DENIS JOHNSON AND THE F1-WORLD
F1 GRAND-PRIX CAR ON-BOARD CAMERA
From 1982 Denis Johnson studied the possibility of equipping Formula 1 cars with TV cameras "on board" with the approval of Bernie Ecclestone, President of the FOCA (Formula One Constructors Association) who gave him all the technical and human support for this project.
Bernie Ecclestone became a real mentor, patron and sponsor of Denis Johnson: He opened the F1 world with all the drivers and team members to him and was crucial for the fact that Denis Johnson could cover most of the F 1 races as well as many secret practice rounds..
Also Denis Johnson and his crew have built their own and first on-board camera which have been used for the first time on the Brabham/BMW BT52B F1 of Nelson Piquet at Monza in 1983 and therefore in mainly all the sports covered by Denis Johnson and his team.
These first trials in 1983 on the Autodromo Monza race track were the outcome of several months' of tests performed mainly on the BMW M12/13 engine of the Brabham BT52B at the Brabham F1 Team workshop in England.
In Monza Nelson Piquet’s Brabham/BMW BT52B was equipped with the very first image transmitting device ("television") which alone had a weight of more than 7 kilos and with a basic standard camera. The main purpose of these first experiments was to test the capability of the device to emit a signal from a Formula I race car in motion.
From 1984 onwards the Renault F1 team took over the testing from the team Brabham. It was easier for them since the team of engineers for the testing of material for transmitting images was for the most part working for the French firm Thomson.
So there were many tests performed and on various racing tracks such as Linas-Monthléry, the Paul Ricard circuit, Michelin racing track in Clermont-Ferrand and many others, with a first class cameraman … Patrick Tambay and his Renault F1 RE50 V6 Turbo.
Jean-Pierre Beltoise with his Peugeot of the French Touring Championship was also requested to participate in these experimental tests with the télévision equipment which over time was substantailly reduced in size..
For the first time at the Grand-Prix of Europe in 1985 on the Nurburgring racing track in Germanya Formula I race car was equipped with an on-board TV camera already at the starting grid. For this occasion the F1-team of Renault employed a third F1-Grand-Prix car which was driven by the Frenchman François Hesnault.
