GlobeCast Australia’s DSNG and GlobeCam units revved in to action over the weekend to broadcast Australia’s leading motor race, the Bathurst 1000, to the world. Just in Australia, nearly two million (1.86M peak) viewers tuned in live for the 1000km daytime touring car race on the Mt. Panorama circuit, while 180,000 fans attended the event at the mountainous track.
Servicing a multi-year contract with V8 Supercars Television, the GlobeCast team moved the satellite signals for live coverage on Australia’s Seven Network, New Zealand’s TV3, Motors TV in Paris and Bahrain TV, to name a few, according to GlobeCast Australia Commercial Manager John Graham. Packaged highlights will be seen in an additional 110 countries. GlobeCast Australia had two DSNG units on location for four days, with support from its 24/7 Master Control and Teleport in Sydney. The signals were distributed using the company’s global satellite and fibre network, including capacity on Optus D2.
The GlobeCam team fitted no less than 65 miniature cameras to 12 race cars, the most ever, for the gruelling seven hour race. “The GlobeCam cameras were also situated strategically around the track, on walls and in the kerb giving unique views from high-risk locations as the cars hit speeds towards 300km/hr. The cameras were supported with GlobeCam’s track-wide fibre network with its own transmitters, giving full track coverage from ground-based transmit and receive points,” Mr. Graham said. Even a dramatic fire in the engine at the rear of Mark Winterbottom’s Ford Performing Racing car could not take out the GlobeCam infrastructure, with the in-car rear camera helping to catch the action as Winterbottom pulled in to the pits in flames.
Elsewhere, other vehicles introduced new GlobeCam initiatives. The Kelly Racing team custom-built a rear wing, to hold a miniature camera. The custom build addressed issues of safety and aerodynamics, to allow a stunning view looking along the driver’s side of the car. And, the Fujitsu team, with Jason Bright driving, had an engine cam, with special LED lighting to allow a unique perspective of the car’s “powerhouse”. There were multiple views looking in and out of the cars, with six cameras in most cars, and world-leading live on-air switching from onboard camera to onboard camera, some of which are remote controlled for panning and tracking, Mr Graham said.
GlobeCam, a unit of GlobeCast Australia launched less than one year ago, works closely with V8 Supercars Television to ensure constant innovation. The team’s technical infrastructure also carries telemetry to complement television coverage, with statistics on driver and car performance, but also with information critical to timing of the race and its competing teams. The Bathurst event is the 10th of a 14 round series, with the next round on Queensland’s Gold Coast on October 24 and 25, an event featuring the A1 series as well as the V8 Supercar Series. GlobeCast Australia’s DSNG vehicles will be uplifting signals for both the A1 and V8 organizations.
