The Great Tech Race

Some of Sky Sports' most well-known faces took to the race course this week as they put some of TV's most exciting gadgets to the test in a race.

Soccer AM's Tubes, Nasser Hussain, Carl Froch, Will Greenwood and Natalie Pinkham were the stars battling for glory as they marshalled one piece of technology each around the track.

Tubes was put in charge of BATCAM Drive, a 35mph small kart, while Nasser Hussain took charge of the The BATCAM drone, which is used in the Premier League, and is capable of flying at 40mph.

Carl Froch tried to find his way round the track on a Steadiseg – a modified Segway - with a Steadicam, while Natalie Pinkham drove the Sky Cart and Will Greenwood sprinted on foot, wearing a Ref Cam and Umpire Cam.

But the real question is… who came out on top? Watch the video to find out.

Tech information

Sky Cart

Raced by F1’s Natalie Pinkham

The Sky Cart is an analysis tool that is a regular feature in a wide range of Sky’s sports including cricket, rugby union and Formula 1. It will next be used at The Ryder Cup. The Sky Cart uses industry-leading graphical analysis allowing pundits and players to interact with the game footage.

BATCAM (drone)

Raced by cricket’s Nasser Hussain

The BATCAM (AerialCameraSystems Drone) gives Sky Sports viewers an aerial perspective of the action that may previously have been restricted to helicopters (such as golf fly-throughs). BATCAM was recently used at the Vitality T20 Blast Finals Day at Edgbaston and is regularly used on big Premier League games and Cup Finals, as well as boxing, athletics and rugby.

BATCAM Drive

Raced by Soccer AM’s Tubes (Peter Dale)

The BATCAM Drive is a 35mph small kart that will soon take to Walton Heath for the 2018 Sky Sports British Masters, giving viewers an up-close and personal look at the play on the course. It is usually used in cricket and gives a unique shot - that had never been seen before it was put into use - without obstructing regular camera shots.

Ref Cam and Umpire Cam

Both raced by rugby’s Will Greenwood

Will Greenwood is racing with both the Ref Cam, attached to his chest, and the Umpire Cam, worn on his hat. Both pieces of technology are designed to bring the viewer closer to the action on the pitch! The Ref Cam is worn by the likes of Nigel Owens and Wayne Barnes in Sky’s rugby coverage and is also used regularly in rugby league. It will next be used in the Autumn Internationals.

The Umpire Cam is used solely in our cricket coverage, to add another angle and give a different perspective on the way we watch the game. It is always placed in the umpire hat (hence Will’s headwear).

Steadicam on a Segway

Raced by boxing’s Carl Froch

The Steadicam camera is used in most sports coverage on Sky, however, to have a cameraman operating a heavy camera on a Segway is less common. It is used in Sky rugby matches and is famously the camera that took out Usain Bolt during his celebration in Beijing (though not by us!).