Channel 10 Commentary

[racer69]

Originally Posted by NickoGP

I think the main reason we don't see this these days is because the drivers are so professional, and so much money is riding on what they are doing, that they can't afford to be distracted by a commentator trying to converse with them..

The sport wasn't any less professional and there was certainly a heap of money riding on what they were doing Channel 7 were chatting to the drivers during the races. Less commercial certainly, but that doesn't mean less professional.

Originally Posted by NickoGP

Then I guess there is the safety side of things - if the driver crashed during one of these chats the knifes would be out. Things have moved on from the late 80s/early 90s. Some of that is good, some other not so good, but it's the times.

The drivers decided whether they wanted to be talked to or not. If they didn't want to talk, they could just unplug the wiring to Channel 7. It was totally up to the drivers ie....Their choice, their responsibility.

No one ever crashed as a result of talking on Racecam. The closest call came when Johnson's rear wing collapsed on Racecam whilst chatting coming into the chase at the Bathurst ATCC round in 1995. A lap or so later Johnson was back talking to the commentators and didn't blame chatting on Racecam one bit for the crash.

[Raglanparade]

I remember one of the last times they crossed to Dick Johnson... maybe 1996-1997... he lost 2 secs on the lap he chatted.

[buza]

97 i think it was when russell ingall lost about 8 seconds in one lap
but they could talk during pace cars to the drivers

[Wrighty05]

I remember when Brock talked around Bathurst in 1986, with one arm on the window, waving at the camera and he made up 5 seconds on Richo in those 2 laps.

That was the year Dick came out with "I'm busier than a dog trying to bury a bone on a marble floor."

[racer69]

Follwed by Neil Crompton's "Crook line Johnson"

That marble floor comment was a beauty, all done as he was coming through the Dipper as well.

Originally Posted by jasonhill9884

I remember one of the last times they crossed to Dick Johnson... maybe 1996-1997... he lost 2 secs on the lap he chatted.

Originally Posted by buza

97 i think it was when russell ingall lost about 8 seconds in one lap
but they could talk during pace cars to the drivers

These would have been 1996 at the latest. TEN got the rights in '97 and only used to cross to drivers during a caution period.

The drivers were obviously prepared to risk losing time to talk.

In 1996 at Sandown Glen Seton was leading race 3 by 2 or so seconds, was talking on Racecam for a lap or two but didn't lose too much time/ if any time at all.

[Wrighty05]

Ingall losing all that time was Bathurst 1995.

[F J Nedos]

Yeah and he is now in a Ford... no way he will ever do a cross again...

I remember a bathurst (88 I think) where brock commentated to crompton driving around the track. very entertaining.

[Hazza]

Or was that the 12 hour? They did something like that, Crommly did his incar talk through, and then later in the race Brocky took the **** out of Crommly - "Now I'm using every inch of the road here..."

[F J Nedos]

Yeah thats what he said.. it was 88 bathurst now I remember... they were in mobil bmw's

[aj_308]

i think it was '96 when they were talking to wayne gardner, he missed his braking marker into murrey's corner, and overshot.
I dont know of any talking during green flag conditions after that.

[PFR]

I'm just grateful it is televised.

[Seton Fanatic]

The first two-way conversation between drivers was also pioneered on the Seven Network during the Safety Car period between laps 47-50, between David Parsons in the #30 Peter Jackson Falcon and Neil Crompton in the #7 Coca-Cola Commodore. The same scenario was repeated in the last Safety Car period between Glenn Seton, leading the race, and Wayne Gardner, running fifth after pitting from the lead under the Safety Car. According to Seven, it was a world first.

[Seton Fanatic]

Ingall has not talked during race conditions since that infamous moment. Ingall has talked under Safety Car conditions, since then, but I cannot remember the dates or tracks.

[Head Rev]

I have heard that the in car commentary stopped because of legal issues (as mentioned before), something to do with Duty of Care. Can you imagine a driver having an accident resulting in injury to either self or other parties, whilst talking for the TV. In our current enviroment of legalism! it would come up. It doesn't matter that there hasn't been an accident before whilst talking - there is always the first time. Yes, it was certainly entertaining listening to Johnson, Brock and other talking whilst competing. Who can ever forget Mike Raymond talking with Glenn Seton who's Ford had just expired on the way up to the cutting whilst leading the race, brillany television. In closing, lets not forget the late Evan Green as a great commentator, his passion was what made me follow this great sport.

[racer69]

Originally Posted by aj_308

i think it was '96 when they were talking to wayne gardner, he missed his braking marker into murrey's corner, and overshot.
I dont know of any talking during green flag conditions after that.

In 1997 at the AMP Bathurst 1000 they talked to Neil Crompton in the Peugeot. I'm doing this from memory as i haven't watched the race in a while, but i think it was while the race was green. They talked to Jason Plato in the Renault as well, but that was during a Pace Car period.

They talked to Brad Jones during his first stint in the Audi (second stint of the race) during the 1998 AMP Bathurst 1000 under racing conditions as well.

[Crowestar]

At least Crompton used the names of the corners on the Mt Panorama circuit back then not turn 1, turn 2 etc.

[William Dale Jr]

Originally Posted by Hazza

Or was that the 12 hour? They did something like that, Crommly did his incar talk through, and then later in the race Brocky took the **** out of Crommly - "Now I'm using every inch of the road here..."

Actually, they did crosses in both. During the '92 12 Hour, driving the Peugeot, they were talking to Brock in the studio before getting him to chat to Crompton who was in the car. Incidentally, whilst Crompton was chatting his way over the top of the mountain, he made up a massive amount of ground on the Peter McLeod-driven Citroen in front of him. Later in the race, the roles were reversed with Brock in the car and Crompton in the booth. I seem to remember the conversation revolving around the fact that one of them was able to keep under the pre-determined rev-limit, whilst the one that had 'only won the race nine times' seemed to hit the electronic rev-limiter with a bit of regularity...

[pete55]

Dick Johnson had a big moment whilst talking at Bathurst. The rear wing broke on the EF or EL ( can't remember which one) as he was going into Caltex Chase.

[buza]

in an EF at the Chase in 94

[racer69]

It was 1995, at the ATCC round.

Raymond - "Are you lonely" (Johnson was leading by a good few seconds)
Johnson - "You've got to be kidding"
.................
Followed by deathly silence as Johnson fought the car and went around.

He was talking to them again on Racecam a few laps later though

In the 1991 12 Hour, Tim Webster looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing as Brock talked his way round the circuit on the 'in-car camera' (Channel 7 copyrighted the the Racecam name didn't they, CBS used the Racecam term, but wasn't that because Channel 7 set it all up for them, ABC America as well) in his VN Commodore.

This of course back in the days before Webster considered motorsport a sport

[Head Rev]

That sounds right. The Americans could never get it to work, they tried for years, then came to Ch. 7 and asked to use their technology. The Americans couldn't believe how our drivers spoke during the races, they could never get their drivers to speak, only now are they speaking during yellow flag laps.

Isn't there also a story of when Dick Johnson went to the US a did a race in the Nascars - with Race Cam and speaking during the race - at a road circuit and let go a typical Aussie explitive at a veteran (and well respected) US driver who was blocking Dick!! The commentators were speechless. Can anyone add to this story....

[Seton Fanatic]

It was in 1990, at the Sears Point Raceway circuit in California. Dick was having a reasonably good run in his Redkote Thunderbird. He came up to lap 'The King' Richard Petty, and Richard forced Dick off the track and into the wall. dick came on the radio to Ray Evernham (head of Evernham Motorsports and Triple Championship-winning Crew Chief with Jeff Gordon), and said: "Ray, did you see what that prick did"? For weeks afterwards, Dick tried to persuade Richard that the term "prick' was an Australian term of endearment.

[Wrighty05]

What about when Dick was going into a corner in the NASCAR and he understeered straight for the wall and all you here is "OH FFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!"

[buza]

Originally Posted by racer69

It was 1995, at the ATCC round

it was 94 cause i got a drawing printed form stonie [the guy who dose all the race drawings] in 94 at sandown

[Wrighty05]

Originally Posted by buza

it was 94 cause i got a drawing printed form stonie [the guy who dose all the race drawings] in 94 at sandown

Sorry to correct but it was '95. Didn't run the ATCC at Bathurst in 1994.