Has anyone watched the new Optima TV series?
 

Has anyone watched the new TV series "Optima's search for the Ultimate Street Car" on Friday nights on MAV TV?

Opinions?

Call Comcast for me please, they might actually pay attention to a celebrity. :D

I am with Sieg, No Get It!

I've seen them all, great show in my opinion. We've posted the air times here, unfortunately not all areas get MavTV.

Optima coverage schedule

I get it but missed the first real episode. Something is not right with the DVR. Im shocked that its not being re-aired yet. I think I've got it sorted now so that I wont miss this Friday. Who knows. Maybe I'll catch myself on video shagging cones.

If I can find one, I'll have them call.

I get it but I stopped watching the first episode because it was like a long infomercial without any real substance. Then I missed the second episode, but I'll try to remember to set my DVR for this Friday's show.

I've seen it. LOVE THE SHOW!!!

I watched the first one in some dive bar in Portland, drinks were nice and the girls serving even better. Food was excellent, the burger buns must have been home made...potato bread maybe?

I was looking forward to the Laguna coverage but didn't see it, I think I was cutting the grass.

Dan

I wish but no MAV on comcast out here in the Bay Area.

I don't know. I think they missed the mark a bit here. Bret, you were there as we were, and two shots for of Meire Mustang on the whole episode. He won the event. There was a whole session of the Meire Mustang and the Cortex Mustang chasing each other on the road course....no video of that made it.

I am ok with minimal footage of our car (although it was the only Mopar there) but you have to give some time to the guys that actually win the events!

Attending the events is a great time though. Highly recommended.

I thought the first show was very well done, the producing was very high quality, great actions shots, frankly a lot better than I expected. I also enjoyed the stories and the leading up to what was to come in later episodes.

The quality of the production in the second show was there as well, the guys and gals that put these shows together know what they are doing it is apparent. I was left wanting for a bit more of the on track action though. Maybe a little less talking and a little more action... I don't mind spending some time talking about the different types of cars participating and their drivers...but show some video of the same said cars pounding the pavement.

I've thought about this though relating it to my personal experience. I LOVE to go back and watch the videos from my GoPro after my runs. Our local SCCA board has a section where all of the drivers post their videos and I love watching the rest of them and dissecting them as well. People outside of racing that I share the videos with though, they lose interest pretty quickly... For them it's just cars going around cones in a parking lot. I'm sure this is a fine line the producers of the show have to walk and smarter people than me are going to have to figure out how much on track action to show and how much of the other stuff...in order to keep eyes on the product.

Comcast is evil.

I am encouraging honest opinions here...we learn more from the criticism than the accolades.
Also looking for comments about being able to get MAV. Or really any opinion at all. There are no wrong answers.

I've asked our local cable provider, but still no MAV here either :(

Bret, I really wanted to see a full lap all the way around Laguna Sega in (or of from the chase car camera) one of the high end built cars (ie: Shipka, Maier, you) as well as one of an ordinary everyday hotrod that was out there too like the Fairmont. I'd like to see that on ALL of the upcoming tracks.

A couple of comparable cars running together for a while on the road course would be even better, that way the viewers have a better idea of how one car is doing in different spots on the track than the other.

Imagine a camera set up in the same spot for Speed Stop runs that captures the 1st and 2nd place finishers in that event. Have them replay both runs side by side on a split screen to show just where the one driver beat the other in that event and how close they actually are to one another. Or show a car that has just an awful run on the Speed Stop, and then show the car again if the driver cleans it up and has a real good run.

That's what I want to see, not just who won...but how did they do it...

Video of the everyday Hot Rods on the courses is just as good as the high end cars, show the peeps that these events really are fun for every type of car and driver.

I realize that it is a tall order to capture all of that video as it's happening then to go back after the fact and try to sort it all out and make sense of it...but with the production value shown so far, I have no doubt those in charge can do this if they are just steered in that direction (assuming others want to see the same that I'd like to see).

I thought the show overall was decent. Reynolds had a lot of comentary that I think could have been left on the editing room floor- one part was even repeated towards the end of the show. His voice is a bit to stomach for an hour, but he's extremely knowledgable about the sport and the people in it. I liked the K&N segement because it showed the company's interest in the event and their customers. I also like the little segments about the Chevelle and its build. Like I said- it's a pilot. Some needs polish, but overall I thought it was worth watching.

Saw the first one only, I enjoyed it OK from an introductory standpoint.
For the average enthusiast, some specifics on how some of the cars were changed, especially the more mildly modified cars that work very well.
If the idea is to get car owners to participate and purchase parts and services, then show them that you don't need to spend piles of cash to join in and get started.

Viewers who are newly introduced to 'Pro Touring' would want to know how well some of the older muscle cars work.
- Does a mild modification to something like an average 2nd gen Camaro or Fox mustang beat a new mustang on an autoX?
- Any cars out there that are faster than anyone thought?
- Why doesn't the high dollar exotic stuff just flat-out win all the events?

A segment on how to prepare to compete would be good too. With a new car, stock seat belts are fine. I noticed on many of the muscle cars it's common to use a harness bar, or roll bar if it's not fully caged. Info like that would be good if the goal is to get more participation.

I was get disappointed in the show. Very little shots or discussion of the details of any of the cars. More footage of ppl than of the rides. Really no content. The producers need to story board and not just shoot from the hip. If I catch the next one I'll watch it but the last one was boring.

Best show right now and I don't care if it's scripted or not is (street outlaws).

***disclaimer, my views are my views and not the views of my friends***


I was excited to watch it, had a group of 12 over to the house to watch it and BBQ. One of those friend being Mike Maier, his wife Brianne and both of their kids. We were all excited to watch it. One of my other friends is a video editor for a major online search engine.

I was not impressed, frankly I would have turned it off if I didn't have everyone over to watch it. The editing was poor, the video content was poor and it seemed like more of an infomercial for Optima Batteries, K&N Filters and Detroit Speed. It would have been nice to have all the commentary from Chad as a voice over with more footage of the track.

Mike was the Wilwood Brakes entry for the event and not a mention of him or the car. I was there all weekend helping him, the camera was in his face a lot but nothing. They had a grainy off color shot of him and Cortex in the opening credits but no on track showing. A lot of awesome cars there that sounded amazing and you would have thought there would have been some camera shots of some of these cars hauling ass up the front stretch.

They only showed the results from the autocross. What happened to the results of the start stop challenge, and the road course? Hell, who had the best poker hand? Not a mention of any of it. But, they had two segments worth on the Chevelle that was the K&N entry, and what was that when they went to the K&N factory, was that a commercial or part of the show?

Brian Houbaugh had more coverage in acommercial than any of the winners had on the entire show.

If I were a sponsor of a car hoping for some air time I'd be extremely upset. I hope the other shows get better or this will go down as a flop and no one is going to promote how much fun they had or how many laps they ran because there isn't a chance their cars will be seen.

I'm done rambling now.

^^^^^^ I like the honesty. It's not bashing -- it just is what raw thought is.


I don't get MavTV and probably never will.... up to the point that someone else said that's the network the show was going to be on - I'd never heard of it. Never saw any advertising for it... and nobody I've ever mentioned it to has ever heard of it. So somehow I think not many eyeballs are busy searching for it (MavTV).

I quit watching any of the "car" shows. They all just become informercials. That's not interesting for ANYONE. Frankly -- I find a lot more "car stuff" on the internet that I'm interested in researching or reading about.

Personally --- I'm more frustrated at the lack of support from PT builders and owners. Someone finally comes along with a series designed for "us" and hardly anyone shows up. I would have bet money these events would be sold out with waiting lists...

I am with you Greg for all the Pro-Touring cars out there they seam to have lost there way to the track.

Then again they say there fast.

I enjoyed the shows. I would like to see more coverage of different events.
I thought it was interesting how there were more commercials but short.

I want to see the cars, the mechanicals. I do not care at all about the bling.

I would like to see, like already said.. the track differences between the fast guys and the affordable cars

Why wouldn't I seriously consider going?
cost...$500, + travel, fuel,
sounds like I will have very little track time. Lots of standing around :bang:
I just want to drive, I don't care about the competition part of the deal.

example, we will be at Inde Motorsports Ranch on the 23rd. 20 cars maximum, we have the track for 5 hours. We will be running at night, headlights only. Maybe not fast, but will be exciting, and challenging.

Hi buddy!!

From my previous post it's obvious I didn't like the show but I will say this the long commercial for DSE has a great shot of the ridetech 48hr camaro. Lmao!!! Best part of the show for sure. Shows how much time they spent in post production and editing. Hahaha

I'm nobody, but I will give my thoughts.

I was a spectator at the Laguna event, it was pretty cool to see all those cars run at that historic track.

I think the episodes need to be geared more towards showing cars on track and less of a infomercial.

I'm not sure if they were shooting the event with HD camera's but DirectTV airs it in standard definition.

Hey pal, you're somebody! :lol:

The events themselves are great, well run with plenty of track time. We did Laguna and Portland and could run as much as we wanted. The people I've met at these events and the cars I get to see is well worth it.

About the cars built for this but not showing....not sure what to say. Martin Pond with the Fairmont is a hell of a driver and got invited to the big show, Joe with the Pinto...the guy can drive and other than the straights he holds his own.

I think people are seeing pro built cars and thinking they aren't good enough to show up and compete. We had a guy in Portland asking about the Charger and who built it. He was actually surprised to hear that it was built in a few home garages with dudes that have jobs not related to cars. During the judging they were asking about reverse lights and horns, duh! It's a frickin street car! Full stereo with an amp rack, tons of dynamat, 4 mufflers because it was just too loud, full interior.....whatever, it's a real street car that does pretty good at these events.

:BlahBlah: :BlahBlah: The Charger is retired, going back to street duty only. Marty is looking at building a track car with carpet and a horn, he wants to compete instead of just show up, thats what it takes.

I hope they continue with the series but could care less about the show.

Dan

One thing to factor in is Optima needs to sell a boat load of batteries and accessories to keep sponsoring the caliber of events they do. The minuscule Pro Touring movement alone cannot put enough money in their bucket to accomplish that.

They need substantially more volume whether it comes from a Kia, Subaru, Hyundai, Suzuki, Yugo or whatever. Their marketing is not targeting the PT core thus the core isn't going to relate to their program because it's not catered to them.

At least that my reasoning behind many of the pathetic dumbed-down TV shows we attempt to watch now days. :wacko:

What cable provider you watching it via around here?

I hear there is a waiting list to get into the Pro Jackstand class. Talk about competitive.

Some even revert to it, which is nice...

I have direcTV

So my Dad finally watched the pilot episode yesterday... My Dad is 75 years old, lives to watch stick and ball sports on TV and is one of the ones I described above that looses interest pretty quickly if he watches any of my GoPro videos at all. He likes cars and taught me quite a bit about working on cars in my early teen years and even these days comes out to the shop to hold a light, press the button on the lift or lend a helping hand when he can while I work on my car.

He said to me, "Now I finally understand what you've been up to" and we talked about the types of cars and competitions a bit. When I asked him directly about the show itself, his first comment was "That guy with the goat hanging off his chin needs to not talk so much".

I said "but he's the host of the show and is very knowledgable about all aspects of what's going on, plus he's just cool" and Dad said "He needs to cut that crap off his chin". That's just his generation showing though.

As far as the rest of the show, Dad said he enjoyed watching it and plans on watching the Laguna show probably today. He said the pilot episode did a good job of explaining what the series is about and how it all works. I'll update with his opinions after he watches the Laguna event show.

I'm not sure that he's the target audience as he'll not be buying any Optima Batteries or car accessories any more, but along with what Sieg said above...it has to be a fine line for the producers to walk between satisfying the sponsors of the show\series and getting as many eyeballs as they can to watch the show for the ratings. It's my thought that you have to get the eyeballs to watch the shows and keep watching the shows to get the ratings, once the ratings are there the sponsors get the eyeballs on their products. We have to remember that our group is very much in tune with what is going on here, but we are also a very small number in the grand scheme. The show has to draw in eyeballs from other groups of people, those that aren't as in tune with the Pro Touring scene.

The problem as I see it is if the shows turn viewers away by showcasing the sponsors too much up front, the ratings will never even get there to start with. Does that average viewer that likes cars but has only tuned in to watch street cars participating in a competition really need to watch a 10 minute piece about putting an air filter on a car or a long segment on a basically pro built show piece car that also drives around a bit? It seems like this crowd didn't like those that much, but how about the rest of the viewers... ?

Hopefully the producers of the show have a way to gauge interest so far from other target viewers that are maybe not so close to the sport.

Hey I resemble that remark!!:bang: but that is about to change :warning:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I agree. I wish they would just cover it like a racing event, and not like an infomercial. Here are the cars, here's the event, here are the results. Next event.... repeat.

But I understand that would take more effort and time, which may not be in the budget.

There won't be a need for a budget unless they get their sh!t together.... and by that I mean - make the show worth watching.... and get participation up to speed at the events. Sometimes in business -- sticking to the budget is the root cause for the failure of the future. Most refer to this as "when the bean counters take over".

"Why wouldn't I seriously consider going?
cost...$500, + travel, fuel,
sounds like I will have very little track time. Lots of standing around "

YOU ARE DEAD WRONG!!!!!

You will have so much track time you will skip run sessions.

I have to agreee with Chris here. I too was skeptical on the overall cost. Is it a lot, of course it is. But the amount of time you spend driving is crazy. I've done two now, Daytona (unbelievable experience) and Road America. I sat out several sessions due to track time overload. I needed a break and my car needed one too.
I'm looking forward to MIS next weekend as it's in my backyard, so the travel portion will be reduced for us on this one.

That was my original 3 event picks to obtain the minimum events for overall series scoring (like I had a snowball's chance anyway:lol: ). But now, I'm considering the Pittsburgh event as they are so much fun.

Sounds like a common theme from watchers here is that they would prefer more action (cars, on track video, etc.) and less about the people/drivers.

Now, if you are already in this segment or know of or know directly a lot of the players (like most of us around here) then you might actually enjoy that.

But if this programming is to gain viewership, it needs to bring in more viewers, and players, and cars... right? And that isn't going to happen IMO talking about people all day. The cars will do that. You don't tune in to a new car related show on TV to hear interviews or chats with nice, humble (for the most part) car owners and drivers. The cars are what will lock into you and bring you back.

This isn't reality TV where the people and their drama ARE the show.

That's my thought after reading reviews of those who don't have Comcast.

I don't get MavTV, so I can't comment on the Show.

But I'm looking forward to meeting folks at Sebring next month