148 replies to this topic

[red stick]

I'm sure it was on Wide World of Sports.  Probably Monaco.

Same. Don't recall precisely, but if not a race on WWS, likely the 1973 or 1974 Indy 500.

[Sndr]

Went hiking with my dad as a kid, must've been '92 or so, low mountain range, central Germany. After the hike, we parked the car on a parking area in the woods, below the peak of the highest mountain and close to the radio tower at the top of said mountain. My father had brought a small black and white tv set with an antenna and hooked it into the car's cigarette lighter. With the rear bench folded down, we then nestled up in the trunk of the car and watch some F1 race - can't recall which. Very fond childhood memory.

[juicy sushi]

Went hiking with my dad as a kid, must've been '92 or so, low mountain range, central Germany. After the hike, we parked the car on a parking area in the woods, below the peak of the highest mountain and close to the radio tower at the top of said mountain. My father had brought a small black and white tv set with an antenna and hooked it into the car's cigarette lighter. With the rear bench folded down, we then nestled up in the trunk of the car and watch some F1 race - can't recall which. Very fond childhood memory.

That is just an all-around very nice, wholesome story.  Thanks for sharing that.

[juicy sushi]

Thinking back, while the 1993 South African GP is the first race I can remember watching, outside of some Senna/Prost in-car stuff I can't remember having seen anything.  But the first race I remember watching and saying to myself, this is some really good stuff, was Milwaukee 1993:

 

[Blue6ix]

This one:
 

 
The day after the party that was thrown for my parents Copper anniversary*. We were at Georg Georg and Cavallaria Rusticanas** house. KWSN was there too and it may also have this as his first.
 
 
*In Denmark, couples celebrate anniversaries after 12 and a half years (copper), 25 years (silver) and 50 years (gold).
 
** the nick names given to a lovely couple that were friends with my parents.

 

Since there has been no answer for a question of mine, I'm still not sure about this, but anyway here is the aforementioned TV Coverage list from Danish Television, meaning DR that did broadcast for the years of 1971-1976, 1978 and 1980 and sadly there were quite a number of cancellations what comes about broadcasting them and Swedish Grand Prix for the years of 1973-1978 are extremely unsure excluding the year of 1975 and possibly the year of 1978 which had only a question mark of it.

 

Unsure years are also 1977 and 1979 as for now even though I have heard about a possible Monaco Grand Prix broadcast attempts and 1979 Swedish Grand Prix was of course cancelled by a worldwide margin.

 

Also for some races there were also two possible broadcast times available so as I mentioned earlier here they come apart from the cancellations unless someone wants to know them all as well.

 

However, this information is also from a old message of mine and there has been updates since then quite a many times for the 1970s and the 1980s DR TV races so this message is mostly just a reminding one and any corrections are welcome as well:

 

1971

 

Monaco: It was seen in 15.45-17.15 o' clock and it was commentated by Finn Kobberø.

 

1972

 

Monaco: It was seen in three parts in 14.45-15.30 o' clock, 15.45-16.15 o' clock and in 16.30-17.10 o' clock.

 

Nürburgring: It was either seen as a live coverage for a very few last laps due to the appaling weather conditions or cancelled and otherwise surely as a highlights seen either in 19.30-20.20 o' clock or in 19.55-20.20 o' clock.

 

Commentators were not sadly said for the year of 1972.

 

1973

 

Montjuïc Park: This race was possibly shown and because there really weren't any information for it to be shown in DR, I think it might have been a last-minute surprise, possibly even live coverage as well? I'm assuming that you and KWSN - DSM really have seen this race even back then unless I'm very much mistaken.  

 

Monaco: It was seen in two parts in 15.15-16.45 o' clock and in 17.15-18 o' clock instead of just a one part in 15.15-16 o' clock.

Nürburgring: It was seen in 13.45-14.45 o' clock. Earlier showing could have also been possible for this race as well since there was few different broadcast time and also with question marks for them.

 

Commentators were not sadly said for the year of 1973.

 

1974

 

Nürburgring: It was seen in 22.35-22.55 o' clock as a highlights. It was also said to gain approximately 10 minute more broadcast time due to it's late night airing time.

 

Commentators were not sadly said for the year of 1974.

 

1975

 

Anderstorp: It was seen in 13.30-15.45 o' clock as a live coverage. It was also said to be the first F1 race in Danish TV without any possible interruptions like in Monaco Grand Prix during the years of 1971-1973 and maybe it was true or maybe not.   

Nürburgring: It was seen in 16.20-17 o' clock as a highlights.

 

Commentators were not sadly said for the year of 1975.

 

1976

 

Österreichring: It was seen in 16.40-17.40 o' clock as a highlights. It was commentated by Jørgen Steen Nielsen.

 

1978

 

Monaco: It was seen in 16.40-19 o' clock and it was commentated by Claus Borre and Jac Nelleman. It was only partially shown in Denmark.

Anderstorp: It was possibly shown in Denmark as a last-minute surprise live coverage commentated by Claus Borre and Jac Nelleman. At least it was supposed to be shown like in the 1975 race as well even though it had question marks written on it.   

Österreichring: It was seen in 16-17 o' clock as as highlights and it was commentated by Claus Borre and Jac Nelleman. It could have been live coverage when approaching it's end parts because of the red flag periods during the race.

Zandvoort: It was seen as as last-minute surprise live coverage commentated by Claus Borre and Jac Nelleman. Most likely it's broadcast time was the same as Swedish SVT had, meaning 13.30-15.30 o' clock and maybe longer.

Monza: It was supposed to be seen as in highlights in 17-18 o' clock, but after it's very sad and known events it was postponed so much that DR was able to actually go as in live coverage for the race even though eventually this was cut short either when reaching to the chequered flag or at longest, on it's closing laps for the shortened race. It was commentated by Claus Borre and Jac Nelleman.

 

DR was also very interested about showing Watkins Glen and Montreal as well, but after Ronnie Peterson had passed away, they promptly cancelled that from occuring like SVT also did for Swedish side.

 

1980

 

Zandvoort: It was seen as a highlights in 20.40-21.10 o' clock and it was commentated by Claus Borre and Jac Nelleman.

 

Possibly in 1980 Monaco Grand Prix was broadcasted as well or cancelled since it wasn't really mentioned when approaching Monaco Grand Prix weekend during that year.

 

As mentioned before, there have been updates and there are still many uncertain things even after all these years.

 

Like some uncertain Swedish Grand Prix coverages and also some more races were at least intended to be shown if not even shown when there was a chance that any Danish driver could be on the starting grid for the intended race.

Edited by Blue6ix, 04 October 2024 - 16:46.

[SKL]

Though I don't remember exactly it would have been something in B&W, with Jim McKay, probably Monaco. Even though I was only 11 at the time I do know I knew who Phil Hill was when he won the WC-  most likely because I had just gotten my first real go-kart, a Simplex Challenger with a West Bend 580, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps...

[azza200]

i was only 8 years old in 94 and remember flicking thru the channels and seeing the Pacific GP highlights and the look and sound of the cars. After that i wanted to the watch the next race properly which happened to be Imola. First race i watched all the way thru at the time i did not know about Roland or Rubens accidents. But watching what happened in those 7 opening laps and Senna's crash i will never forget. I watched the rest of the season which made me a fan of Damon Hill that year after that i would watch and record on VHS every race and watch it back before the next one i did that for many years up until the mid 00's

[Henri Greuter]

1972 Monaco Grand Prix, not 1971 Monaco Grand Prix because Jackie Stewart won that race.

 

Mostly and as a side note, 1972 Monaco Grand Prix...

 

It's been remembered for two things besides the miracle victory of Beltoise:

 

This was the first pole position for Emerson Fittipaldi and the first for a Brazilian driver and the first win for a clearly Marlboro-sponsored F1 car.

I stand corrected, thank you.

Could have sworn it was 1971!

 

My first F1 race I have seen coverage from then most likely has been Zandvoort 1971.

[jcbc3]

This one:
 
 
The day after the party that was thrown for my parents Copper anniversary*. We were at Georg Georg and Cavallaria Rusticanas** house. KWSN was there too and it may also have this as his first.
 
 
*In Denmark, couples celebrate anniversaries after 12 and a half years (copper), 25 years (silver) and 50 years (gold).
 
** the nick names given to a lovely couple that were friends with my parents.

 

 

Since there has been no answer for a question of mine,..

 

[snip]

 

1973

 

Montjuïc Park: This race was possibly shown and because there really weren't any information for it to be shown in DR, I think it might have been a last-minute surprise, possibly even live coverage as well? I'm assuming that you and KWSN - DSM really have seen this race even back then unless I'm very much mistaken.  

 

Monaco: It was seen in two parts in 15.15-16.45 o' clock and in 17.15-18 o' clock instead of just a one part in 15.15-16 o' clock.

Nürburgring: It was seen in 13.45-14.45 o' clock. Earlier showing could have also been possible for this race as well since there was few different broadcast time and also with question marks for them.

 

Commentators were not sadly said for the year of 1973.

[snip]

 

I'm afraid I didn't catch if you were asking a question of me. But your post now, make me question the shared memory I have with KWSN. Because I was CERTAIN that we were watching Emmo win in the JPS Lotus. But after this second post of yours I checked the GP dates and it turns out that my parents wedding day was 4th February 1961, which put their copper anniversary at the 4th August 1973. And lo and behold, as I wrote we were watching on the day after this party, it turns out that the German GP was on the 5th August that year.

 

So I believe KWSN and I may need to revise the memory.............................................................

 

And second story for Danes. Another friend of my parents at one point owned a Bar/Inn where Finn Kobberø was a regular. And when I say regular, I mean REGULAR. Which was what eventually killed him. https://en.wikipedia...ki/Finn_Kobberø

[lustigson]

[BarryinIN]

First race I saw on TV? I can’t remember.
I did attend my first Indy 500 when I was six weeks old. I’m told I slept through it, so evidently it didn’t do anything for me at the time.

[jonpollak]

That’s funny Barry.
I too went to many races before ever seeing a TV broadcast of one. Riverside was our main haunt. Mid to late sixties Can-Am races. And Monaco in ‘67

Jp

[BertoC]

First memories I have is the 92 season, vividly remember Monaco which was one of the first european races so most likely that was one of the first races I saw on TV. I was 9 at the time.

[NCB619]

This one for me:

 

Locally, the two big crashes at Calder Park in 1999 are the other memories

Actually - I'm going to go back a tiny bit further - I would have watched the previous Australian Grand Prix in 1995 (but don't actually remember watching it live), as my father took my two older brothers (I was only 4 years old at the time) on a cross-country trip as my father was able to get some Ferrari connected tickets through Agip. I remember being super super jealous at the time because, rightfully so, my father decided not to bring me along because I was a bratty kid who threw tantrums at the drop of a hat, and he didn't want to be put up with that on his own halfway across Australia. Of course, I didn't know that until years later, so what I was told was that I because of the big wings on the cars, that I would fly away like a kite whenever they drove past because I was so small, and that I'd be allowed to go when I was a certain weight (pretty sure it was 40kg).

I hit that weight in 1998, but Agip wasn't with Ferrari anymore, and my dad didn't have the Agip connections anymore either, so.. didn't get to end up going to a race in person until my oldest brother arranged for us all to go to Melbourne in 2012.

 

Anyways, that's my origin story on how I was so determined to become a bit of an F1 freak (in terms of people I've actually met, only my oldest brother surpasses me).
Going back on topic, the only bit of the 1995 Adelaide GP I remember is Coulthard crashing in pit-entry - but the memory I have isn't me watching that live, but rather on tape a few years later (Hence, why I had my first memory as Brundle's crash in 1996).

[monolulu]

Some great stories here! Unfortunately my memory lets me down these days but I started watching F1 with my parents as a child. Stirling Moss is the name I remember so guess it was late fifties/ early sixties. 

[Sterzo]

That’s funny Barry.
I too went to many races before ever seeing a TV broadcast of one. Riverside was our main haunt. Mid to late sixties Can-Am races. And Monaco in ‘67

Jp

My enthusiasm too came from attending, and I still twitch when people talk of watching a GP "live" on Sky. To me, "live" means you're there, and yes I watch TV, but it's just pixels on a screen. Just like I admired Calista Flockhart on TV yesterday evening, but she didn't reciprocate, whereas if she'd been with me...

[jonpollak]

Not to worry Sterzo….
Calista had yet to return my calls.

Jp

[Blue6ix]

I'm afraid I didn't catch if you were asking a question of me. But your post now, make me question the shared memory I have with KWSN. Because I was CERTAIN that we were watching Emmo win in the JPS Lotus. But after this second post of yours I checked the GP dates and it turns out that my parents wedding day was 4th February 1961, which put their copper anniversary at the 4th August 1973. And lo and behold, as I wrote we were watching on the day after this party, it turns out that the German GP was on the 5th August that year.

 

So I believe KWSN and I may need to revise the memory.............................................................

 

And second story for Danes. Another friend of my parents at one point owned a Bar/Inn where Finn Kobberø was a regular. And when I say regular, I mean REGULAR. Which was what eventually killed him. https://en.wikipedia...ki/Finn_Kobberø

 

Oh, It's good to know and interesting to know about Finn.

 

And sad too in it's own way.

 

I'll then wipe out those possible notes when considering about Spanish Grand Prix 1973 in DR back then and when I'm really updating those bits of info. But then again, it would have been quite a sensation if really shown back then.

[scheivlak]

Would have been the 1963 Dutch GP per NTS (not NOS): 

 

 

Shows you a bit of broadcasting quality in those times.

 

Another Dutch take of this GP (for the cimema newsreels): 

 

Edited by midgrid, 24 October 2024 - 09:50.
Video formatting

[GlenWatkins]

1965 Indy 500

[genespleen]

I grew up in Alabama, in the U.S. south.  Not friendly territory for F1.  But a Dutch high-school friend turned me on to F1 as the 1978 season moved on.  So we started following the series--mostly through month-behind Road & Track magazine issues (correspondent, Rob Walker), complemented by the annual TV broadcast of the Monaco race.  By the mid-1980s, I was recording each race on VHS, and for many years carried around (I changed addresses often) 100-120 VHS cassettes of recorded races.

[huggybear]

I remember the 1993 Italian GP as the first race I watched on TV, because I vividly remember the flipping Minardi over the line.
That being said, I also remember complaining to my mum that we were going to miss the race, so I must have watched races before this point, to know there was a race on, but I don't remember watching any before.

[DW46]

New colleague at work is a huge F1 fan but describes Schumacher as being before his time.

Way to make a guy feel old bro 😢

[midgrid]

Just you wait until that applies to Mick Schumacher.

[PayasYouRace]

Eeek! Damon Hill, Hakkinen, Villeneuve and Schumacher are to us now what Clark, Graham Hill, Surtees and Brabham were when I started watching F1.

[B Squared]

Thinking back, while the 1993 South African GP is the first race I can remember watching, outside of some Senna/Prost in-car stuff I can't remember having seen anything. But the first race I remember watching and saying to myself, this is some really good stuff, was Milwaukee 1993:

A race I thoroughly enjoyed from my station inside turn four. Time was winding down on my CART officiating at that point.

[Jim Thurman]

I think I'm like jp, in that my first recollection of seeing racing was in person at the local 1/4 mile dirt oval. I was 4 years old, and it got me hooked.

[Sterzo]

Eeek! Damon Hill, Hakkinen, Villeneuve and Schumacher are to us now what Clark, Graham Hill, Surtees and Brabham were when I started watching F1.

Eeek to you too. I saw Graham Hill (Lotus XI) and Jim Clark (Lotus Elite) racing at Oulton Park before they were in F1.

[PayasYouRace]

Eeek to you too. I saw Graham Hill (Lotus XI) and Jim Clark (Lotus Elite) racing at Oulton Park before they were in F1.

Presumably you had a similar realisation that those guys to you were the equivalent of Caracciola and Nuvolari to your parents’s generation.

[Collombin]

Eeek to you too. I saw Graham Hill (Lotus XI) and Jim Clark (Lotus Elite) racing at Oulton Park before they were in F1.

I couldn't make sense of this until I realised you meant on separate occasions!

I can claim Senna at Castle Combe but I think you still win.

[Stephane]

I had seen racing before, I knew Senna beat Prost in 88, but the earlier clear memory of actively watching was Monaco 92. I remember watching Mansell in the lead, but not a long time before The pit stop.

[Beri]

Eeek! Damon Hill, Hakkinen, Villeneuve and Schumacher are to us now what Clark, Graham Hill, Surtees and Brabham were when I started watching F1.

[Blue6ix]

I grew up in Alabama, in the U.S. south.  Not friendly territory for F1.  But a Dutch high-school friend turned me on to F1 as the 1978 season moved on.  So we started following the series--mostly through month-behind Road & Track magazine issues (correspondent, Rob Walker), complemented by the annual TV broadcast of the Monaco race.  By the mid-1980s, I was recording each race on VHS, and for many years carried around (I changed addresses often) 100-120 VHS cassettes of recorded races.

 

This is a quite interesting claim and when considering for season of 1978 or even possibly after it.

 

Long Beach races as for example were broadcasted live by CBS during it's run. Few others too though not too many.

 

Possibly few more races were broadcasted as a live coverage or as a tape-delayed near entirely broadcast coverage.

 

In that regard even in the year of 1978 situation was actually better than it's mostly supposedly said in supposed memories.

 

And had been so also most of the seasons 1976-1977.

 

Take it back a few years before all those mentioned seasons and then it could have been that worse and for real.

 

Though maybe the situation was possibly also so bad because of the time delays/state synchronization for the coverage?

 

Though usually it was a noticeable problem only for some really far away or long-distance races back then in other races either in F1 or as an example for USAC races.

 

And of course if the respective affiliate channels had their own oddities about sending those supposed races.

Edited by Blue6ix, 02 November 2024 - 16:45.

[Jim Thurman]

Blue6ix, yes, I watched most every race televised in the U.S. during that time, and earlier. F1 races were more common from 1976 on, but rarely live. They were tape delayed, often truncated on sports cavalcade type shows. USAC races weren't uncommon from 1968, and more aired live or on a three hour delay to the West Coast. A few Can-Am races were televised and a few NASCAR races, none of which were live until 1970 (and were never live on the West Coast even after that).

 

Prior to the TVS USAC races from 1968 on, and the ABC coverage of NASCAR races live (1970), almost all major races were shown severely edited a week or two later on programs such as "ABC's Wide World of Sports."

 

Some local stations aired their local short track racing live. Los Angeles TV stations aired racing from area tracks weekly from the early 1950s through 1965, and there were some other cities that did similarly.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 05 November 2024 - 18:02.

[BoDarvelle]

First I remember was the 1979 Daytona 500.

[Acathla]

Sad to say, but I think it was the news of the death of Senna. Don't know exactly anymore, I was 11 back then. 

[jonpollak]

First I remember was the 1979 Daytona 500.

Those were the days my friend…. We thought they’d never end….
Jp

[Blue6ix]

I grew up in Alabama, in the U.S. south.  Not friendly territory for F1.  But a Dutch high-school friend turned me on to F1 as the 1978 season moved on.  So we started following the series--mostly through month-behind Road & Track magazine issues (correspondent, Rob Walker), complemented by the annual TV broadcast of the Monaco race.  By the mid-1980s, I was recording each race on VHS, and for many years carried around (I changed addresses often) 100-120 VHS cassettes of recorded races.

 

Even though I made a reply of mine own before, I almost forgot to add something little more:

 

I have to remind you that there was a very good thread about describing F1 TV Broadcasts historically for the years of 1950-1980 and for many countries too.

 

It hasn't been sadly updated much lately because I have also found out about many of the non-mentioned or supposedly non-shown races.

 

Here it is as a link:

 

The definitive 1950-1980 F1 TV coverage thread - The Nostalgia Forum - The Autosport Forums

 

PS. Broadcast info (As for now and I hope it goes updated because further on the thread there is my own findings that were not updated on it.) can be found right at that start and the end of the first post.

[Claudius]

I`ll never forget the first race I saw on TV, Hockenheim in 93 on Eurosport. For some reason I thought it fascinating. I had heard about Prost and Senna but never watched a race before.

From that day I started to follow F1.

[NewMrMe]

My Dad used to watch races so the first I saw on TV was probably before I can remember. The first race I have memories of was the 1981 British Grand Prix. I can remember John Watson winning and I was 3 at the time. I was hooked from then on and it always made me want to be number 7.

[AlexS]

Black and white TV in my grandparents home, Monza 1978. The race that would cause Ronnie Peterson death . At time was more into Rally. I saw the pille up and nothing more i don't think the remaining race was televised but memory is fuzzy.

[jonpollak]

THANK YOU Blue6ix for the link to your fantastic thread !!!

Such research deserves a gold star or medal or whatever you get on the internet for doing the good work !!

Regards,
Jp

[garoidb]

I think it was a growing, vague awareness through things like Top Trumps, comics etc, but I saw the footage of Derek Daly cartwheeling over other cars at the 1980 Monaco Grand Prix at around the time it happened. I'm not sure about anything earlier than that.

[fridge46]

1997 Australian Grand Prix highlights on a sunday afternoon. It was on tv, and my younger brother really wanted to watch something on another channel but being a d*** I said "no, I'm watching this."

 

I've kept up the charade ever since...

[pUs]

Probably watching a review of the 1983 rally world championships. Dad recorded it on our VCR and I kept watching it over and over again. Was so good!

For F1, the first race live on TV was Monaco 1984. Remember the crash between Patrese and Piquet, and that it was difficult to see what was going on. Was watching it on a really small television at my friends house. 

[Danicafreak]

Piquet vs Prost vs Senna - that is all.

[Blue6ix]

Probably watching a review of the 1983 rally world championships. Dad recorded it on our VCR and I kept watching it over and over again. Was so good!

For F1, the first race live on TV was Monaco 1984. Remember the crash between Patrese and Piquet, and that it was difficult to see what was going on. Was watching it on a really small television at my friends house. 

 

Maybe it was 1985 Monaco Grand Prix rather than 1984 Monaco Grand Prix?

 

Because in the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix I think Piquet and Patrese never had a crash with each other. And if they had at least they both never retired at the same instant on that race.

 

Most likely they hadn't and even if they had they didn't.

 

Not at least in the same lap and even then that only mattered to Patrese possibly alone rather than Piquet.

 

Piquet retired for electrical failure by lap 16 on that fateful day and Patrese retired for steering failure by lap 24 on that fateful day and even that seemed to be related to a badly handling car from the beginning rather than any other possible reason.

 

So, if they really had any crash at all it's unlikely and possibly not that severe. And if so, only for Patrese and certainly not Piquet had an everlasting effect from that.

 

Patrese actually had an 'honor' to be last retired driver from the red flagged and prematurely concluded race oddly and barely according to the rules possibly with no right to have a result for the end of the race.

 

Even though he barely could have had that right too unlike second to last retired driver Niki Lauda just a lap before him.

 

1985 Monaco Grand Prix also had a fiery crash between Patrese and Piquet so I think that you have a wrong year.

 

Not much, but still. 1984 Monaco Grand Prix had a rain in the race and 1985 Monaco Grand Prix hadn't or at least never the amounts compared to the year before.

Edited by Blue6ix, 11 November 2024 - 15:40.

[Risil]

Yes, the spectacular and highly memorable Piquet-Patrese collision was 1985, not 1984.

[Collombin]

Yes, the spectacular and highly memorable Piquet-Patrese collision was 1985, not 1984.

Easy to tell which of you is being paid by the word.

I'm intrigued by the slight hints of conspiracy theory over the 1984 stoppage though - works Porsche driver Jacky Ickx and all that. Despite what Ken Tyrrell might have said, conditions had clearly got worse over the last couple of laps.