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Thread: Live Updates - We've come a long way!

  1. #1
    Howie's Avatar
    Howie is offline Veteran of Racing Photography
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    Live Updates - We've come a long way!

    With another race season coming to an end, I was just thinking about how far Live Updates have come.

    Way back when (I’m not sure of the years, please excuse me for not putting them), I’m thinking starting in1970’s Paul Tremaine, The Checkered Flag Announcer, had a phone line system. Friends would call him with results from races all over. Paul had remote phones at friend’s houses all over the state that he would remotely put the results on the answering machines and people could get the results the same night of the race by a simple phone call. For most people, it was a local phone call. Not quite the live updates we have today, but kind of got us used to getting results quickly. Then technology gave us the internet. Here is Paul at work.

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    Lou Cady started the Mod Series Scene forum. In the beginning friends would call Lou and results were on line, almost as soon as the race was over. Taking that a step further (the early 2000’s?), Walt Newcomb would call from the track, on his cell phone with live updates and the updates would be in the MSS forum as they happened. Lou, Vicki Papp or Linda Case would do the updates. In this photo Walt is on the back stretch at Thompson, on the phone with Vicki in Florida where she was doing the forum updates.

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    Now, Richie and The Chrome Horn have taken the up dates to the next step, the Live Updates as we know them today. Thanks to Jim and Denise DuPont the information on the activity at the track is on your computer almost the minute happens. Almost as if you are there. Here is Denise in the media room at Lime Rock Park.

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    Thanks to everyone who has helped over the years, I know there are lots of others I haven’t mentioned. A great job done by you all! Remember if you can’t make it to the track for a modified tour race, go to thechromehorn.com for the live updates.
    Howie Hodge
    TheChromeHorn.com - Special Contributor
    www.thechromehorn.com |

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  2. #2
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    Howie- Excellent post. My hat is off to everyone who helps us "watch" the race vicariously from our family rooms and living rooms etc. When your not at the race or watching one on TV (I know, it’s too rare these days) this is the next best thing.

    I remember Newks great races in the early oughts. And also Allan Claffie calling the NHIS modified races -- I remember it must’ve been ‘00 or ’01 and I stayed late at work to “listen” to Claff calling the race. Great stuff and great memories. When I am too busy with life, kids etc to not be at the race, the first place I check in is the front page live update. Thanks to Lou, Newk, Claff, Vicki, Linda Case, Dave and Hazel and everyone else! It’s close to being there!

    The only thing you don’t get with live updates is the smell, the sound and, when at Thompson, the Thompson chicane.
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  3. #3
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    As I left Thompson with my 14 year old son we walked by the old CFA Gremlin; I explained to him my routine of dialing up CFA and obtaining results every night there was a race. After coming home from any given night of racing, dialing up CFA was first order of business to find out who else won that night and who the top finishers were. While I might have lost him at “Dialing up” (in true rotary phone fashion), the concept of not having any and all information at the tips of your fingers via your device must seem like the real dark ages to him.

    Paul kept us out of the dark and in the know – how else could I go to bed on a late Sat night knowing that Kent beat out Evans at Oswego, or Siscone edged Herne at Wall or Caron won at Claremont?? After all I was at the Park watching Polverari hold off Reggie for 50 laps.. imagine that my friends, I went to bed with the rundown from multiple racetracks (it’s like I was everywhere), now I just had to wait for Friday to roll around so I could get the scoop from Speedway Scene..

    .. but that really is a great picture of Paul Tremaine; there was always something comforting, a sense of relief when you actually connected to the recording – ahhhhh, my results, yes!!! Of course there were many times you’d connect and there wasn’t an update yet, it was still the old recording (how disappointing!!) – but once connected to a fresh tape of Paul reading off the results, it was like a you and a trusted friend having a fireside chat, but you weren’t really talking. You listened, with ears wide open and jotted down the rundown..

    There were in fact a few occasions when Paul picked up the phone himself which was always startling, but I recall him being quite nice and giving you the results, if he had them.

    The concept of live updates has come a long way; I participated in a few of those myself on MSS. We had quite a thing going with those run on threads – fast forward to our present day and it really is quite impressive – I think it’s a great thing and a great service to the fan base – of course with all great things (and time) come issues..

    With the recent “Live Update / No Live Update” thing, I asked Rich if I could poke at this a bit and promote some healthy dialog around the concept, where things are going with regards to copy write laws, rebroadcasting, social media, public domain & the ever important fair use doctrine.. all the makings of some very interesting discussion – however I’d really like to save this for the doldrums of a long winters night – we’ll need something to talk about then.. in the meantime..

    … listen to (download this) – while it’s not the actual report you’d find on CFA, I believe it’s Paul Tremaine on the recording but even more nostalgic here is an actual race call from the Thompson 500 in 1970 (just listen to that line up!!) and post race interview with winner Bugs Stevens & Langhorne promoter Al Gerber – a very interesting recording to say the least wrapped up by Bill Welch bidding all a safe trip home… classic!!

    .. of note – listen to Bugs talk about “foolin’ around, doin his thing, playing games with Eddie and Bobby and putting on a show”.. and Al stating that he was running Time Trails at Langhorne and the 2 mile track in the quiet corner that never happened..

    Great post Howard..

  4. #4
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    Jan 2007
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    I agree Thanks to All. Who do it now an in the past . Times have changed an I cannot go to as many as I use to. But I will be going Sat& Sun to Thompson , But one of the "Elfs" will be watching from home an will know more about whats going on the me there. I have to call her for updates . lol

    I hope its Warm as I'm going to Proudly be wearing my " Home of the Flying Pickle T shirt" Go KK Hope she gets to Pomfert.

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