WATCH LIVE: FP2 for the Australian Grand Prix - MotorSportsTalk

The 2015 F1 season got off to something of a quiet start with first practice for the Australian Grand Prix earlier today, as the off-track debacle surrounding Sauber threatened to overshadow proceedings at Albert Park on Friday.

The Swiss team has been fighting a case against its former reserve driver Giedo van der Garde throughout the week, and now faces having its assets seized by bailiffs and even possible imprisonment for team principal Monisha Kaltenborn. Nevertheless, the show must go on in Melbourne.

You can watch second practice for the Australian Grand Prix live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra from 1:30a ET today. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

First practice saw Nico Rosberg and Mercedes pick up where they left off in 2014, topping the timesheets with a Silver Arrows one-two as Lewis Hamilton finished second. The Mercedes drivers finished over one second clear of the rest of the field, sending out an early statement of intent to the rest of the field.

Most of teams completed only limited running in the first session on Friday, and instead opted to work on getting all of the systems running smoothly and in place ahead of second practice when we should see more extensive running.

You can watch second practice for the Australian Grand Prix live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra from 1:30a ET today. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

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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