WATCH LIVE: German GP Race Day; Rosberg chases perfection - MotorSportsTalk

Nico Rosberg has a chance to cap off a near-perfect couple of weeks today, as he starts on pole position for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.

Since the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Rosberg has got married, seen Germany win the FIFA World Cup, signed a new long-term contract with Mercedes, and secured pole position for his home race. Today, he can make it even sweeter by winning the German Grand Prix.

You can watch the race live on CNBC and Live Extra from 7:30am ET. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Mercedes teammate and championship rival Lewis Hamilton crashed out in qualifying after a terrifying brake failure. After taking a five place grid penalty for changing his gearbox, the Briton will start down in 20th place, handing the advantage to Rosberg.

However, with rain forecast to hit Hockenheim during the grand prix, we could be in for a thrilling and unpredictable race. The Williams duo of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa will be waiting in the wings to pick up the pieces if Rosberg hits trouble, but they too must be wary of the Red Bulls on the third row of the grid.

Be sure to join for the German Grand Prix, live on CNBC and Live Extra from 7:30am ET. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream. Coverage will continue until 10:30am ET, and the encore of the race is on NBCSN at midday.

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In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Read more about SuperMotocross