Motorsport
FanVision puts the crowd in control

ONE OF the most common comments I get back from friends and family whenever I tell them I plan to attend the Formula One British Grand Prix every year is ‘Why? You only see the cars for a second each lap, you would see more by staying at home and watching it on the television,’ writes Observer Sports Editor Jamie Arrowsmith.

And whilst their argument is not totally incorrect, the big screens, track commentary and radio ear pieces available at Silverstone have always provided me with plenty of details of what is happening at other parts of the Northamptonshire circuit to where I may be sat.

This year however, my Grand Prix experience was taken to a whole new level with the use of a FanVision G3 device.

The hand-held device, which boasts a 4.3 inch screen, offers ten live video feeds - including eight on-board cameras, official timing, race statistics, instant replays, live commentary and access to team radios, all at the touch of a button.

A button I controlled to view whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

In my case, most of my time was spent closely following the progress of British duo Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the McLaren, progress that unfortunately failed to gather much pace throughout the race.

The split view option was particularly useful, allowing me to follow the battle at the front between Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s eventual race winner Mark Webber whilst monitoring the sector times of other battles going on further down the field.

The numerous big screens provided replays to the 125,000 fans packed into the rain soaked venue, but FanVision allowed me to see those at close quarters as well as any replay of any incident I decided I wanted to watch, in an instant.

There was also a choice of three commentary feeds, with the offerings of BBC and Sky Sports being added to that of the trackside commentary whilst being able to listen in to snippets of team radio offered a valuable insight into the plans of the teams and drivers.

So what FanVision provides is not just the same as what I would have been able to watch on the television had I stayed at home, it offers more, much more. And add to that the incredible sights and sounds of some of the world’s best drivers squeezing every inch out of their cars just a few metres away, and it makes watching this fantastic spectacle from my sofa seem less appealing than ever.

Now if somebody can just invent a device that stops the rain turning all of the nearby campsites and car parks into mudbaths, that will make things just about perfect.

For more information about FanVision visit www.fanvision.com.

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