US Speed channel coverage

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I'm curious to know whether my impression of US television coverage is shared out there.

Briefly -- I was delighted to see David Hobbs and Steve Matchett back again; David has a lovely dry sense of humour and is good at puncturing pretension, while Steve just about always tells me something technical or tactical that I haven't heard elsewhere.

I grew to admire Bob Varsha last year and, after a period of disaffection, I became fond of Sam Posey's zaniness.

So, now: This Rick de-something. A difficult job to do, continuity. He's just starting in F1, far as I can tell. So one makes allowances. But he doesn't seem to know when not to talk -- for instance, when one of his better-informed colleagues is saying something, or when the drivers are giving their post-qualifying press conference, or when the action on the track needs no comment. (As for talking over the drivers, one sensed David and/or Steve trying to shut him up, but he persisted; during the post-race, presumably, one or both of them had a forearm firmly clamped over his voluble gullet...) Moreover, he seems prone to fill dead air with endlessly repeated comments on what he sees as "the story line" -- for instance, MS's possible 5th championship. I found this rather wearing. And did he need to keep imploring us -- probably one of the more devoted and specific sports followings in the country -- to "stick around" as they went to commercial? He'll get better, I'm sure; I was dubious about Varsha at first.

And then, endless, endlessly long, promos and bumpers for Speed channel generally and F1 coverage in particular. I reckon we could have seen 5 more minutes of racing had they pared this transitional junk to a reasonable level. Sigh.

So -- what do you think? How does this compare to last year; or, for that matter, from what I've written here, to what you're seeing in Australia, UK, Germany, Finland, etc.?

best to all,
Bibendum