Where do RPM get their facts?

[racer69]

had to laugh during the V8 story on RPM's 200th episode yesterday. When they were talking about the growth of the category, Greg Rust goes 'there were only 13 cars on the grid at Calder 1997', whilst showing pictures of the race with much more than 13 cars on the grid, i mean Dick Johnson qualified 14th for that race meeting.

How much did they pay for some of that 1996 footage

[Lyris]

bah humbug, another reason to hate my workplace, I missed RPM Which means I missed the pretty Craig car footage

I so want a real job, and no more uni.

Were they really that stoopid again?????

[Mattracer]

Australian touring car racing started in 1997 according to Ten but honestly, would the series have grown as much in that time without Ten's coverage and exposure? I'm asking a "serious" question.

[DarthFalcon]

You didn't miss much Lyris, in fact the more often I visit here and conrod, the more frustrating it is to watch RPM or V8 superstars - they might have the pretty pictures, but they've got nothing else...

[GTRMagic]

Originally posted by Mattracer
Australian touring car racing started in 1997 according to Ten but honestly, would the series have grown as much in that time without Ten's coverage and exposure? I'm asking a "serious" question.

In reality had TC and AVESCO done the same deal with #9, and pushed it as hard as they rode #10, I wouldnt think the result would be substantially different. Might be nice to try some day

#10 at its best is better than #7 at its worst, but thats not saying a whole lot.

[Mattracer]

I groaned when Ten got AFL. I thought "here we go again" but thankfully, motor racing hasn't been swept to the sideline just yet.

[Amaroo Park]

Ten really need to find some Motorsport enthusists. Other than Crompton and Beattie there is bugger all motorsport experiance there, guys like Bill Woods and Mathew White who are doing it just to get further up the ladder at Ten are not what is needed

[Seton_5]

Now I disagree. Bill Woods has alot of Experiance. Would be sit and host a show for 200 episode's and travel around the world if he just wanted to get up the channel ten ladder? I don't think so. thank you very much! But Mathew White is another story.

[GTRMagic]

You ask any of these non-driver non-rider types a question about anything specific and they cant answer you. They are not students of the sport, they have not tried to absorb any of the history at all.

Their claim to fame is being a talking head, not a motorsport expert. Which is a shame because their lack of knowledge is noticeable. They can read the teleprompter with grace, charm and wit, but do they understand what they write.

Bruce McAvaney however does his homework to obscene and annoying levels.

Somewhere in the middle please, but more towards Bruce's end

[Hunka]

What gets me is that when it was on channel 7 everyone complained that the coverage was ****. Now there is ten times more coverage adn everyone still complains. Granted they still need to improve but we have never seen so much motorsport on t.v so why can't we be happy

[Alan Jones]

I don't mind Billy, we could do alot worse than him as the headman at RPM. Imagine having to put up with TOMMI's mate,
John Smales ( spelling?) every bloody week. I agree with Colin though, I'd much rather listen to someone commentating who has some experience to back up their role, than a talking head. Barry Sheene on the bikes was excellent and always good value to listen to and Dazz is doin' a fine job in his place. Now they have added Mick to the team things can only get better IMO.
My votes for Will Hagon to join the team . He could replace Matty White and do a much better job IMO.

Thanks for the last 200 RPM & 10, 4-5 hours of motosport every sunday on the tele used to be something we all just dreamed about.

[Thunder1]

RPM 200 show WOW 3 channel 10 self prom's & 7 ads between segments now that's a great money earner.


Now about Experience in motorsport knowledge i have to say i am getting anoried on Mathew White comments in a race coverage all he does is parrot Neil Compton's expert comments.

He should be watching what's going on in the race through the whole Field instead of using someones else's comments and praising teams that seem to always on RPM or V8 Superstars

Thunder1

[rpolinski]

Originally posted by GTRMagic
They can read the teleprompter with grace, charm and wit, but do they understand what they write.

Billy can't even do that. Wit, the terms half-wit and f$&k-wit come to mind.

[ford boy]

During the 200th eposide of rpm when the snippets of Barry Sheene doing what he does best came on bought back some great memories

[racer69]

The thing to remember about the Channel 10 'talking heads', is that if 10 canned all their motorsport programming, the likes of Neil Crompton and Darrell Beattie are out of a job, but Bill Woods and Mathew White just get shifted to something else, like they got shifted to motorsport once it didn't suit 10 to host the basketball or the Ironman series. Would they be disappoinated, probably, would they get over it, most likely in a few days.

Still doesn't explain why they would blatantly make a false statement about the number of cars at Calder in 1997. Trivial i know, but still false reporting from the "home of anything but live and only if you pay for it motorsport"

[RaceTime]

So much for 1997. At that meeting - Round 1 of the 1997 SATCC, the entries were as follows:

Formula Holden - 20
Formula Ford - 40
Superbikes - 17
HQ's - 39
Touring Cars - 28.

And, if you are interested, here are the full results from the event - including point scores:
http://racetime.com.au/?PHPSESSID=da...96&event=c9705

In fact, and forgot about this one, this was a night meeting at Calder - even the Formula Fords ran in the evening...

[mjt57]

Originally posted by Alan Jones
John Smales ( spelling?) every bloody week. I agree with

My votes for Will Hagon to join the team . He could replace Matty White and do a much better job IMO.

My favorite period was during the early 80s when the ABC covered the ATCC and Aust Superbikes, as well as the ARRC. The commentary team comprised Will Hagon, John Smailles and a young Cromley, fresh off the MotoX circuit. They covered the qualifying on Sat arvo, with a 30 min coverage, and 2-3 hours on Sunday, covering the ATCC races and some support races.

Then in 1983 Labor got in and cut the ABC's budget to shreds. ABC dumped the ATCC and the bikes, and Seven picked up the cars. The bikes never really recovered from that, I reckon. It was only with Gardner and the 87 title that started to spark an interest in local motorcycle racing. But even today, there's bugger all coverage of the domestic series, and virtually nothing live, other than the support events at the MotoGp and the World Supers..

[mjt57]

Originally posted by RaceTime
And, if you are interested, here are the full results from the event - including point scores:

Donchya just love Racetime. Interesting too. Lots of names there that are no longer (racing that is). Also seemed to have a reasonable point scoring system. 30 for 1st down to 15th place.

Used to love the 2+4 meetings. Not sure if it was so great for the bikes, given the rubber that the cars laid down..

[vatuloa]

Alan Moffit is an excellent speaker and of coarse he knows about race cars

[RaceTime]

One of the reasons for the 2+4's stopping was the different requirements trackside between the bikes and cars.

IIRC This particualr Calder meeting was a nightmare for timing - one Superbike lost 3 DATA-1 transmitters - 1 lost and 2 totally destroyed...

2000 was the final year of 2+4's - that was also the year they started bringing in the air bags to place around the concrete walls - the biggest problem at Calder, Hidden Valley and Barbagallo, was that they had to remove the bags for the cars - and they kept getting punctures in the air bags (plus they weren't light!)

But 2000 also saw the start of the Silly Brigade - some idiot in CAMS decided that when the bikes were on the track, no CAMS official was to be on duty - so in theory everyone had to change over whether they liked it or not.

Naturally Motorcycling Australia got jack of this - particularly at Barbagallo and Calder - and, the following year, no more 2+4's.

Of course this was also the start of the V8's rule phase - any little hiccup in the program and the bikes were pushed aside. The crunch finally came at Winton where the second Superbike race was completely cancelled.

[harderfaster]

Originally posted by Seton_5
Now I disagree. Bill Woods has alot of Experiance. Would be sit and host a show for 200 episode's and travel around the world if he just wanted to get up the channel ten ladder? I don't think so. thank you very much! But Mathew White is another story.

when does he travel around the world?.. he hardly leaves the studio.

[RRR]

I think when Network 10 tell us that there were only 13 cars on the grid at Calder 97, they are referring to the amount of 'Level 1' cars on the grid.

It doesn't make sense, but I elieve they are just trying to remind us of how they have lifted the profile of our sport. And yes, they have done that (to some degree).

And we must remember that we are extremelly fortunate to have so much motorsport on tv. Apparently, the 'Trackside' program is rating it's tits off, while 'RPM' is struggling a bit (hence the two programs swapping timeslots)

And we also have two regular motorsport magazines that feed us with plenty of information as well. But is it enough ...

[RaceTime]

So how do they rate the current number of entries? L1 franchises only?

As to enough motorsport on TV - maybe it is too much on one channel as they seem to be having trouble fitting it all in...

[The Tool Man]

Originally posted by Lyris
bah humbug, another reason to hate my workplace, I missed RPM Which means I missed the pretty Craig car footage

I so want a real job, and no more uni.

Were they really that stoopid again?????

Ill sell u a eleven hour a day seven day a week business if you like.

[Amaroo Park]

Originally posted by RRR
I think when Network 10 tell us that there were only 13 cars on the grid at Calder 97, they are referring to the amount of 'Level 1' cars on the grid.

It doesn't make sense, but I elieve they are just trying to remind us of how they have lifted the profile of our sport. And yes, they have done that (to some degree).

Yes Ten have lifted the profile of V8's but not the rest of the sport