This weekend’s bwin.com British Grand Prix ushers in a new era in the television coverage of the MotoGP World Championship. Commercial rights-holders of the series and producers of the world television broadcast, Dorna Sports this weekend will employ 126 separate cameras to cover every angle of the Grand Prix. It is a figure that few sporting events can match.
The miniature onboard cameras installed on the bikes give fans at home incredible shots from the rider’s perspective, and are the closest thing to actually being on the motorcycles themselves. To heighten the drama from the onboards, Dorna has consistently increased the amount of mini-cameras, which boast the latest digital technology. As such MotoGP Radio Frequency suppliers Gigawave, based in Colchester, Essex, have developed systems specifically designed for MotoGP in order to have crystal clear and consistent images considering the amount of cameras being used.
There will be 100 mini-cameras used this weekend at Donington Park. All the bikes on the MotoGP grid will have at least three onboard cameras fitted, with a total of 88 being used during the MotoGP race alone. There are a further eight used in the 250cc category, with three more installed in the BMW “Safety Car”, and one also on Ducati’s MotoGP2 demo lap bike.
Thirteen MotoGP bikes will have the three standard mini-cameras installed (Front, Rear, Tail), and the five remaining bikes will have four. On these five an extra special camera is fitted alongside the three standard cameras. For the bwin.com British Grand Prix, the distribution is as follows.
1. Rossi: Clutch hand position with view into his left knee as well
2. Pedrosa: Helmet view
3. Stoner: Throttle hand position with view into his right knee as well
4. Toseland: Front Wheel and Back wheel
5. Nakano: low view of his right knee
Each MotoGP rider has two bikes, and for most riders both bikes have onboard cameras installed. As such, if there is a change of bike, a crash or even a ‘flag-to-flag’ race, the coverage is unaffected. In total 28 bikes have been fitted with cameras.
In 250, the top four riders in the championship each have one bike fitted with two cameras, a front and rear. In the Safety Car the three cameras are a rear facing camera, an interior “cockpit” camera and a camera showing the driver and co-driver.
Obviously the action will also be covered by the usual external cameras over every single inch of the asphalt with 26 cameras in total: 21 trackside, four RF cameras in Pit Lane, two pit cameras and one paddock camera.
The International Programme Feed will have a total of 126 cameras at its disposal this weekend.
