Video camera system used in motor racing
RaceCam
is a
video camera
system used primarily in
motor racing
, which uses a network of car-mounted cameras,
microwave radio
transmitters, and
relays
from helicopters to send live images from inside a race car to both pit crews and television audiences.
History
[
edit
]
Although a vehicle-mounted 16mm motion picture camera was used as early as 1973, the technology was first developed in the late 1970s by the
Seven Network
in
Australia
, who introduced it for the
1979 Hardie-Ferodo 1000
endurance race at
Mount Panorama
in
Bathurst, New South Wales
with Sydney-based driver
Peter Williamson
able to give commentary from his
Toyota Celica
.
[1]
RaceCam in Australia was unique in that the drivers were often wired for sound and able to converse with the television commentary team during races with top
touring car
drivers such as
Dick Johnson
,
Allan Grice
,
Peter Brock
and later
Glenn Seton
,
Jim Richards
,
Mark Skaife
,
Wayne Gardner
and Channel Seven's own commentator turned racer
Neil Crompton
all becoming regular users of the system. RaceCam (with drivers doing their own commentary) became a staple of Seven's
Australian Touring Car Championship
and
Bathurst 1000
broadcasts during the 1980s and 1990s.
[2]
American
audiences were first introduced to RaceCam at
NASCAR
's
1979 Daytona 500
on
CBS
network with
Benny Parsons
'
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
, and later at the
1983 Indianapolis 500
, when
ABC
acquired the rights to use a streamlined version of the technology for their coverage of the race. The first Indy winning car with a RaceCam was that of
Rick Mears
in 1991.
Over the years, the camera location varied from "over-the-shoulder" in 1983, to rear-mounted (looking backwards) in 1988, nosecone-mounted in 1994, and rollbar/above-mounted in 1997. Later, the above-mounted cameras were improved to be able to rotate 360°. Other camera views have included the rear wing (just above the rear tyre), the
gearbox
, the driver's helmet ("Visor cam"), a "footcam" looking at the driver's feet (to illustrate the
heel-and-toe shifting
process in
road racing
), and a view from the sidepod. Additional mounting locations inside the cockpit gave a face view of the driver, but usually little or no view of the track. The "CrewCam" was another view, mounted on a pit crew member's hat or helmet, showing the point of view of a pit crew member performing his duties on pit road.
In the same time-frame, CBS and
ESPN
began using on-board cameras during
NASCAR
telecasts from different developers. The large, boxy interior of the NASCAR stock cars allowed modified, nearly regular-sized video cameras to be mounted in the cockpit. CBS used a remote controlled, 360° rotating camera, and 1984
Daytona 500
winner
Cale Yarborough
carried one to victory.
While Racecam units had become common place in NASCAR, unlike in Australian touring car racing the drivers generally refused to be wired to talk to the television commentators while driving, saying that it was too distracting. In a NASCAR first, at the
1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500
held at the
Calder Park Thunderdome
in
Melbourne
, Australia (which was also the first NASCAR race held outside of
North America
), Australian drivers Dick Johnson and Allan Grice talked to the Channel 7 commentators during the race. Johnson, who had been using Racecam since 1982, also created a first for American NASCAR viewers when he was able to talk to the ESPN commentators during the
1989 Banquet Frozen Foods 300
at
Sears Point Raceway
. When Johnson's car went off on oil during the race, he was famously caught dropping the F-bomb just before riding up a bank.
[3]
Typically in NASCAR, any conversations with drivers are done before the race, after the race, or during safety car periods as not to interfere with normal driver to crew communications. From the mid-to-late 1990s, mid-race conversations between drivers and commentators fell out of favour in Australia - with sporadic in-race interviews held during Safety Car periods.
Over the years, RaceCam has been refined and led to further developments. Besides the natural upgrades for
high-definition television
, the "Bumpercam" uses a camera mounted on the car's bumper. The "Roofcam" is a camera mounted on a car's roof, which gives a broader view, and a more authentic perspective of the driver's sightlines. Both systems are popular with
NASCAR
viewers. "Clearview" is another system, which removes grit and dust from the lens.
Formula One
has also incorporates similar technology, with each car featuring a distinctive streamlined "camera pod" mounted above each car's
airbox
, giving video from a perspective similar to the driver's point of view, while also allowing a rearward-facing view for cars trailing behind.
FIA
regulations mandate that a total of five cameras (or dummy camera housings) must be mounted on the car, in a choice of several predetermined positions.
[4]
In IndyCar, all cars in the field are equipped with multiple "camera pod" housing units - one each above the roll bar, one embedded within the front nosecone, one in the aeroscreen, and in previous season, one the rear wing, and inside one of the rear-view mirrors - regardless if they are actually carrying cameras in those locations. This rule is such that cars carrying cameras will not have an aerodynamic disadvantage (or advantage) compared to cars not carrying cameras. In addition, camera-less cars carry equivalent ballast in place of the cameras, to ensure all cars have equal weight characteristics.
Driver's Eye
[
edit
]
In 2019, the
FIA Formula E Championship
developed a miniature camera titled "Driver's Eye", designed to fit within the padding of a drivers' helmet.
[5]
Evolving out of FIA safety regulations disallowing professional drivers to mount
GoPros
or CamBoxes to their helmets during race weekends, the first trial was held at the
2019 Diriyah ePrix
with
Felipe Massa
used as test subject.
[6]
American motorsport apparel company Racing Force Group acquired the rights to the product and it has since been used in
Formula One
,
NASCAR
and the
Supercars Championship
.
[7]
[8]
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
Broadcast television partners
| |
---|
Secondary broadcast television partners
| |
---|
Cable television partners
|
|
---|
Secondary cable television partners
| |
---|
Radio partners
| |
---|
Current regular season
| |
---|
NASCAR playoffs
| |
---|
Non-points events
| |
---|
Previous
| |
---|
News television series
| |
---|
Prerace television series
| |
---|
Postrace television series
| |
---|
Race rebroadcasts
| |
---|
Broadcast technology
| |
---|
Reality television series
| |
---|
Anthology television series
| |
---|
TV history by decade
| |
---|
|
---|
Related programs
| |
---|
Related articles
| |
---|
Indy 500
| |
---|
Commentators
| |
---|
Music
| |
---|
Seasons
| |
---|
|