Radio Le Mans

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason specified. Please add a |reason= parameter to this template. Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (April 2008)

Radio Le Mans is the English language radio service for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. It first broadcast at the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans.

History

Although the Public Address commentary was broadcast on local ('special event') radio in 1986, it was primarily in French. The first English language appearance of Radio Le Mans was in 1987 headed by a sportscar and radio enthusiast, Harry Turner, backed by Jim Tanner and Chris Crewe-Smith, founders of TTC radio. Backed by Silk Cut Jaguar the station quickly found favour with the tens of thousands of English-speaking fans at the race. The early years provided for only a very rudimentary service, no pit reports and a music loop played overnight.^[1]

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s the station evolved adding new features like the 'Mad' Friday Campsite Tour in 1989. This show, conceived and presented by a newcomer, John Hindhaugh, was to prove almost as popular as the race coverage, and propelled Hindhaugh, with his distinctive North-Eastern accent and irreverent attitude, to a similar status with the fans as the commentary team. Resident sportscar expert Paul Truswell, famed for remaining standing at his microphone throughout the 24 hours (and more) has been ever-present on the Radio Le Mans commentary team since 1988.^[2]

Haymarket Publications, publishers of Autosport had been involved almost from the start. At first only giving ad pages which were then "sold on" by Radio Le Mans to raise funds. When Studio 6 and Landon Brown, the first operators of the service stepped aside, Haymarket took over the running of the service, and remained in control until 2005.

Radio Le Mans has been available to listeners at the circuit every year since 1987. In 1997 it began streaming on the internet.

From 2004 to 2006 the service was also available to digital satellite listeners, as it was carried on the Globecast Radio channel on the Sky Digital (UK & Ireland) platform in the UK. Globecast Radio also carried coverage of the American Le Mans Series. Globecast Radio ceased broadcasting in January 2007.

Since 2006 the service has been run by Radio Show Ltd., RSL was formed specifically to ensure the continuation of Radio Le Mans when Haymarket Publications declined to renew their contract with the ACO. RSL was given an initial five year contract, and in 2010 beat competition from Haymarket Publications to win the rights for a further term.

The website www.radiolemans.com now runs a sportscar and automotive audio stream all year which includes live coverage of other races from around the world, including those of the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, Nurburgring 24 and Britcar 24. In addition there is an extensive, free archive of all of the Radio Show Limited broadcasts.

New ways to listen to the Radio Le Mans coverage of the 24 hours are being added. In 2008 the service was added to the Kangaroo TV^[3] system at Le Mans,^[4] and in 2009 Radio Le Mans made its debut on Sirius satellite radio in the US and Canada.^[5]

Le Mans 24 Hour Presenters & Commentators

Other Race Coverage

Radio Show Limited, the people behind Radio Le Mans, also provide internet radio commentary on every round of the American Le Mans Series, Le Mans Series, Nürburgring 24 hour race, and Silverstone 24 hour race. There is also coverage of other motorsport events, car tests, and motorsport magazine shows.

In August 2009, a sister channel called RLM Extra was launched to allow for web streaming of two events simultaneously.^[9] This launched with coverage of the 2CV 24 hours from Snetterton,^[10] while the main channel ran coverage of the ALMS from Mid Ohio.

In 2011 the 360 Snetterton 6 Hour race was added to the list of events covered on Radio Le Mans. ^[11]

In 2012 Radio Le Mans will add coverage of the Dubai 24 Hours^[12]

2012 also saw RSL air live coverage of the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the first time. The team provided full 24 hour race commenatry plus live coverage of all the practice and qualifying sessions, the only broadcaster to do so. The audio was principally to serve Motors TV 15 hours of live Television coverage, the commenatry was also used by Speed.com as its overnight feed when the linear service was off air.

American Le Mans Series Radio

Since the first Petit Le Mans race in 1998,^[13] John Hindhaugh and other members of the Radio Le Mans team has provided commentary of every round of the American Le Mans Series.^[14]

In the year 2000, the team also covered two European Le Mans Series races, at Silverstone and the Nurburgring, and the Race of 1000 Years held in Adelaide, Australia.^[15]

The service, known as the American Le Mans Radio Network, is not only streamed on the internet but also carried on the Sirius satellite radio & XM satellite radio service, usually on XM144 Sport Nation.

The service is also broadcast at each track on 454 MHz, and occasionally also carried on local AM and FM stations.

The ALMS axed its radio service at the end of 2010, although Radio Le Mans continues to cover the races at Sebring and Petit Le Mans which are also part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

ALMS Commentators and reporters

Le Mans Series & ILMC Radio Coverage

In 2008 Radio Le Mans began live coverage of the Le Mans Series, starting with the second round of the championship at Monza in Italy.

As with the American Le Mans Series the coverage was streamed on the internet, and at the Nürburgring and Silverstone it was also available locally on AM or FM frequencies.^[17]

In 2009 the opening round at Barcelona was again missed, due to a date clash with the American Le Mans Series, however coverage resumed at Spa-Francorchamps for the second round of the series.^[18]

In 2010 all rounds of the championship were covered live, as was the ILMC race in China.

ILMC & Le Mans Series Commentators and Reporters

Nürburgring 24 hours Radio Coverage

Radio Le Mans first covered the Nürburgring 24 hours race as part of its Le Mans 24 hour coverage in 2006 (the races ran on the same dates that year).

The following year saw the first English-language commentary of the race, however unlike the Le Mans commentary this did not run for the full 24 hours but stopped for six hours during the night. That year the race itself stopped for a time during the night as thick fog caused a red flag period.

The Nürburgring 24 hours was successful enough that it has been repeated in 2008 and 2009,^[19] but using the same format of covering the first ten, and final eight hours of the race, rather than the full 24 hours. However, in 2010 the entire race was broadcasted live with John Hindhaugh, Paul Truswell and Graham Goodwin pulling out almost an 24-hour live shift. Same was repeated in 2011, with Jim Roller joining the commentary trio once again.

Unlike the Le Mans Series race at the Nürburgring, coverage of the Nürburgring 24 hours is not simulcast on fm, so is only available online.

Nürburgring 24 hours Commentators

External links

• Official site
• American Le Mans Series website
• Le Mans 24 hour website

References