In The News : Sports Illustrated Feature
BSI’s Peter Larsson describes the unique perspective on-board cameras provide racing fans
Tuesday, September 06, 2011 | DAVID GINSBURG AP Sports Writer
UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE: The best way to experience the feeling of driving 180 mph without getting behind the wheel is through a camera affectionately known in the business as The Big Mac.
Six drivers at the Baltimore Grand Prix have cameras installed on their cars, which enables television viewers to share the view with the man behind the wheel. The camera is the size of a double-decker hamburger, which explains the nickname.
It's one thing to see the cars buzzing around the track. It's quite another to share the sensation of being in the seat for a hairpin turn between two concrete walls.
"I can't afford a million-dollar car, so this is the closest I'm going to get," says Peter Larsson, general manager of Broadcast Sports, Inc. "Before, race coverage was impersonal. Now you can see how a guy gets beat up in the driver's seat and how fast you have to make decisions."
Larsson runs the show, which requires four cranes and six miles of fiber optic cable.
"In the early days, something like this had a gee-whiz factor. Now it's part of the bread and butter of the telecast," said Larsson, whose kingdom on race day includes 14 workers and a compound of several trailers containing dozens of TVs.
The drivers with cameras in their cars Sunday are: Helio Castroneves, JR Heildebrand, Ryan Briscoe, Will Power, Mike Conway and Dario Franchitti. Their entire race will be recorded, and each will receive a DVD of their journey.
"Our way of saying thanks," Larsson said.
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