Comments on: Some good news for F1 TV viewers

By: James Allen

James Allen — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:31:12 +0000

The comparison of lines was used quite a bit during practice and is a great tool. Infra red just showed how cold the mechanics were! Rpaco, thanks for your notes on the new site. All have been taken on board and we are working on getting some of those things incorporated.

By: rpaco

rpaco — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:20:49 +0000

So what happened then?
We once saw the comparison of lines with ghost cars and twice the infra red but only in a garage, then nothing!

So much for Bernies promise!!

By: rpaco

rpaco — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:23:54 +0000

Shame that the line is not being shown on the tv pics but only on a simulator thing on the bbc website.

Just watching Police Interceptors on Ch5 and note that the helicopter uses an infra red camera.

Do any tv crews have infra red cameras James? It would be interesting to see comparative heat sources on the different cars. In fact I am sure the teams must use them, if not why not! They must show the heat dispersal and and heat flow paths. Gonna be some extra hot parts now with KERS batteries and supply cables.

I think it would be of interest to viewers as well as us retired engineers, anoraks/old gits.

By: rpaco

rpaco — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:55:20 +0000

Once again an entertaining session from the 5 Live radio team who were doing the tv commentary for P and P2 this morning. Congratulations to them, whose style I like a lot more than the real tv team.
BTW What is Kangaroo tv? The web pages seem to show some sort of hand held mini tv game.

The relevance is that Kangaroo tv is mentioned at the end of the commentary.

By: rpaco

rpaco — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:19:12 +0000

In case you have Sunday afternoon race withdrawal symptoms James’ ex colleagues have the BTCC on ITV4 from 11;45 to 18:00

Usually an excellent and exciting series, full of incident, paint swapping and confusion, once again including, unexpectedly, Jason Plato. (In some yank car).

By: DC

DC — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:21:12 +0000

I’d trade it all for HD.

By: John S

John S — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:52:46 +0000

Fine if THE TEAM receives a point for fastes pit stop, but NOT the driver.
The driver has a championship and so does the team; keep it that way.

By: rpaco

rpaco — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:16:26 +0000

Stephen: With all the radios supposedly open, the producers or directors or whatever, (sorry I can tell the difference) will have loads to pick from, will the BBC have someone listening on each frequency in order to shout when something interesting is said?

In any case the teams will all start talking in code, with all the others frantically writing down phrases to decode later (when they said kippers it meant change to wets and custard means push)

Enigma it won’t be! But spying may reach new heights
Not of course that any team would dream of peeping in another’s garage.
PSSST wanna buy some codes mate?

By: rpaco

rpaco — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:58:36 +0000

The electronics must be there by now to show not only the lines but simultaneously the throttle and brake graphs on a moving plane on the line. ( to any 3D CAD modelers, this would be a bit like an expanding profile on a trajectory)
OR you can change the colour and thickness of the line to show throttle and brake pressure. You should only need two colours. (There is no point when you are cruising.) So you could see everything at every point, ok I am a nut but would like to see the revs, gears/ratios, diff and torque and power on there as well plus KERS status ie charge or discharge rate. I remember that Schuey’s braking and throttle patterns looked like the Himlayas while Jens’s is like the home counties. (gently rolling hills) Why was Schuey so fast? Sorry but I haven’t read your book James but would guess he was always so much in control that being on the edge to him meant that the edge had two sides the other one had to be explored too which required very rough instantaneous throttle action. And then read Jackie Stewart’s book where smooth is next to godliness!

By: Stephen Kellett

Stephen Kellett — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:20:22 +0000

Opening the radios is the worst idea. I’ve hated the past few seasons when we have to listen to a few words over a poor radio link, lots of noise and what they have to say is so insightful “Push, we’ve go to overtake him now”.

Well, Doh, I’d never have guessed, thats racing.

I’d rather listen to what Martin has to say about the race unfolding than uninteresting radio traffic.

And of course opening the radios gives each time the skinny on what the others are telling their drivers, which blows wide open any strategy games they were playing. Another nail in the suspense coffin.

Gone are the days of encrypted comms for the teams. Shame.