Shannons Legends of Motorsport

Shannons Legends of Motorsport was an Australian motor racing television series that aired on 7mate. First aired in 2014, each episode featured a particular topic from the history of Australian motor racing, with a focus on touring cars. The show included a mix of interviews, analysis and historical footage.

The 'Shannons' in the show's title refers to Shannons Insurance who have a sponsorship arrangement with the show. This was the second motor racing television show aligned with Shannons, following the Shannons Supercar Showdown which aired from 2011 to 2013.

History The show was launched in July 2014 to complement the Seven Network (parent network of 7mate)'s coverage of V8 Supercars. It aired on Saturdays, but only on weekends that did not coincide with a championship event of the 2014 V8 Supercars season. Hosted by commentator and former driver Neil Crompton, who was also the executive producer, the show used the Seven Network's historical motor racing footage, with the network having held the broadcast rights for touring car racing in Australia, including the Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 1000, in various stages from 1963 to 1996. Season 1 episodes included features on iconic drivers, teams and eras of Australian motor racing.

In late 2014, Crompton left the Seven Network to follow the V8 Supercars broadcast rights to Foxtel and Network Ten. Following this, journalist Bill Woods replaced Crompton as host for Season 2 in 2015. From 1997 to 2006, Woods had hosted RPM, a motor racing program on Ten, and has also written a book on the legends of Australian motor racing. Aaron Noonan also took on a greater role as co-host of the show for the new season. Season 2 covered a wider range of topics than Season 1, including documentary presentations of three Bathurst 1000s. It also featured an episode detailing the history of the Seven Network's motor racing broadcasts, including the invention of RaceCam. Episodes were later repeated on 7mate in an early morning timeslot.

Production Each episode, produced by Crompton's production company AirTime Media, was recorded in front of a studio audience and featured one or more motor racing figures in conversation with the host. This was intertwined with historical footage and highlights, as well as pre-recorded comments about the episode's theme from former drivers and team owners. The exceptions to this were the episodes which featured a Bathurst 1000 race, which featured no studio guests and only pre-recorded interviews to narrate and accompany extended race highlights. As well as the host, there were also two other on-screen contributors to the show; Aaron Noonan, who researched and introduced video clips from the Seven Network vault, and Mark Oastler, who discussed historic racing cars situated in the studio. Oastler only appeared in selected episodes in Season 2.

In Season 1, each episode was filmed at one of three Australian locations, in front of a range of cars relevant to the theme of the episode. These three locations were the National Motor Racing Museum in Bathurst, New South Wales, Bowden's Own Car Collection in Buderim, Sunshine Coast, Queensland and the Shannons National Auction Centre in Cheltenham, Melbourne, Victoria. For Season 2, only the Bowden's Own Car Collection was retained as a filming location, with a Seven Network studio in Melbourne becoming another location. The studio featured a video screen background instead of the historic cars seen in other filming locations.

Presenters Hosts Neil Crompton – 2014 Bill Woods – 2015

Co-host Aaron Noonan – 2014-15

Reporter Mark Oastler – 2014-15

Episodes Season 1 (2014) Ep # Airdate Theme Guest(s) Location1Allan MoffatAllan Moffat and John FrenchBowden's Own Car Collection2Larry PerkinsLarry PerkinsNational Motor Racing Museum3Dick Johnson and John BoweDick Johnson and John BoweBowden's Own Car Collection4Nissan MotorsportFred Gibson, Jim Richards and Mark SkaifeShannons National Auction Centre5Allan GriceAllan GriceNational Motor Racing Museum61980s Kevin Bartlett, Tony Longhurst and Tomas MezeraBowden's Own Car Collection7Jim RichardsJim RichardsShannons National Auction Centre8Allan MoffatAllan MoffatNational Motor Racing Museum91987John Bowe and Glenn SetonBowden's Own Car Collection10Mark SkaifeMark SkaifeShannons National Auction Centre11Colin BondColin BondNational Motor Racing Museum12Peter BrockJohn Harvey, Jim Richards and Brad JonesShannons National Auction Centre

Season 2 (2015) Ep # Airdate Theme Guest(s) Location1Dick JohnsonDick Johnson, John French and John BoweBowden's Own Car Collection2Seven MotorsportMike Raymond, Garry Wilkinson and Mark Oastler Studio 3Bathurst 1972No studio guestsBowden's Own Car Collection 4Bob MorrisBob MorrisBowden's Own Car Collection 5Kevin Bartlett and Brad JonesKevin Bartlett and Brad JonesStudio 6John BoweJohn Bowe and Dick JohnsonBowden's Own Car Collection 7Bathurst 1973No studio guestsBowden's Own Car Collection 8George FuryGeorge Fury, Fred Gibson and Christine GibsonStudio 9Glenn SetonGlenn SetonBowden's Own Car Collection 10The OriginalsKevin Bartlett, Fred Gibson, John Harvey and Brad JonesStudio 11Bathurst 1990No studio guestsBowden's Own Car Collection12The Legend of BathurstNo studio guestsStudio

Notes – 'The Originals' episode featured five drivers from the early stages of Australian touring car racing; Norm Beechey, Harry Firth, Ian Geoghegan, Leo Geoghegan and Bob Jane.

Recognition Shannons Legends of Motorsport received awards from both the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and the V8 Media Association in 2014.

Home video The twelve episodes of Season 1 were released in a DVD box set by Chevron Marketing Services in August 2015. Season 2 was released in a box set in July 2016.

Shannons Legends of Motorsport

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