I was watching the 1996 V8 Super Cars Bathurst AMP 1000 and was shocked when all of sudden one of the commentators started to talk to 3rd place man Wayne Gardner in his Coca Cola Commodore. Sure enough at the next corner, whilst being asked a question, he braked too late and ran wide onto the grass. I know they have to get the drivers permission for this sort of thing but I was still really amazed that they would talk to him mid race, I have never seen this before. Even these days when the commentators talk to the drivers during a safety car period they seem flustered and like they would really rather not be talking, usually I feel bad for them and want the commentator to shut up . I was wondering had anyone else ever seen this kind of thing before / what your thoughts where? I guess thats why they don't talk to drivers under green flag conditions anymore in the Aussie V8s.

I've seen commentators talking to drivers during caution periods many times, but never heard of them talking during green flag racing (or even during green flag practice and qualifying). I can't believe they would have attempted that, it's just asking for trouble.

Good for sponsors maybe?

They've not tried it under green flags, but it was done to Colin Turkington on a BTCC formation lap at Rockingham and once to Mike Jordan, also in the BTCC but under the SC at Oulton.

I don't know why a driver would let it happen, if I was a driver i'd not want it and if it was mandatory keep on saying f**k until they cut me off

I saw a rally cross race where they talked to the driver the full race, and the driver was talking mostly, and won. (It was the top class)

A few series have tried it as a desparate bid to draw attention to themselves, typically the kind of nonsense left in touring cars. I've never known a serious racer talking to commentators even under the safety car.

Quote from ajp71 :

A few series have tried it as a desparate bid to draw attention to themselves, typically the kind of nonsense left in touring cars. I've never known a serious racer talking to commentators even under the safety car.

Champ Car/CART did in 1995

V8 Supercars do

BTCC has done

DK

^^My point exactly

Quote from ajp71 :

^^My point exactly

Proof: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_KeTrZHytRc

DK

James Allen: And I think we can go live to Kimi now as he leads the grand prix. Kimi?
Kimi Rãëîćķŏūńőņ: I am having a shit.

Our tv channel always tried to talk to the winner of every DTM race. I don't think they succeeded more than once.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

James Allen: And I think we can go live to Kimi now as he leads the grand prix. Kimi?
Kimi Rãëîćķŏūńőņ: I am having a shit.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

James Allen: And I think we can go live to Kimi now as he leads the grand prix. Kimi?
Kimi Rãëîćķŏūńőņ: I am having a shit.

:chairfall


NASCAR commentators do it quite often on the formation laps, then the drivers are left alone for the race.

Quote from h3adbang3r :

NASCAR commentators do it quite often on the formation laps, then the drivers are left alone for the race.

They do it under cautions, too. They do it in almost every race. Some of the drivers can be entertaining. Others forget how to speak english and stumble through a simple update on strategy or handling. They talk to crew chiefs as well, and not just under caution.

All in the name of entertainment. Fine with me as long as it doesn't negatively affect any of my drivers.

At Bathurst, over the years, it was very common for the commentators to talk to the drivers during the action. They disrupted the flow of a driver's race many times. Sometimes drivers just ignore them and don't answer. Peter Brock used to talk to them almost every time, but that's how he was.

AFAIK the in-car commentaries were pioneered by Australia's Channel 7 in the 1970's, who also pioneered in-car camera technology now commonly used all around the world by networks covering motor racing.

Quote from Gunn :

At Bathurst, over the years, it was very common for the commentators to talk to the drivers during the action. They disrupted the flow of a driver's race many times. Sometimes drivers just ignore them and don't answer. Peter Brock used to talk to them almost every time, but that's how he was.

AFAIK the in-car commentaries were pioneered by Australia's Channel 7 in the 1970's, who also pioneered in-car camera technology now commonly used all around the world by networks covering motor racing.

Interesting cheers. I guess the TV guys cant really be blamed as the drivers know they may be talked to mid race if they have given permission to the network. Even still, I find it quite uncomfortable to watch

Quote from Gunn :

At Bathurst, over the years, it was very common for the commentators to talk to the drivers during the action. They disrupted the flow of a driver's race many times. Sometimes drivers just ignore them and don't answer. Peter Brock used to talk to them almost every time, but that's how he was.

AFAIK the in-car commentaries were pioneered by Australia's Channel 7 in the 1970's, who also pioneered in-car camera technology now commonly used all around the world by networks covering motor racing.

Here are some examples:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2T7uZpIRfk8 (God I love Brocky )
http://youtube.com/watch?v=o4CWwaHFwaU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PsXyrCOp228
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9BFx1CEgFV0

Wow great vids, thanks farcar. That first video is amazing, Peter Brock surely is a legend, Ive seen people on Sunday drives less relaxed

Quote from richy :

Good for sponsors maybe?

Not when the car they're sponsoring ends up in the kitty litter.

Quote from The Moose :

Not when the car they're sponsoring ends up in the kitty litter.

Hey, TV time is TV time. Slow motion images of your car flying across a sand trap is exposure good as any.

In Pau, when the WTCC drove there was someone commentating it out of the cockpit for the French Television... because I just watched Eurosport in German i don't know any details. They nicknamed that driver "Karla Kolumna" after a reporter of a german comic.

The German Chanal n-tv had the rights to broadcast the first Heat of the German WTCC stop in Oschersleben. Eurosport was booked with another sport event, so it was broadcasted it on Eurosport 2, wich is in some areas only advaidable as Pay-TV. So n-tv. What were they doing? Jörg Müller was hosting it, out of his car during the flying start and the safety car caution. The rest was the live picture of Eurosport 2 with their commentators.

Quote from TFalke55 :

In Pau, when the WTCC drove there was someone commentating it out of the cockpit for the French Television... because I just watched Eurosport in German i don't know any details. They nicknamed that driver "Karla Kolumna" after a reporter of a german comic.

It was PY Corthals (it was mentioned in the free to air highlights package shown on the middle of the night on Channel 4).

EDIT : You lucky sod ... all the Eurosport channels in the UK are pay. At least they web stream it on the site.

NASCAR kinda did that. When Kyle Petty "retired" he became part of the commentators. Evidently he got a little bored and became NASCAR's "incar" reporter (actually went back to racing his #45 and commentating at the same time). It was pretty interesting, he'd give a first hand accounts of statistics, track temperature, tire wear, etc.

HOWEVER, It was short lived because he had a hot temper and swore on TV in Sonoma...it was pretty funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... gZXAU&feature=related

But generally talking to stock car drivers in NASCAR, ARCA, USAR, w/e are very common. Usually though it's in formation laps and yellows. During the green, sometimes they let the audience listen in on the team radio.

Pity, we need more swearing in motorsports if not fist fights

Quote from Gunn :

AFAIK the in-car commentaries were pioneered by Australia's Channel 7 in the 1970's, who also pioneered in-car camera technology now commonly used all around the world by networks covering motor racing.

Aussies still seem to be the only network people that knows how to place in-car cameras correctly and to other interesting places (like the well known tyre cams).

yeah, come to think of it, the first vid I saw of an "under tray" camera was from the V8's, thats such a cool shot.