Sidepodcast

Radio Free Europe

In addition to providing the two of us admission to free practice at Silverstone yesterday, the lovely people from Shell supplied a pair of Kangaroo TV handsets for use during the day. If we hadn't been given a set though, we'd surely have paid for one, because as we said way back in 2007 these things rock our world.

Watching a single corner of a race track, and squinting at the nearest jumbotron, doesn't hold much appeal for us. We're clearly the kind of people who need to know exactly what's going on at a Grand Prix to really enjoy the experience. No doubt we would've hated turning up to pre-2006 races.

This year the handset features have improved (including bespoke Shell branded data on ours), especially now all teams are required to make radio transmissions available. By the end of Free Practice 2 I'd become somewhat addicted to following the in-garage audio, which includes considerably more detailed conversation than we're used to hearing on television.

One particular chat, that was only partly covered by 5Live's broadcast, was Jenson's continual struggle to set his car up properly on a Friday. We know from previous outings this year, that our current championship leader has had to borrow a number of set-ups from team-mate Barrichello, when changes he's tried haven't worked out so well. Things didn't appear to improve during Friday at Silverstone either.

During FP1, there was much strained conversation between Button and radio man Andrew Shovlin, and then during FP2 matters appeared to deteriorate further. Whatever changes had been discussed and implemented during the break between sessions weren't working for Jenson and he requested they completely roll back to the mornings configuration. The response was surprising:

Yeah, we've heard this kind of thing from you before Jenson.

After a further debate, the number 22 car returned to the pits and twenty minutes worth of work was carried out. Finally out on the circuit again, and the next radio message went something like:

Changes rolled back. Track time is there. Up to you if you want to use it.

I may be reading too much into things but the inference appeared to be - you've now wasted this whole session, we're back to where we started, hope you're having fun.

Clearly the team rate the man for his driving ability but I do wonder if they're getting more useful information from the other side of the garage? Rubens radio, incidentally, contained shorter bursts of direct information. He wants a softer front, or more stability at the rear.

I fully expected that data would be shared during the evenings debrief, Jenson would be more comfortable come FP3 and usual programming would resume by the end of qualifying. 6th place (his worst of the year) for the British GP wasn't where anyone expected the man from Frome to finish up.

It's difficult to say if there really are problems at Brawn GP. You would imagine that given their current dominant position all would be sweetness and light. Is Rubens that much better at setting up a chassis?

Additionally, it is quite hard to hear exactly what was said on the radio, with cars screaming past every couple of seconds. So the above should at least be considered a rough interpretation at best. Thankfully, live commenting trackside is a fantastic experience, and at least allowed most of the conversation to be transcribed as it happened.

Without a doubt, viewers at home should have more access to this new era of radio transparency. Teams are clearly going to great efforts to improve the show but to the majority of fans watching from their sofa, this work is going to waste.

Kangaroo TV

This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.

If you’re attending a race where Kangaroo TV is available, I would recommend getting one. They can be quite pricey, but the difference they will make to your race experience makes it worth the expense. The Kangaroo TV is a small, handheld device that broadcasts the race, both audio and visual, so that you can keep abreast of the action. They are only available to rent, not buy, but can be used throughout all three days of a race weekend. This article will look at the positives and negatives of the device.

Firstly, if you have a grandstand seat that isn’t by a big screen or a tannoy, then your Kangaroo TV will give you the main feed and commentary through headphones. You can see it up close, you can hear it better, it makes life a little bit easier.

But it also does much more than that. With the commentary, in the UK at least, you get the choice between what is broadcast at the circuit, and the national radio coverage as well. For the visual side of things, you get to choose what you look at. You can stick with the main feed, showing the important action out on track. You can choose your favourite driver and track them around the circuit, or you can have a mix feed of in-car camera angles. Throughout the race, you can adjust this to make sure you’re not missing out on anything.

Then there are the statistics. They have all the information you need about the season, and the drivers championship, plus a handy little prediction button. Taking the results if the race finished at that moment in time, it lets you see how the championship would stand with the drivers in their current positions. Now, I have to be honest and say that at the British GP, the stats were incorrect. They had all three drivers on the correct points, joint championship leaders, but it hadn’t taken into account the fact that Hamilton would win the race and therefore be on top. However, I’m assuming this is just a single mistake, and not something that would occur normally.

If you’re new to F1, there is plenty of information about the drivers, the teams and the rules and regulations to help you enjoy the sport you’re watching. It is worth every penny.

There are some limitations, though. It only works as long as you are within range and that means not outside of the circuit. If you are sitting in front of a tannoy and a grandstand, you can most likely enjoy the race without the added expense of the TV. It can be quite cumbersome to carry, although they do provide a handy little bag to make transportation easier.

In the end, it depends on a lot of things whether you need to rent a Kangaroo TV, but I would certainly recommend trying it at least once, so you know the data that’s available to you.

Sunday @ British GP, 2007

I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say we are creatures of comfort. It’s not that we’re prissy about sleeping in a field, and god knows our camping was more comfortable than if we’d tried it by ourselves, but even so, it turns out I’m not really the outdoorsy type. By the time we were ready to get going on Sunday, I was having a nightmare hair day (so much worse than a bad hair day), my lips were chapped and I was starting to re-think my grand ambition of following F1 round for an entire year.

It wasn’t helped by the fact that we saw Vicki Butler-Henderson disappear into the portaloos and come out looking like a star. It probably brightened his morning, but not mine.

He also had a good start to the day, by being whisked off on a corporate tour of the pit lane. There was only space for one, and I was quite happy to remain behind, put my feet up and watch the big screen. He, meanwhile, went to see the Honda garage.

Now, for inquisitive people like us, the tour wasn’t really up to scratch, but it was a good reason to be in the pitlane and have a scout around who was doing what and where.

When he returned, we took our ready-made packed lunch (Honda were so good to us) and headed to the grandstands to grab our seats early. Imagine my horror/shock/dismay and his joyousness to see that VBH was sitting just a few rows behind us.

I found the drivers parade quite disappointing. There’s too many people cramped on the back of a lorry, and it’s too far away to be any use. Yea, they stopped and waved for a bit, but I would have preferred to see them in separate cars like they do at other tracks.

The Red Arrows were still a man down from the Goodwood weekend (apparently a domestic incident ended with a broken wrist for one of the pilots) but they put on a pretty good show, somewhat terrifying, as all plane-related acrobatics are.

The race itself was good, we made maximum use of our Kangaroo TV and watched Massa pushing his way through the field. You could feel the collective slump when Hamilton’s bungled pit stop and bad strategy saw him lose the lead of the race, and I’d go so far as to say that several people even left early.

We were not quite so fickle, and waited out the whole race, and more, so that when we finally left the grandstands, everyone else was fighting to get home. We thought about going to the BMW Pit Lane Park but all the other smart people waiting out the traffic had decided to do the same thing. So, we wandered aimlessly, until we saw some people on the track.

I was quite shocked to see it. I hadn’t realised you could go on the track at all, and I wasn’t about to miss out on an opportunity like that.

It probably sounds stupid, but even though it’s just regular tarmac (I did bend down to check it), there’s a kind of electricity from knowing what has taken place on it not an hour previously. There were people roller blading, on scooters, and bicycles, everyone making the most of the track. And who can blame them?

When it comes down to it, the whole point of going to a race is the atmosphere, the feeling of being near to the action. You don’t always know what’s going on or who’s fastest, but you can see things happen with your own eyes and it brings you so much closer to the sport.

That being said, it started to rain, so we left. We thanked Honda profusely, again and again, and left with all the goodies they had given us. We still got caught in traffic, and arrived home completely exhausted. But, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

F1 Guide (Part 7) - Attending A Race

• Length: 2:49 
• Size: 2.7 MB 
• File: guide7.mp3 
• Transcript: guide7.pdf 
• Torrent: guide7.torrent 

Welcome to the Sidepodcast Guide to Formula 1.

We’ve covered pretty much everything you need to know to get you started watching Formula 1. For the last topic of the series, I think we should talk about what to do if you’re going to splash out and attend a race in person.

You need to decide which race you want to go to. If there’s one in your country, then that’s probably a good place to start. But you could go abroad to make it into more of a holiday. From the heat of Malaysia and Bahrain, to the more temperate European races, there’s plenty of choice. It’s a personal dream of mine to go to the Monaco GP, but time, money, and well, money are limiting factors.

A quick search of the web provides plenty of companies that do coach tours, direct flights, or package deals. You can usually find someone who will get you into the race and also put you up in a nice hotel somewhere for a semi-reasonable price. Alternatively you can get your tickets direct from the circuit and make your own plans. It really depends what you want out of your visit.

When buying your tickets, you usually have to decide which type of seat you want. The most basic pass is general admission - one that lets you in and lets you sit on the grass by the side of the track. There may or may not be a good view, and you’ll probably get some good photos through a chain-link fence. As the ticket prices rise, the seats get better. You get grandstand seats, where you actually have a chair to sit in and are raised for a better view. You get covered grandstand seats, so that any inclement weather won’t bother you. Then you have things like corporate boxes, but I think they’re probably beyond the scope of Sidepodcast.

When you get inside, you need to get a programme. There really isn’t a question mark over that – a programme is a necessity, but I wouldn't recommend the official programmes. Very expensive, and not high quality. You can buy whatever merchandise you feel is necessary, but if you’re already a fan of a particular team, you may be wearing their shirts to the race.

There are big screens littered around the tracks, so that when the cars aren’t flying under your nose, you can see just what it is they’re getting up to. You can also rent a small screen from Kangaroo TV – a handheld media device with pretty much anything you need to know at the touch of a button.

When the cars are in view, snap as many pictures as you can, cheer as loud as you can – and think about investing in some ear plugs. Those cars are loud, and when there are 20 or more of them screaming round a corner, you might need some relief.

Going to a race is never going to be the same as watching it at home. You don’t get the luxury of your arm-chair, of the nearby bathroom, of the commentators telling you every single thing you may have missed. What you have got is the atmosphere, the feeling of connection and closeness that can only come from actually being there.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this beginner’s guide, and make sure you let us know your thoughts of anything Formula 1, both on and off track.

Theme music: Cedar Falls, Car Crash.