ESPN Primetime Newsmagazine E:60 Returns Tuesday, Aug. 12

ESPN's primetime newsmagazine E:60 will return for 14 weekly episodes beginning Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. ET.  The multi-subject program, on a scheduled break since May 13, will be aired each Tuesday at that time through November 11 – the most episodes in one stretch since E:60’s debut October 15, 2007.

E:60’s first two shows (August 12 and 19) will include:

• Dara Torres talks to E:60 on the eve of her record fifth Olympics as a swimmer at 41; 
• a behind-the-scenes look at New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss and his foray into NASCAR team ownership;
• Eventing: the most dangerous Olympic competition and also considered the world’s deadliest sport;
• the story of English mixed martial arts fighter implicated in the biggest cash heist in history;
• a profile of an engineer considered the most powerful woman in NASCAR; and more.

With a stable of award-winning journalists (Tom Farrey, Rachel Nichols, Lisa Salters, Jeremy Schaap and Michael Smith) and an equally honored executive production team, the program’s unique approach to storytelling – ranging from the distinctive style and camera angles it shoots interviews and reporter-producer meetings to the multimedia platforms that deliver E:60’s high-quality content – resonates with ESPN viewers.  Highlights of the August 12 episode:

Dara Torres

For over eight months, E:60 crew and correspondent Tom Farrey followed Olympic swimmer Dara Torres’ quest to make her fifth Olympic team at age 41.  On May 6, E:60 profiled Torres as she trained for the U.S. Olympics trials.  Since then, Torres, entering her fifth Olympics, has become one of the focal points and most popular athlete on the U.S. team.  On the eve of her shot at Olympic history, Farrey re-interviews Torres for a complete story on her return to the Olympics.  Torres also addresses her decision to quit the Women’s 100m freestyle competition at Beijing to concentrate on the 50m event, and the legitimacy of her performances.

(Click http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3384672&categoryId=3060647&n8pe6c=2  to view E:60’s Tuesday, May 6, profile of Dara Torres)

“Yeah, it’s been a whirlwind. I can’t believe how much attention this is getting, and I guess, the more emails and phone calls I get, and people I run into in the grocery stores, I realize that it’s affecting a lot of people my age.  And it’s been very rewarding.” – Torres, on the public’s interest in her quest for her fifth Olympics.

Randy Moss Racing

E:60 cameras follow New England Patriots Pro Bowl wide receiver Randy Moss as he begins his venture as a race team owner in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series.  In the process, Moss explains why he decided to become a team owner, the challenges of establishing himself in the sport, and what his ownership means for minorities in NASCAR. 

E:60 was given an all-access look as Moss announced his deal at Daytona, made his initial visit to his race shop in Charlotte, N.C., and attended his first race as NASCAR team owner in Kentucky.  E:60’s Rachel Nichols reports.

Lightning Lee Murray (also in August 15 issue of ESPN The Magazine)

Lee Murray was the hottest mixed martial arts fighter in England when a group of heavily armed robbers kidnapped the manager of a high-security bank warehouse and pulled off the greatest criminal cash haul in history.  At 1:21 a.m. on February 22, 2006, the masked intruders entered the Securitas Depot in the London suburb of Tonbridge, held the overnight staff hostage for 66 minutes, and drove off with the equivalent of $92 million dollars.  According to court documents obtained by E:60, prosecutors in England believe Murray was the mastermind of the most brazen heist ever.

Lee Murray, now 30, sits in solitary confinement in a Moroccan prison – a caged fighter.  As ESPN the Magazine writer Shaun Assael reports, Murrray has yet to be charged with any crime in connection with the Securitas Depot heist, but has spent the past two years fighting extradition back to England.  Born to a Moroccan father and an English mother, Murray claims his father’s Moroccan citizenship entitles him to asylum, despite being one of the world’s most wanted men.  

Additionally, ESPN The Magazine will feature a companion piece of the Lee Murray story in its August 15 issue, penned by Assael.

Eventing

As the Olympics begin in China, few fans are aware that one sport they will be watching is now considered the most dangerous in the world – statistically more dangerous than Formula One racing, boxing, or mixed martial arts.  That sport is the equestrian discipline called Eventing: a triathlon for horse and rider involving dressage, show jumping and cross country.  Over the last 18 months, fourteen Eventers around the world have been killed in cross-country competition.  E:60 and correspondent Jeremy Schaap take an up-close look at the sport, in search of answers to questions being raised by riders in the Eventing community:  Why has the sport become so dangerous?  Who, if anyone, bears responsibility for the surge in rider deaths and injuries?  And what can be done to make the sport safer?

Other elements on E:60:

• An update of the E:60 feature on Olympic swimmer Dara Torres by correspondent Tom Farrey.
• Vova Galchenko – Vova Galchenko is arguably the best juggler in the world.  Born in Russia, his You-Tube videos are taking the juggling world by storm.  This 20 year old, is known as the Russian Robot, and the Juggling Machine.  E:60 caught up with the juggling champion.
• Tyson Gay – What does the world’s fastest man use for fuel?  E:60 talks to Tyson Gay as he prepares for the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Highlights of the August 19 E:60 show:

Alba Colon

She is considered the most powerful woman in NASCAR.  Barely five feet tall, the Puerto Rico native Alba Colon is a giant in NASCAR – the highest-ranked female engineer in the sport.  As General Motors’ program manager, Colon has won five consecutive Manufacturers’ Championships and is a driving force behind some of NASCAR’s biggest names: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

Colon’s journey from being an engineering student to powerful figure in NASCAR has not been easy.  She has battled the perception that women don’t belong in NASCAR’s garages.  In spite of these challenges, Colon has become one of the most respected figures in NASCAR, reports E:60’s Lisa Salters.

Baseball in China

The 2008 Olympics might mark the beginning of a beautiful relationship between China and America’s national pastime – baseball.  Baseball is all but unknown in the country of 1.3 billion people, but Major League Baseball wants to change that.  In March, for the first time, two major league teams played in China: the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the San Diego Padres.  But no team is more eager to be at the forefront of engaging Chinese fans than the New York Yankees.  E:60’s Schaap reports that the Yankees must first teach the Chinese to love a sport they know little about. 

Woodward Camp

With a population of less than 300 people, the small rural town of Woodward, Pa., nestled in the heart of Amish country, is the unlikely home to the world’s top action sports training facility – Woodward Camp.  Originally founded in 1970 as a gymnastics camp, Woodward has expanded to include BMX, skateboarding, inline skating and snowboarding. 

Every summer, 800 kids, ages seven to 18, pay $1,000 a week to train at Woodward’s facilities.  In addition to hosting campers, Woodward has become the home and testing grounds for the top BMX X Games athletes.  Over the past three years, more than 75% of the X Games medals awarded to BMX riders have gone to athletes that have spent at least a summer in Woodward.  For 37-year-old Jamie Bestwick, an eight-time X Games medalist, the camp in Woodward has been his training grounds for the past 10 years.

E:60 correspondent Michael Smith reports the story of Woodward camp and the opposite cultures living side by side as seen through the eyes of the world’s top international BMX riders.

For complete E:60 features and extended versions of the reporter-producer meetings, click http://www.e60.com.  Click http://espnmediazone.com/press_kits/E60 for releases, correspondents and executive production team bios and video clips. 

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