Talk was widespread amongst V8 Supercar fans at last weekend's SMP400. Opinions are certainly divided regarding the move to Channel 10 and Foxtel to broadcast V8 Supercars from 2015. Some fans are excited about the prospect of increased revenue for the teams from the new deal to curtail their expenditure and assist struggling teams. It may also open up V8 Supercars to a much wider global audience and entice new opportunistic sponsors from abroad to the sport. The return of the popular weekly RPM programme along with the signing of retired F1 ace and Porsche WEC driver Mark Webber to the commentary team will hopefully keep the motorsport thirsty fan informed.
    Others are not so convinced. Is there devil in the detail? While Foxtel have hinted at including live practise and qualifying for V8 Supercars coupled with extensive behind the scenes coverage, is it the free-to-air punters that have been left outside in the cold? Channel 10 are only broadcasting the showcase races live ie: Clipsal 500, Townsville 500, Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000, Gold Coast 600 and the Sydney 500. The remaining 8 events of the championship will be broadcast via a highlights programme. Will this have an adverse effect on the sport? V8 Supercars is as popular to Australians as F1 is to the UK, especially England. You want to watch all F1 rounds live in the UK, you better subscribe to Sky Sports, otherwise wait for the highlights programme on the Beeb. Are Australian fans now in the same boat as British fans? By that we mean that if you want to watch every V8 Supercar round live, are we now forced to stump up the funds? If the punters are not prepared to pay, will fans lose interest in the championship? How will this affect crowd numbers at events? Even though the showcase events on Channel 10, especially Bathurst, will rate very well, will sponsors be questioning their commitments if exposure decreases due to diminished local viewing figures simply because fans are not willing to subscribe to Foxtel? Would love to know the viewing figures for F1 in the UK for this year compared to last year before the pay-TV deal. 
    
    Moving into the Pirtek Endurance Cup now and last weekend's SMP400 revealed a couple of potential championship contenders. Lousy weekend for HRT's James Courtney, damage limitation for FPR's Mark Winterbottom and Red Bull's Craig Lowndes all the while Red Bull's Jamie Whincup quietly extended his lead. The Saturday races brought the talented Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen into championship contention with a couple of masterful displays in car control to win both races in testing wet conditions, propelling him to fourth in the championship. The Sunday feature race saw Nick Percat start to fulfil his promise by finishing second and Fabian Coulthard finishing third who seems to be consistently scoring points and now sits fifth going in to the endurance season. What a star Volvo Polestar Racing and GRM have in young Kiwi, Scott McLaughlin. An impressive win in the feature race. A crowd favourite who genuinely seems to realise he's living the dream.
Watch Scotty fly at Bathurst.
                                   Ciao.... 

    V8 Supercar co-drivers must certainly be rubbing their hands together with anticipation at the prospect of the endurance season, the Pirtek Enduro Cup, looming ever so large. Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000, Gold Coast 600; awesome. The long wait is almost over. Being embedded in a team is not quite the same as racing, but what it does provide is a learning curve as to how a team operate. Could be immeasurable around a circuit such as Mt Panorama.
    But wait! Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Sydneysiders must also be rubbing their hands together, as there's the not too small matter of the Sydney Motorsport Park 400 to contest. The last SuperSprint format event before the endurance season commences.
    Red Bull Racing's Jamie Whincup's recent resurgence has given the defending champ a slender 15 point lead over FPR's Mark Winterbottom. Will this be an old fashioned Holden vs Ford stoush that runs all the way to the Sydney 500 at Homebush? Craig Lowndes' consistent podium places at last round's Queensland Raceway has placed him firmly back in contention, plus James Courtney's stunning win for HRT in the Sunday race has resulted in blowing the championship wide open. Points acquired at the SMSP 400 before the unpredictability of the Pirtek Enduro Cup could proved invaluable in the grand scheme of things.
    A bumper program is scheduled for the SMSP 400. V8 Supercars excite our senses with 2 x 100km races on Saturday and a 200km feature race on Sunday. Ably supporting the V8's is a absolute plethora of tin-tops to entertain the fans. Porsche Carrera Cup, Touring Car Masters, Australian GT; and making their debut as a V8 Supercar support, Radical Australia Cup. Any of our friends that frequent this site will know how much we love the exotic marques of GT, not to mention the very nimble Radicals. These light weight open cockpit sports cars will run comparable if not quicker times than the V8's. This year there's a designated Park + BBQ area. So grab your cameras (Nikons we hope), pack the barbie  and esky, bring the family, and don't forget your earplugs. 
                                             See you at the SMSP 400. Ciao....