After another processional Grand Prix, the entertainment value of Formula One is again under the spotlight. While the Circuit de Catalunya always tends to produce a borefest, it’s become a common occurrence in Grand Prix racing.
So with more motorsport than ever on pay TV, what should we be watching as an alternative to Formula One? If Formula One is boring us with its unspectacular cars, predictability and lack of overtaking, what will attract us to watch different categories?
MotoGP, the premier motorbike-racing category, has started 2015 well with an intriguing head-to-head battle between Honda and Yamaha, with young gun and current champion Marc Marquez up against veterans Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo.
MotoGP, like Formula One, can suffer from the odd tedious race with a lack of competitive depth beyond the factory-backed bikes, but with a resurgent Ducati and Suzuki in the mix, things are looking up.
Plus, in terms of outright entertaining racing, you can’t look past MotoGP’s feeder categories, Moto3 and Moto2, where the up-and-coming stars always put on a good show fuelled by youthful exuberance.
Elsewhere in Europe, the World Endurance Championship is building towards the Le Mans 24 Hours, with Toyota, Audi and Porsche all in with a shot of victory and Nissan set to debut its radical Nissan GT-R LM.
The length of the endurance races makes it difficult for casual fans to commit to following the series, though the racing has been entertaining and worthy of the hours needed to watch.
Across the Atlantic, IndyCars is preparing for its showpiece event, the Indy 500, with five different winners from its first five events. If you can get over the ugly new body styling of the cars and some below-par driving standards at times, then you can expect the unexpected from the North American alternative to Formula One.
Closer to home, the V8 Supercars season is shaping as a classic with six different winners across three manufacturers from the first nine races of the season.
While the series still hasn’t found the right sprint-race formula for the Saturday races, the Sunday 120-kilometre feature race with tyre strategy thrown into the mix has produced diverse results and intriguing racing.
For something a bit different from the norm, arguably the hottest motorsport category going around is Rallycross, combining rally and circuit racing in a revitalised series with world championship status and featured on Fox Sports.
So for those bored with Formula One, give these other motorsport categories a chance. You might be surprised by what you find.
Scotty
Guest
I like to get out there to the closest bike racing even I can find and be a spectator. There is some fantastic racing out there. I have had a great time at; Sidecar MX The TT North West 200 (they bet on it as if it was the geegees!) Plenty of club races at Brands Hatch; MZ250s, MiniTwins, Local Speedway club Plymouth..... Back home in Oz I loved the BEARS races.... Good old Auntie ABC used to cover motorsports in a wonderfully eccentric manner - anyone else remember the 2+4 racing from Amaroo??? :-) Get down to the track!!
steveng
Roar Rookie
F1 should be completely taken OFF FREE TO AIR TV and some of the other more exciting and interesting motor racing put on our screens. Come on Ch10 take the F1 off our screens because no one is watching it. It's a borefest and a processional frustrating and uninteresting night cap that puts everyone to sleep. I've always watched motogp and the 500cc's when it was called that, previous to motogp. The V8 supercars are great also and the World Endurance Championship is very enjoyable to watch and very interesting.
nordster
Guest
Moto3 ...the new 125s ....great racing and a lot of twink to perve on for those of us that way inclined I rarely watch moto2s although alex marquez is piquing my interest. More my taste than Marc;)
farqueue
Guest
Love the moto gp, always exciting, only goes for 45 minutes, just hope jack keeps improving and is up near the front in the next few years.
woodart
Guest
all the motogp classes put on great racing, I like the indycars on the ovals. something I would love to see(it doesnt exist outside my head) would be full dresser motorcycle racing, running boards saddle bags etc. watching a feild of overpowered bad handling pigs lurching and scrapeing around a track < I would definitley hook up to pay-tv if that was on...
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
IndyCar has some of the best racing anywhere in the world (and even the body kits are starting to grow on me) but the problem is it's so low down the totem pole that not many people know about it. I have a few F1-fanatic friends who got Foxtel, started watching IndyCar Series races, and are hooked. If only it had a bigger profile here...and everywhere else, for that matter!
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
I haven't watched the bikes in a long time, but always felt the lower categories, particularly 125's was the best racing. Superbikes were also good.
Wayne
Roar Guru
Sprintcars and dirt track speedway for me. Regularly make the trip from Canberra to Valvoline Raceway (Parramatta Speedway) to watch Sprintcars and the other classes race. Wingless and Litre sprints are also good, and always stay after the Sprintcar A Main for the Support races A Main. Actually going to the USA for the World of Outlaws Final in North Carolina :)
nordster
Guest
Motogp is the one:) The races are interesting through the field, beyond just the factory bikes. So dont get too hung up on just what is happening up front. In bike racing, it can be just as good to watch a battle for fifth. Ducati are getting there in races. But the qualifying pace deceives for them and suzuki as they have tyre and other advantages. So their pace is a little fake and not a reflection of real race pace. I sometimes wonder if they would be better off on factory bike regs because they set their bikes up through practice in a way they cant run them for the race. Its more about giving the impression they are closer to honda than they are. All in all enjoy honda and marquez doing well as they have earned it over the years. The premier package in the premier class. Instead of complaining about the occasional race being 'boring'.... ;)