Japanese GP coverage highlights NBCSN weekend motorsports lineup

By Oct 2, 2014, 2:29 PM EDT
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Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg continue their battle atop the F1 driver standings at the Japanese Grand Prix this Sunday at 1:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will live stream the Japanese Grand Prix.

NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the F1 Japanese Grand Prix begins Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Live Extra with Practice 1, followed by Practice 2 on Friday at 1 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Live Extra will carry Practice 3 on Friday at 10 p.m. ET, followed by live qualifying coverage on Saturday at 1 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

Live Japanese Grand Prix coverage begins Sunday at 1:30 a.m. ET, followed by F1 Extra at 4 a.m. ET. NBCSN will air an encore presentation of the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Hamilton is looking to build off of momentum from his victory at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sept. 21, which vaulted him into first place in the driver’s standings ahead of Rosberg, after Rosberg was only able to complete 13 laps before retiring due to an electronics issue. Hamilton (241) now holds a slim three-point lead over Rosberg (238) with five races remaining on the schedule. Hamilton won the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway, but neither driver has taken the checkered flag at Suzuka Circuit, where the race has been held since 2009.

Lead F1 announcer Leigh Diffey will call the Japanese Grand Prix, and will be joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driverDavid Hobbs, and analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett. F1 insider Will Buxton will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from Suzuka Circuit.

In addition, NBC Sports Group’s F1 telecast team will preview the race weekend on F1 Countdown tomorrow afternoon at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN. F1 Countdown will include an interview with Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team, and recap the Singapore Grand Prix with extended radio communications from various drivers and teams.

2014 FORMULA ONE SEASON ON NBCSN AVERAGING 390,000 VIEWERS, UP 92% FROM 2013

Through nine races, NBCSN’s coverage of the 2014 Formula One season has averaged 390,000 viewers, up 92% from the average viewership through the same number of races in 2013 (203,000), with three races remaining on the network (Japan, Russia and Abu Dhabi).

The Singapore Grand Prix on NBCSN on Sunday, Sept. 17 (7:30-10:07 a.m. ET), averaged 406,000 viewers, up 58% from the same race in 2013.

Motorsports Coverage This Week on NBCSN & NBC Sports Live Extra (subject to change):

Date Program Time (ET) Network
Thurs., October 2 NASCAR AMERICA 5 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 1 9 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra
/DRIVE on NBC Sports (Encore) 10 p.m. NBCSN
Fri., October 3 F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 2 1 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Countdown 5 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Practice 3 10 p.m. NBC Sports Live Extra
Sat., October 4 F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying 1 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore) 12:30 p.m. NBCSN
Sun., October 5 F1 Japanese Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra 4 a.m. NBCSN
F1 Japanese Grand Prix (Encore) 2:30 p.m. NBCSN
F1 Extra (Encore) 5 p.m. NBCSN

 

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).