RPM (TV Series)
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''RPM'' is an Australian
motorsports Motorsport or motor sport are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the po ...
and automotive television program that airs on
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
. The show returned to Ten in 2015, after originally airing from 1997 to 2008 on the same network, as well as in 2011 on sister channel
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
. The show currently airs on Sunday afternoons, having held a variety of timeslots over the show's history. The show's season runs from approximately March to November each year, in line with major events in the Australian calendar such as the
Clipsal 500 The Adelaide 500, officially the BP Adelaide Grand Final, is an annual motor racing event for Supercars held on the streets of the east end of Adelaide, South Australia between 1999 and 2020 and again from 2022. The event uses a shortened form ...
and
Bathurst 1000 The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...
, as well as the
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
and
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
seasons. The program covers all major forms of motorsport across Australia and the world, with a particular focus on
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
,
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
,
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
,
Supercars Championship The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
as well as the Australian Rally Championship and
World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. E ...
. In recent years, the show has branched out to also cover more general motoring content such as car reviews.


1997–2008 version

RPM was launched in 1997 to accompany Network Ten's newly acquired coverage of Supercars, in conjunction with Foxtel. The original version of the show featured journalist Bill Woods and former
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
champion
Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between and , most prominently as a member of the Su ...
as hosts. The show would normally air on Sunday afternoons, at varying timeslots and for various lengths, often depending on the network's other motorsport coverage. At the end of 2002, Sheene left the program due to serious health issues, and died in early 2003. Following this, Woods hosted alone with the help of various reporters and specialists including
Greg Rust Gregory Paul Rust (born 19 July 1970 in Sydney) is an Australian motor racing journalist and presenter. He has previously worked for Network Ten, the Nine Network and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) as a freelance commentator/reporter/ ...
, Neil Crompton and Daryl Beattie. For around six months in 2006,
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
Grace McClure co-hosted alongside Woods. In 2007, Rust took over from Woods as host, after Woods moved to a position hosting '' Ten Weekend News'' bulletins.


Format

Generally, each show began with the 'Circuit' segment, which involved Woods presenting the motorsport news of the past week. This segment included race highlights from the previous week, as well as updates of the progress of various Australians abroad at the time. 'Circuit' also covered rumours, such as potential driver moves for the following season in various categories. Following this, there were usually around four segments, depending on the length of the timeslot. In later years, two of these were always taken up by updates from the MotoGP and Formula One series, either previewing or reviewing recent events. This generally involved the host discussing these events with the respective specialist for each form of motorsport. The other segments were usually taken up by either an interview with a driver or motorsport personality, a 'behind the scenes' report, a technical report, or features on other motorsport series, including smaller and/or junior series. Despite Network Ten and Fox Sports losing the broadcast rights to Supercars in 2006, the series was still regularly covered by the show.


Cancellation

In March 2009 it was announced that the show would not be returning. This was despite the simultaneous launch of
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, a 24-hour sports channel created by the network, including expanded coverage of motorsport. However, the network decided to focus on individual motorsports and highlights packages on the new channel rather than a panel show.


2011 version

In March 2011, the show returned on One.
Greg Rust Gregory Paul Rust (born 19 July 1970 in Sydney) is an Australian motor racing journalist and presenter. He has previously worked for Network Ten, the Nine Network and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) as a freelance commentator/reporter/ ...
returned as host, along with Daryl Beattie as the
MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...
specialist. The only change to the line-up was the addition of Craig Baird, who replaced Cameron McConville as the
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
specialist, after McConville was removed from the network's motorsport coverage during the show's hiatus.


Format

The 2011 version of the show, recorded live, featured a mix of interviews and pre-recorded stories. The 2011 version moved away from the traditional Sunday afternoon timeslot to air on Tuesday or Wednesday nights. The show used
Skype Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...
for some of its interviews, such as with F1 correspondent James Allen. The show also featured in-studio interviews, particularly with local Supercars drivers or other
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
personalities. The show added some new segments, such as 'RPM Retro', usually featuring clips of Bill Woods or
Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between and , most prominently as a member of the Su ...
from past episodes of the show, and prominently featured the latest
betting Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three ele ...
odds In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outcome. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics. For example for an event that is 40% probable, one could say that the odds are or When gambling, o ...
due to a sponsorship deal with a
bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outco ...
. The show also added some general motoring segments, such as tips for safe driving on public roads.


Cancellation

In early 2012, it was announced the show would not be returning. This followed One's change of strategy in mid-2011, moving away from being a predominantly sports network to focus on general entertainment content.


2015 version

The show returned on 8 March 2015, following Network Ten regaining the rights to televise Supercars, in conjunction with
Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
. With Rust leaving the network, Matt White took over as host, joined by Aaron Noonan, Alan Jones and Daryl Beattie, who became the only co-host involved in all three versions of the show. Former Formula One and current
FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...
driver Mark Webber appeared on the show as a special guest host in the first episode of both 2015 and 2016. The show is repeated multiple times during the week on
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
. Since March 2020, the 2015 version is a half hour show, instead of an hour long show. In February 2021, the show would also not be returning again for the 3rd time.


Format

The 2015 version follows a similar format to 2011, with a mix of segments that include both motorsport and a wider motoring focus, and a variety of guests including those from outside the motorsport world. In 2015, the 'Battle of Bathurst' was a recurring segment, challenging various guests, usually current Supercars drivers, to set a laptime on the Mount Panorama Circuit on a
simulator A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...
in the studio.
Chaz Mostert Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...
, the 2014 Bathurst 1000 champion, finished the year on top of the guest leaderboard. In 2016, the series extended from 60 to 90-minute episodes. The first half-hour of the show is branded as RPM GP.


Hosts

Emboldened text indicates a current host or co-host. * Bill Woods – (1997–2006) *
Barry Sheene Barry Steven Frank Sheene (11 September 1950 – 10 March 2003) was a British professional motorcycle racer and television sports presenter. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing between and , most prominently as a member of the Su ...
– (1997–2002)Was also the motorcycle specialist. * Grace McClure – (2006) *
Greg Rust Gregory Paul Rust (born 19 July 1970 in Sydney) is an Australian motor racing journalist and presenter. He has previously worked for Network Ten, the Nine Network and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) as a freelance commentator/reporter/ ...
– (2007–2008, 2011)Rust worked as a presenter from 2001 onwards, but only became a full-time host in 2007. * Matthew White – (2015–2020) * Scott Mackinnon – (2020)


Co-hosts

The co-hosts are usually specialised in a particular area of motorsport. * Neil Crompton – (Supercars and Formula 1 specialist, 2002–2006) * Daryl Beattie – (MotoGP specialist, 2003–2008, 2011, 2015–2020) * Cameron McConville – (Formula 1 specialist, 2007–2008) * Craig Baird – (Formula 1 specialist, 2011) *
Mark Larkham Mark Andrew "Larko" Larkham (born 29 December 1963 in Griffith) is a retired Australian racing driver, former racing team owner and television commentator. Open wheelers Mark Larkham's first impressions on the national racing spotlight was fin ...
– (Supercars specialist, 2015–2018) * Alan Jones – (Formula 1 specialist, 2015–2020) * Aaron Noonan – (Supercars specialist, 2018–2020) * Kate Peck – (Motorsport reporter, 2018–2020) *
Garth Tander Garth Dirk Tander (born 31 March 1977) is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver competing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship's Enduro Cup, co-driving for Grove Racing. He was the 2007 series champion for th ...
– (Supercars driver/panelist, 2019–2020) * Michael Caruso – (Supercars driver/panelist, 2019–2020)


Reporters

As well as the studio hosts, RPM has a number of roving reporters that provide interviews and features, particularly of overseas events. * James Allen – (Formula 1 correspondent) * Tom Clarkson – (Formula 1 correspondent) *Sam Charlwood – (Test Drive reporter, MotoGP host)


Former contributors

*
Grant Denyer Grant Craig Denyer (born 12 September 1977) is an Australian television and radio presenter and motor racing driver, who has worked for several television networks, including Seven Network and Network 10, mostly serving as a presenter. He previ ...
*
Leigh Diffey Leigh Robert Diffey (born 3 March 1971) is an Australian-American auto racing and track and field commentator. He is best known for being the lead play-by-play announcer for much of NBC Sports' motorsports coverage, currently calling NASCAR Cu ...
* Alison Drower * Kylie King * Will McCloy * Mark Oastler *
Steve Parrish Stephen James Parrish (born 24 February 1953 in Cambridge, England) also known as "Stavros", is a British former professional motorcycle and truck racer, who is now a motorsport television commentator and speaker/entertainer. Racing career Pa ...
* John Smailes * Peter Windsor * Mark Howard


Awards and nominations


See also

*
List of longest running Australian television series A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...


References


External links

* * {{Network 10 programming Network 10 original programming 10 Bold original programming 10 Sport 1997 Australian television series debuts 2008 Australian television series endings 2011 Australian television series debuts 2011 Australian television series endings 2015 Australian television series debuts 2020 Australian television series endings Television shows set in New South Wales Television shows set in Sydney Auto racing mass media Motorcycle television series Automotive television series Australian sports television series Motorsport in Australia Australian English-language television shows