MRTI: Broadcast schedule, talent revealed for NBCSN shows - MotorSportsTalk

Andersen Promotions and the IMS Productions teams have announced a broadcast schedule and TV talent for the three Mazda Road to Indy series: Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires, the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda. All three will be shown on NBCSN, and be produced by IMSP.

The 14 rounds of Indy Lights action will be showcased in 10 shows which will include full coverage of single race events, and highlight coverage of the 40-minute “sprint” race rounds within full coverage of the standard 60-minute feature races at the four double-header events. Seven of the 10 shows will air either immediately before or after the IndyCar Series race broadcast, with the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway airing live on May 23.

Pro Mazda and USF2000 competition will continue to be featured in four one-hour highlight shows, featuring an equal split between the two over the course of the show. One race per series will be featured, and one highlighted in the 60-minute time slot.

Kevin Lee, pit reporter for NBCSN’s IndyCar coverage, will anchor all shows with color commentary coming from Anders Krohn. Krohn, the Norwegian better known as “The Viking” raced in Indy Lights from 2010 through 2012 and has additional experience in Pro Mazda; he currently runs and operates CoForce International, which provides racing and corporate development services for young drivers. Jake Query will be on pit lane.

All Indy Lights races will be carried live on the IMS Radio Network to Sirius XM Satellite Radio, indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR app from Verizon.

Mark Jaynes, who has held over a decade-long role as an announcer for the network, will continue his duties as anchor with driver Pippa Mann as analyst, IndyCar Series pit reporter Nick Yeoman on pit lane alongside Rob Howden, owner of Howden Media Group, who is the “official” voice of the Mazda Road to Indy serving as PA announcer and ceremonies host for the three ladder series. IMS Radio Network coverage will also include Pro Mazda and USF2000 news and results.

Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires 2014 Broadcast Schedule

DATE	EVENT	TIME	COVERAGE
April 4	Streets of St. Petersburg	4:00-5:00 pm ET	Delayed
April 13	Streets of Long Beach	2:30-4:00 pm ET	Same Day
April 27	Barber Motorsports Park	5:30-6:30 pm ET	Same Day
Week of May 19	Indianapolis Motor Speedway (RC)	TBD	Delayed
May 23	Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Oval)	12:00-1:00 pm ET	Live
July 6	Pocono Raceway	4:00-5:00 pm ET	Same Day
July 20	Streets of Toronto	6:00-7:00 pm ET	Same Day
August 3	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course	6:00-7:00 pm ET	Same Day
August 17	The Milwaukee Mile	6:00-7:00 pm ET	Same Day
August 24	Sonoma Raceway	7:00-8:00 pm ET	Same Day

2014 Highlight Show Broadcast Schedule: NBCSN

DATE	TIME	FEATURED RACEPRO MAZDA	FEATURED RACEUSF2000
May 24	1:30-2:30 am ET	Barber Motorsports Park	Streets of St. Petersburg
June 13	2:00-3:00 am ET	Indianapolis Motor Speedway (RC)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway (RC)
August 24	2:00-3:00 am ET	Streets of Houston	Streets of Toronto
Sept. 5	2:00-3:00 am ET	Sonoma Raceway	Sonoma Raceway

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Last week, Red Bull Racing revealed their new car, the RB19, and a new relationship with US-based Ford Motors in a press event in New York City complete with drivers Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Team Principle Christian Horner. They are the only Formula 1 team to launch in the United States, but even that small move of the needle reflects a major shift in the attitude of both F1’s management and their teams – and the extent to which the American audience has fully embraced the sport.

“It’s something fantastic and unique, for the sport to be able to break it into the U.S,” Perez told NBC Sports. “The market is huge and it’s a huge opportunity for everyone involved, for the drivers, for the team. It’s always a huge market.”

Verstappen Perez United States — *Sergio Perez finished fourth in the Unites States Grand Prix, but he was first with the fans. – Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images*

In 2023, Formula 1 will race three times in the United States and five times in North America. The Circuit of the Americas will host their 11th consecutive race in October before heading south to Mexico City. Miami returns for a second time in May on a temporary street course around the Hard Rock cafe and the third addition is in downtown Las Vegas in November.

With the Canadian Grand Prix on the schedule for June and the Brazilian Grand Prix in November, American fans are now in the ballpark of Europeans, who have eight events on the continent and one in England.

In 2022, Verstappen won every race in North America. He was kept from sweeping the hemisphere only by George Russell, who won in Brazil. That fact is less remarkable when one considers that Verstappen won 15 times in the season – nearly two-thirds of the races on the schedule.

By the time Formula arrived in Austin for Round 20 of 23, Verstappen had already wrapped up his second consecutive championship.

“Sometimes it can be hard to replicate the season, but I think it’s the same as with the car, right? You always try to improve it,” Verstappen told NBC Sports. “And I always look at the little details that even when you have had a good race, you could have done better. And then of course you also learn from the bad races. So we always try to look for these little improvements and general experience you gain year after year.

“You try to do better, but of course it also depends a lot on the package you have.”

Now Verstappen’s thoughts will inevitably turn to establishing a dynasty – and America will again play a pivotal role.

“I just enjoy what I’m doing,” Verstappen said. “After the years in Formula One, when you have to be on top of your game and you gain a lot on your experience – in that sense nothing really can get to you anymore. Every year you just try to do the best you can. But a lot depends on the material around you. It’s always a bit of a guess. Start the season as fit as you can be and be well prepared. But if you don’t have the car, you’re not going to win the championship.”

Perez added two wins to Red Bull’s total, at Monaco and the Marina Bay Street course. With two of the US 2023 races on street courses, Perez hopes to close the gap on Verstappen and potentially be his principle rival for the championship.

“The strategy is clear; it is to maximize the potential of the car – and we believe we have a good car, but how good?,” Perez said “We don’t know what the competition is doing. We just give our best in building this car and we hope that it’s good enough to get us to win races.

“I think we have to work together as a team. At the same time. We both want to win the championship. It’s just having good compromise. The competition will be really strong out there, so we really need everything we possibly can get from each other.”

Formula One returns to the United States for Round 6 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 7.

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