ASTC: 1999 BOC Gases Australian Super Touring on Seven Network

SUPER TOURERS MOVE TO SEVEN NETWORK

New television coverage for BOC Gases Championship

THURSDAY, MAY 13: The Seven Network will televise the 1999 BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Championship over 16 hours on a new motor racing program which starts next month.

The new program is titled 'Start Your Engines' and will feature each of the 16 championship races contested by the works Volvo and Audi teams, cars representing nine other manufacturers, and a list of drivers who include six-times Bathurst 1000 winner Jim Richards, dual Super Touring champions Brad Jones and Paul Morris, and English star Patrick Watts.

Details of the coverage were announced today by the Seven Network's Director of Sport Harold Anderson, and Kelvin O'Reilly, Chief Executive of championship organisers TOCA Australia. They have entered a five-year agreement on the championship's television coverage.

Super Touring coverage on the Seven Network begins on Saturday, June 12, and there will be 16 one-hour programs showcasing each championship race. The programs will be screened from 12.30pm to 1.30pm each Saturday (before Australian Football League telecasts) in eastern States on successive weekends leading up to the 37th Bathurst 1000 on October 3, also televised by the Seven Network. The timeslot will vary in South Australia and Western Australia because of time differences.

Mr Anderson said the championship would be an "exciting new product" for the Seven Network and he predicted it would assist the growth of Super Touring and lead-up promotion to the Bathurst 1000.

"With 10 or more different types of cars racing door-handle to door-handle the championship will provide spectacular entertainment," said Mr Anderson. "Our new program 'Start Your Engines' will allow viewers and motorsport fans around Australia to become more familiar with the cars and stars who will do battle in the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama."

Mr O'Reilly said the championship's move to the Seven Network was the start of a new era for the category. He said that TOCA Australia would continue to produce the television programs in 1999, as it had done for the previous three years when the championship was screened on Network Ten.

"The combined resources of the Seven Network, and TOCA Australia's experienced and proven production team will take the championship to new levels of exposure," said Mr O'Reilly. "This will be of tremendous benefit to our teams and drivers from a sporting and commercial perspective."

Commentators for the championship programs will be Mike Raymond and four-times Bathurst 1000 champion Allan Moffat. Both have decades of experience with the Seven Network's past touring car coverage and at the Bathurst 1000. Former Channel 9 Wide World of Sports journalist Charles Stewart will compile background and feature stories for the program.

Mr O'Reilly said 'Start Your Engines' would also feature selected TOCA Australia-sanctioned support events on the championship program. The Seven Network will televise the 1999 British Touring Car Championship series on a separate program.

Mr O'Reilly also announced that TOCA Australia had completed negotiations with Foxtel for it to continue as pay-television telecaster of the championship for a further three years. The TOCA Australia-produced championship programs will be shown in full on Foxtel, as in the past three years.

"With 16 hours of free-to-air coverage with the Seven Network and the same on Foxtel we are more than happy with our television situation," said Mr O'Reilly.

Mike Porter mikep@qldnet.com.au