special," he said.

And, in his prime at 25 and already with one world title from 2008, he said: "I have got the best job in the world. Not even being a fighter pilot is as exciting.

"It's absolutely incredible. You get in the car, it's so fast and so light ... it's just a beast. You get in and put the pedal to the metal and it takes off like a rocket. Then you have to tame it ... it's awesome. It can catch you out as well, which is a special part of it. You really have to be prepared."

The IndyCar season finishes next weekend in Florida and if he'd become champion -- something countryman and Penske teammate Will Power has a big chance of doing -- would have been required for promotional activities in the US.

However, it was confirmed yesterday that Briscoe will drive a Walkinshaw Racing Holden Commodore at Bathurst with Andrew Thompson. Nick Percat, who drove with Thompson at the recent L&H 500 at Phillip Island, has had to make way in the Bundy Red car for Briscoe, who made a stunning V8 Supercar debut with pole position for the Holden Racing Team at the 2006 Sandown 500.

For the third V8 Supercar endurance round this year, the Armor All Gold Coast 600 later in October, Briscoe will move across to Walkinshaw's Toll HRT. While Power can't return for Bathurst he will race with Ford Performance Racing at the Gold Coast.

Launching the event, which will include twilight sports car racing, South Australia's deputy premier and treasurer Kevin Foley said there had already been $4.1 million of grandstand sales -- or 66 per cent -- and that 84 per cent of corporate facilities had been sold.

ABC News reported this week that this year's Clipsal is expected to show a $2.5 million loss. The state's Sustainable Budget Commission recommended that the event become self-funded, mainly by increasing ticket prices. However, Foley said there was no reason to adopt that recommendation.

"It's not a matter of propping it up," Foley said.

"For a very small and modest investment it is the best entertainment and production anywhere in Australia."

The Chevrolet that Clint Bowyer drove to victory failed post-race inspection, with the bodywork illegal. Bowyer and his team, Richard Childress Racing, will be allowed to keep the victory, but Bowyer has been penalised 150 points and his crew chief Shane Wilson suspended for six weeks and fined $150,000.

Bowyer's penalty has dropped him to 12th -- and last -- in The Chase, 185 points behind new leader Denny Hamlin. Richard Childress Racing has been penalised 150 points in the owner standings and manager Chad Haney suspended for six weeks.

"I know we won the race and it was a lot of fun. Aside from that I don't know what's going on," Bowyer said.

The team is appealing the penalties. The New Hampshire success ended an 88-race winless streak for Bowyer and was Wilson's first win as a Sprint Cup crew chief.

The last Chase driver to be penalised was Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards in 2007, when his winning car failed to meet the minimum right rear height and was penalised 25 points after a race at Dover, Delaware, the "Monster Mile" oval where the series returns this weekend.

Australian Marcos Ambrose's last race there was wrecked by two cut tyres on his Toyota. His best Cup finish there has been 14th and his best in four Nationwide starts was sixth.

The TV audience for the first race of this year's Chase was down 28 per cent on last year, which SceneDaily.com has reported is the second biggest drop of the season behind a 32 per cent drop for a race at Las Vegas.

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