Commentators, where are they all?

[jellywrestler]

it's no secret I do some commentating, road racing only, never really been asked to do anything else but i'm getting concerned that there's simply not enough of them.
Ray Whitham has been doing it for forty something years, he's no longer able to due to illness which leaves maybe a couple in auckland? and maybe one/two in the South Island? and of course Neil Ritchie.
why isn't there anyone stepping up to the game?

[Akzle]

personally. I have eyes and ears so am able to observe what goes on around me and i dont need anyone to explain it to me...

[Grumph]

In an era when we have training courses for every other job involved running a meeting, that one is notably thin of applicants...
Maybe you should look at taking a couple of apprentices Spyda as left to themselves the shortage won't get fixed.

Aside from Blunder, who always prepares well and has all the details at his fingertips, the few we've had recently in the SI really weren't that good.
I asked one a couple of years back how much it would cost to "win" a race at one meeting. He looked puzzled so i explained that he'd awarded the win in one race to a rider who besides not riding in that race, wasn't even present at the meeting....

[Shaun Harris]

Fuk that- woops, that counts me out

[malcy25]

Pav's been doing a great job up here at the club series and is it Neil Ritchie's that has been doing some of the national stuff? But yeah, not that many.

Def having an affinity and knowledge of the riding and riders makes life easier. As a listener I tune out if it's obvious they don't know what they are talking about.

[jellywrestler]

personally. I have eyes and ears so am able to observe what goes on around me and i dont need anyone to explain it to me...

so how do you know lap times, points, sponsors etc?

[jellywrestler]

Def having an affinity and knowledge of the riding and riders makes life easier. As a listener I tune out if it's obvious they don't know what they are talking about.
so i'd put you in the first sentence category, what stops you doing it?

[Shaun Harris]

STOP PRESS RIP Ray Whitham



http://www.bikesportnz.com/2015/12/ray-whitham-passes-on/

[scrivy]

STOP PRESS RIP Ray Whitham



http://www.bikesportnz.com/2015/12/ray-whitham-passes-on/

Fark!

RIP Ray - you good bastard.

[Akzle]

so how do you know lap times, points, sponsors etc?

none of those things are important to me, i watch for the joy of it. Spose it's different if you're counting or it matters

[swarfie]

RIP Ray - you good bastard.

+1 :(:bye::cry:

[Autech]

RIP to that Ray chap.

The guy CAMS used at Southern Classic festival this spent the whole time talking about what was going on in the Suzuki series while the boys were out dicing. Not sure I could do any better but you can't help but think that with better commentary more of the general public might come to watch our racing.

[roogazza]

Bugger, first met Ray early seventies as young cop and with the bike racing.

Again,on returning to NZ in '97' working as a PI in Wgton. Always thought he was good at Commentary. RIP bud.

[ellipsis]

The guy CAMS used at Southern Classic festival this spent the whole time talking about what was going on in the Suzuki series while the boys were out dicing. Not sure I could do any better but you can't help but think that with better commentary more of the general public might come to watch our racing.


...but I bet he never even contemplated saying SHIT...:weird:

[scrivy]

...but I bet he never even contemplated saying SHIT...:weird:

Yeah. Try watching a movie from 8:30 onwards on any channel now that doesn't have a swear word in it.

The world - it is a changing......:shit: <---- that is a 'shit' smiley..... :facepalm:

[jasonu]

At Puke you could never make out what was being said on the PA system...

[F5 Dave]

RIP Ray. Great commentator, and in a past life a real world hero at the Wahine disaster.

[malcy25]

so i'd put you in the first sentence category, what stops you doing it?

Take your pick of the following...
1) I get stage fright
2) talk too fast
3) mumble
4) ramble incoherently
5) don't know as much as people think
6) who wants to listen to me, I'm not that funny in the flesh or in the ether....

Positives are that I have a good face for radio!

I commend the efforts that Ray, Pav, Neil, Spyda and crew put in.

[jellywrestler]

RIP to that Ray chap.

The guy CAMS used at Southern Classic festival this spent the whole time talking about what was going on in the Suzuki series while the boys were out dicing. Not sure I could do any better but you can't help but think that with better commentary more of the general public might come to watch our racing.

that was me, i spent very little time, and tried to report on each race while the bikes were on the grid, there were people there who would have ridden there in some classes, there were people there who had family and friends riding at the suzuki series, i was very concious to spend time with the bikes on the track but if that's your take you're entiltied to it.
later on in the day the handicap races were all over the place so we left the music on in the end.

[ellipsis]

...was the Southern Classic about racing?...I should try harder to be serious next time...CAMS is fun shit and having Spyda there adds to it...it all mixes well to be memorable long weekend of fun...if you're doing it for any other reason than fun and love , what's the point...

[kiwi cowboy]

...was the Southern Classic about racing?...I should try harder to be serious next time...CAMS is fun shit and having Spyda there adds to it...it all mixes well to be memorable long weekend of fun...if you're doing it for any other reason than fun and love , what's the point...

YOU serious:killingme:killingme:killingme:killingme:ki llingme:killingme don't be stupid:oi-grr:.
No fun in that and yip fun fun fun.
Just need a new computer to be able to play the vids I took on bike with new cam that the computer cant keep up with.
Spyda was great with his commentary and funny as hell at prize giving.

[jellywrestler]

Spyda was great with his commentary and funny as hell at prize giving.

just remember with the prize givings, what goes on on tour......

[jellywrestler]

Take your pick of the following...
1) I get stage fright
2) talk too fast
3) mumble
4) ramble incoherently
5) don't know as much as people think
6) who wants to listen to me, I'm not that funny in the flesh or in the ether....

Positives are that I have a good face for radio!

I commend the efforts that Ray, Pav, Neil, Spyda and crew put in.

we all say that, there's three jobs up there, sponsors, details and commentary, i only started by looking after the first, then the second and the third was sucked out of me by the other person cause they wanted to go for a piss or something, i'm not singling you out at all, but if you people actually though they'd help out just for one class where they were clever at it evolves from there.

[swarfie]

Yeah, at The Southern Classic I stumbled up the stairs at Spyda's request and stumbled through a few words about classic sidecars (there would have been long silences if I'd been left to do it on my own...thanks for helping me with that Spyda) and then beat a hasty retreat. Not my thing but those that do the commentary are appreciated...well, by some of us anyway.

[nodrog]

....later on in the day the handicap races were all over the place .....

the politically correct term is Sidecar races.

I'd love to be a commentator, but I suffer from Tourette's.

[Grumph]

the politically correct term is Sidecar races.

I'd love to be a commentator, but I suffer from Tourette's.

Handicap races can be very good for a commentator who can whip up a frenzy at a back marker coming through the field - but you've got to know the participants and how hard they can go in traffic...Which really means more familiarity with who's who in the field than a visiting commentator can manage IMO.
A couple of the handicaps had the best racing of the weekend IMO - aside from the literal "knock down, drag out" pre 82 seniors.

[sidecar bob]

I commentated sidecars at the Truck meeting at Taupo the day Drew went upside down.
I found having a serious skin full courtesy of the boys from Truckstops & their corporate suite one floor below the commentary box to be a great help.

[jellywrestler]

the politically correct term is Sidecar races.

I'd love to be a commentator, but I suffer from Tourette's.

i'll send you the right card, open it up and it has the phrase 'it's the thought that cunts'

[Autech]

that was me, i spent very little time, and tried to report on each race while the bikes were on the grid, there were people there who would have ridden there in some classes, there were people there who had family and friends riding at the suzuki series, i was very concious to spend time with the bikes on the track but if that's your take you're entiltied to it.
later on in the day the handicap races were all over the place so we left the music on in the end.

Yeah to be fair I only rocked up on Sunday for a watch, your commentary at Methven is very good though (that is you right?). Bit hard to know who's who in the racing down here, we all look the same, dress the same and shag the same sheep.
I should have been out racing though so who's the muppet?

[Grumph]

Yeah to be fair I only rocked up on Sunday for a watch, your commentary at Methven is very good though (that is you right?). Bit hard to know who's who in the racing down here, we all look the same, dress the same and shag the same sheep.
I should have been out racing though so who's the muppet?

And you didn't bloody come and see me !! I still want to introduce you to Ellipsis, maybe we should video it, they never did a TV version of dad 'n dave...

[Autech]

And you didn't bloody come and see me !! I still want to introduce you to Ellipsis, maybe we should video it, they never did a TV version of dad 'n dave...

I will be rocking up to the Nationals to watch I think, I will keep an eye out for you and we can go and insult a ginger together, should be a laugh!

[sidecar bob]

Im coming down to the Ruapuna national round Grumph. We will have a decent catch up.

[Grumph]

Im coming down to the Ruapuna national round Grumph. We will have a decent catch up.

Only planning on going Friday - practise day. But you know where I live...

[Dave-]

I'd be keen to give it a crack.

[jellywrestler]

Yeah to be fair I only rocked up on Sunday for a watch, your commentary at Methven is very good though (that is you right?). Bit hard to know who's who in the racing down here, we all look the same, dress the same and shag the same sheep.
I should have been out racing though so who's the muppet?

i also find with the same suspects getting three races each a day there's a lot of repitition going on, hence my breif leadup to the race was often the suzi series but was never longer than a cople of minutes, yip it's me who did methven this year and last.

[scrivy]

Hmmmmm... Spyda says 'SHIT', and gets bagged. A competitor says 'FUCK' on CTAS today, and he'll be a fucken legend!

[ellipsis]

...I listened to Spyda and Neil all day from the shade of my way down south roof and the commentary was bloody fantastic...tech glitches and a bit of mic fade and feedback, so what...Had somone arrive with a broken bike to fix and missed The Robert Holden Trophy race, what happened?...

[jasonu]

..missed The Robert Holden Trophy race, what happened?...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/wanganui-chronicle/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503424&objectid=11566168

[roogazza]

I did try to look in at Wanganui on CTAS boxing day.

No pictures ,just the Stats and Sound from Bert and Ernie.
(Spyda must have promised to not say, "fuck" ? cos he was there.):lol:

I don't know, were there problems or has CTAS progressed to pay,with no freebies now ?
Anyway I flagged it .

[Shaun Harris]

I did try to look in at Wanganui on CTAS boxing day.

No pictures ,just the Stats and Sound from Bert and Ernie.
(Spyda must have promised to not say, "fuck" ? cos he was there.):lol:

I don't know, were there problems or has CTAS progressed to pay,with no freebies now ?
Anyway I flagged it .


Wanganui BUSINESS NOW "Cemetery Curcuit ltd "had the coverage writes for there for $15-00 Dollars. Shame Ctas still promoted on there site they were covering it, a shit load of International people in the UK and the USA missed watching the race live due to that! DOH

[roogazza]

Wanganui BUSINESS NOW "Cemetery Curcuit ltd "had the coverage writes for there for $15-00 Dollars. Shame Ctas still promoted on there site they were covering it, a shit load of International people in the UK and the USA missed watching the race live due to that! DOH

Oh ok thanks ,did wonder if my new computer was at fault? :weep:

Looks like you are coming right/back ? saw on mylaps you were , like 5th ??? Even sweeter when you're over 50 yrs old huh ? lol.

[Shaun Harris]

Oh ok thanks ,did wonder if my new computer was at fault? :weep:

Looks like you are coming right/back ? saw on mylaps you were , like 5th ??? Even sweeter when you're over 50 yrs old huh ? lol.

5th and a 4th and 52 bro. Look out the TT in 2016 haha

[Yow Ling]

Wanganui BUSINESS NOW "Cemetery Curcuit ltd "had the coverage writes for there for $15-00 Dollars. Shame Ctas still promoted on there site they were covering it, a shit load of International people in the UK and the USA missed watching the race live due to that! DOH

CTAS only promoted Audio stream and Live timing

[Shaun Harris]

CTAS only promoted Audio stream and Live timing



I must have miss read it then

[CHOPPA]

Seth is bloody good, shame he is also a pretty handy rider so not so keen to get on the mic anytime soon. Id be keen to give it a tilt when im not racing too

[jellywrestler]

Seth is bloody good, shame he is also a pretty handy rider so not so keen to get on the mic anytime soon. Id be keen to give it a tilt when im not racing too

and he got like that simply from giving it a shot. You're welcome to have a chat any time this season Sloan, as is any competitor mechanic mother ....