The New York – Barcelona transoceanic sailing record vessels are ready to sail
The New York-Barcelona Transoceanic Sailing Record countdown has begun. Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered at the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden to take part in the inauguration of the Transoceanic Sailing Exhibit that includes a series of events throughout the city from March 26th through April 3rd, all leading up to the establishment of the first sailing record between New York and Barcelona. Two IMOCA Open 60s, the W Hotels and Estrella Damm, will leave New York harbor between April 5th through April 12th to arrive in Barcelona between April 20th and 30th.
Mike Hopper, Vice President of Sports Marketing of the New York City Sports Commission and Andor Serra, Managing Director of Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona (FNOB), were part of the ribbon cutting celebration. Surrounding them was an audiovisual exhibit featuring information about the record, located across the North Cove Marina where the competing vessels are moored since Tuesday.
Both team’s skippers participated in the presentation: Alex Pella, Pepe Ribes and Stan Schreyer with Estrella Damm; and Pachi Rivero, Antonio Piris and Peter Becker with W Hotels. The New York Yacht Club, which is collaborating with the project, picked Edward Cesare as reserve skipper for both teams.
Both teams are also getting ready for an in-shore regatta to take place on April 3rd in New York harbor. The regatta will allow both vessels to measure their strength before embarking on their 3,750 nautical mile journey.
The departure of the vessels to Barcelona will take place between April 5th and the 12th, depending on the weather conditions that the skippers consider more appropriate for the fastest crossing. The winning team will receive the Prince of Asturias and Girona trophy, designed specifically for the occasion.
A cultural and educational program
Among the activities preceding the beginning of the record, the Sea & Olympics, Avelino Pi, Photography exhibit can be seen at the South Street Seaport Museum. The pictures focus on oceanic sailing with more than thirty pictures from one of the pioneers of sports photography in Spain. The exhibit is part of the NY-BCN record cultural program and is complemented by the NY-Barcelona Jazz Jam Session that will bring together a renowned quintet group from New York and Barcelona on April 2nd at the Jazz Standard in New York.
The Educational Program has also begun aimed at spreading the culture of sailing to first and second year students at schools throughout Barcelona and New York. The program will involve classroom activities and videoconferences with the sailors who have already visited the Brooklyn Harbor School. The students will also visit the boats tomorrow.
For more information about the event please visit www.ny-bcn.org. The site will also have a live streaming of the record, with daily updates every four hours.
Source: Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona
Nissan GT-R victorious in opening round of Super GT
The HIS Advan Kondo GT-R team with Joao Paolo de Oliveira and Hironobu Yasuda behind the wheel avoided all the spins and collisions created by heavy rainstorms at the beginning of the race to claim victory at the opening round of the Super GT series. This marks the second year in a row where the HIS Advan Kondo GT-R team has posted an opening round win in the Super GT series.
After a long off-season wait, some 31,000 race fans were on hand for the opening round of the Super GT season despite dark clouds overhead and occasional heavy rain. Spinning cars and contact were common at the beginning of the race in the heavy rain but Oliveira avoided all the carnage in his #24 GT-R and moved from 10th to 4th position by lap 2 in a car that had taken all night to rebuild after a crash in qualifying the previous day. After a brief Safety Car session Oliveira engaged in a fierce battle with the #6 and #1 SC430s as the difficult conditions continued with more rain falling. As the bulk of the cars made their pit stops Oliveira took over the lead and was able to extend it until he pitted several laps later to switch drivers. The team decided to keep the same tires so a quick pit stop saw Yasuda take over driving and he never let anyone get close until he took the checker flag at the end of 52 laps.
Despite qualifying higher up the grid the other Nissan GT-Rs in the race ran into troubles. The #23 Motul Autech GT-R of Satoshi Motoyama and Benoit Treluyer spun off the track in the first turn in the heaviest rain and required an early pit stop but finished 8th to accrue valuable championship points. The #12 Calsonic Impul GT-R of Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli also spun off the track at the first turn and was able to return to the race but retired on the 10th lap with mechanical issues.
GT-R driver Joao Paolo de Oliveira’s comments:
“After crashing and breaking the car yesterday, I was really eager to somehow make a recovery. In addition, because we chose to run on hard compound tires, it was difficult to generate heat in the early stages, which really restricted us. Being able to come away from here with a win is excellent. I’d like to extend a special thanks to the mechanics for working all night to fix the car.”
GT-R driver Hironobu Yasuda’s comments:
“Because the tires worked so well in the morning’s free practice session, team director Kondo determined that we would be able to run without changing tires in the race. It worked perfectly. In the first half, it was difficult to gain position, but I have to tip my hat to J.P. (de Oliveira) for taking care of the tires throughout his stint. As for my laps in the car, of course the tires, the chassis and engine all worked well. To win the opening round makes me incredibly happy.”
The next round of the Super GT series takes place Apr. 3 – 4 at the Okayama International Circuit.
NCAA March Madness on Demand achieves record breaking first day of traffic
3.4 million hours of live streaming video & audio consumed, the largest single day of traffic for a live sports event on the Internet Redesigned “Boss Button” a major hit with viewers
CBSSports.com, in partnership with CBS Sports and the NCAA, released traffic statistics for NCAA March Madness on Demand (mmod.ncaa.com) for the first day of the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. In total, there were 3.4 million hours of live streaming video and audio consumed, over 20% growth versus 2009 figures, by 3 million unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video players. Both figures represent the largest single day of traffic for a live sport event on the Internet.
Additionally, the NCAA March Madness on Demand “Boss Button” was clicked over 1.7 million times on the first day the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The “Boss Button”, which was redesigned for the 2010 tournament, hides the live video action on the screen and silences the audio, replacing it with a “business-like” image. The 2010 Boss Button was designed by cartoonist Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic.
NCAA March Madness on Demand traffic figures through Thursday, March 18
– 3.4 million total hours of live streaming video and audio consumed
– 3 million unique visitors to the NCAA March Madness on Demand video players
– 1.7 million clicks of the “Boss Button” – over 60% of the total clicks of the Boss Button for the entire 2009 tournament. (2.77 million)
– The most watched game from 3/18 was the double-overtime Florida vs. BYU game with 521k hours of streaming video and audio. That’s +50%
over 2009′s most watched game from the first day of the first round (Washington vs. Mississippi State) which had 348k hours of streaming.
– The most watched hour yesterday was 2:00-2:59 p.m. ET with 533k streaming hours (16% of the total for the day). It peaked at 2:45 p.m. with 147k streaming hours between 2:45 and 2:59 p.m. ET.
“NCAA March Madness on Demand continues to regularly exceed our expectations,” said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. “It is the perfect combination of programming and the Internet. Our ability to successfully develop the product alongside steady growth in streaming programming for the Internet and wireless content provides many options and truly maximizes the Network’s NCAA bundled rights agreement.”
“The continuing evolution of NCAA March Madness on Demand gives our fans even more reasons to stay connected to the tournament on a daily basis,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president for basketball and business strategies. “Tremendous first round games, enhanced features in the MMOD player and solid early traffic numbers all point towards an exciting few weeks to come.”
“With a number of thrilling finishes yesterday, there was little doubt we would set another new record as March Madness on Demand provided millions of fans with the ability to follow all the action,” said Jason Kint, Senior Vice President and General Manager, CBSSports.com.
As was the case in 2009, CBSSports.com has again provided a standard video player in addition to offering viewers the ability to upgrade to a high-quality video player delivering an enhanced video stream. New for 2010, both NCAA March Madness on Demand video players provide viewers the ability to show statistical overlays on top of live video action, displaying tournament and game leaders in categories such as points, assists, rebounds, and 3-pointers.
In 2010, CBSSports.com has once again distributed NCAA March Madness on Demand across the Internet with its Developer Platform, allowing sites to link directly into the MMOD video player. The network of sites participating in the NCAA March Madness on Demand Developer Platform in 2010 include popular news, entertainment, sports and social media sites such as CNN.com, ESPN.com and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ncaamarchmadnessondemand); CBS Interactive properties including TV.com, CBS.com, CNET.com and GameSpot.com; as well as other partners across the CBS Audience Network and sites for CBS television and radio stations and affiliates.
NCAA March Madness on Demand is the Emmy award-winning video player that provides live streaming video and audio of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. MMOD shows live video all 63 games, from the first round of the tournament through the semifinal and final games of the Men’s Final Four® making it the only major sporting event that is broadcast live and in its entirety for free on the Internet. In addition to live video, NCAA March Madness on Demand also provides live audio from the Westwood One radio broadcasts of the entire NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
PlayOn brings NCAA March Madness to the Living Room Television
MediaMall Technologies, Inc. announced that its PlayOn(TM) software will enable customers to watch all 32 first round NCAA Men’s basketball tournament games, as well as subsequent rounds, on their television. PlayOn software leverages the existing technology found in over 40% of U.S. households; PCs and gaming consoles. PlayOn beams Internet video content from the PC to the Television via the gaming console.
“The technology sounds complicated, but the user experience is very simple. It typically takes our customers about five minutes to install the software and be up and running,” comments David Karlton, MediaMall Technologies’ CTO.
Support for NCAA March Madness marks a milestone for the company as, along with the ability for customers to watch MLB.tv, it marks the company’s first foray into live television. The company launched PlayOn over a year ago with support for streaming stalwarts such as Hulu, Netflix, CNN, and more.
“Our customers have been loud and clear – ‘We want sports,’” remarks CEO Jeff Lawrence. “Nearly 40% of our customers have cancelled cable, and they miss live sports. What better way to launch PlayOn into the world of sports than to bring the most popular annual tournament in the U.S. to the TV? We are particularly excited about this as, until now, fans have been required to purchase expensive packages in order to ensure they could see the games they wanted to see on their TV. With PlayOn they will be able to watch any game in the opening round they choose, in their living room, on their TV, without paying any subscription or package fees — the way sports is meant to be.”
PlayOn also enables customers to watch MLB.tv on their TV and has announced forthcoming support for NHL games. Existing customers simply need to ensure they have the latest release of the software in order to have access to these channels. New customers can get a free 14-day trial by visiting www.playon.tv. PlayOn retails for a one-time charge of $39.99. MediaMall states that over one-third of their customers claim to have cancelled cable and that 40% profess to using PlayOn daily.
Callaway Golf new FT-iZ Driver, Fairways & Hybrids
Polar Weighting, Aerospace Materials Deliver the Longest, Straightest Woods in Callaway History
Callaway Golf Company announced the retail availability of the new FT-iZ(TM) lineup of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids. Leading this new line of Fusion® products is the FT-iZ Driver, engineered from the world’s finest materials to deliver the longest, straightest ball flight ever produced by a Callaway driver.
“In engineering the FT-iZ Driver, Fairway Woods and Hybrids, we used new knowledge in aerodynamics, face design and weight placement to deliver breakthroughs in ball speed and accuracy,” said Dr. Alan Hocknell, Senior Vice President of Research & Development, Callaway Golf. “The FT-iZ Driver represents the latest in our use of carbon fiber, aerospace-grade materials and head shaping to optimize performance.”
The FT-iZ Driver marks the launch of a groundbreaking and proprietary design feature called Polar Weighting(TM), which optimizes stability at impact and yields incredible ball speeds. Polar Weighing strategically localizes weight at the front and back of the multi-material clubhead, creating a heavy face and significant in-line power source for unprecedented performance. The driver of choice for PGA Tour Professional Ernie Els, the FT-iZ also features an aerodynamic body design that reduces drag in the downswing for higher impact speeds. The result of this progressive shape is Callaway’s most efficient high inertia clubhead design ever.
The FT-iZ Driver also features a new chem-milled hyperbolic face that delivers consistently high ball speeds. The chemical reduction process selectively removes unwanted materials from the titanium cup face for unprecedented precision thickness control. FT-iZ Tour models come in half lofts with a slightly more open face at address for a look preferred by skilled players. The FT-iZ Driver is now available at retail and features a new product introduction retail price of $399.
The FT-iZ Fairway Woods build on Callaway’s industry-leading heritage in the category. Offering an unprecedented combination of distance, stability and feel, the FT-iZ Fairway Woods are the longest, straightest fairway woods Callaway has ever produced. Like the FT-iZ Driver, the fairway woods utilize Polar Weighting for a heavy face and heavy in-line power source that delivers screaming ball speed. The FT-iZ Fairway Woods are now available at retail and feature a new product introduction retail price of $299.
The FT-iZ Hybrids utilize Callaway’s advanced Fusion Technology to deliver the Company’s most forgiving hybrid design ever. A stainless steel body and sole combine with Metal Injection Molded (MIM), high-density weights to maximize perimeter weighting. That, along with the FT-iZ Hybrid’s larger clubhead design, leads to an increased moment of inertia (MOI) with an optimized center of gravity. The result is increased feel and accuracy with high, powerful trajectories that fly far and land soft. An offset hosel is designed to provide a look that boosts confidence at address and provides greater workability. The FT-iZ Hybrids are now available at retail and feature a new product introduction retail price of $199 with a graphite shaft, and $179 with a steel shaft.