Compiled from memories and photographs of Bob Pinkerton and John Purdy

 

In 1976 Ian Emerson, then a member of the BCF's Finance and Management Committee entered negotiations to purchase a photofinish camera and started the process of bringing the Federation into the modern era of technology. In those days the only choice was a camera produced by Omega Electronics in Switzerland, and known as the OPS2.

 

Although bought second hand from another company, training and maintenance was arranged through Racecourse Technical Services who used the same cameras at all horse racing and other sporting venues around the country. We would have a long relationship with RTS for the lifetime of the OPS2.

 

Part of the initial correspondence relating to the first purchase

 

The OPS2 relied on traditional film roughly equivalent to 35mm which came on reels of 150 feet. The film passed through a heated tank on the side of the camera which contained developer and fixer. This was quite a fast operation, producing a negative image which we would normally view using a small eyeglass. It was a dirty and smelly procedure.

 

Transport in those days was a Renault estate car previously owned by French drinks company Pernod. At that time Pernod were heavily involved with cycling sponsorship and that's how the contact was made. Here it is (left) getting admiring glances from Bob's wife Margaret in Ireland for the Nissan Classic.

The car was the comfortable bit! We also had to tow a trailer that transported a heavy steel scaffolding tower which needed to be erected at the race finish in order to provide a steady platform for the camera. It was very hard work.

 

In the early 1980s it became necessary to buy another camera, and a second OPS2 was obtained. Although we kept the car and trailer for a while after that, transport for the second unit was a blue Bedford van. This was customised to provide a tower on the roof from which to work. No pictures of this unit seem to have survived.

 

At the same time as these photofinish activities were happening, Ian was responsible for providing a track timing system at Leicester for all the major track meetings. He continued to run the photofinish and timing operations for some years, bringing in additional operators from time to time. Some of the stalwarts were Mick Ward, Gordon Harling and John Purdy. Gordon went on to other things within the sport and Mick continued until 2000. Around 1984 or 1985 Ian was elected to the BCF presidency so the operational control of photofinish activities was given to Bob Pinkerton, then a member of F&M Committee. This was totally new to Bob so he decided to learn how to use the equipment and do a few races himself. Those few events grew into something on a scale which I suspect he had not envisaged, and for many years he was the most regular of the photofinish operators. In addition to this he also involved himself with the timing equipment.

 

By 1986 both vehicles were worn out so it was decided to buy two Sherpa vans. Lightweight aluminium towers were bought and the picture (right) shows the camera set up on its' tower behind the vehicle.

 

The Junior World Championships were hosted by Britain in 1990 and the promotion of these enabled us to update our equipment. A third camera was obtained and our present timing system which still gets regular use today was bought from Omega Electronics.

 

British Cycling relocated its' headquarters to the new Manchester Velodrome in the mid 1990s, and control of what we started to call Technical Services passed first to Tony O'Brien and later to Bob Barber. Brian Furness took over at a later stage, and runs the service to this day. Towards the end of the '90s our unpopular Sherpas were replaced by Ford Transits which were a little more comfortable.

 

For all this time we still operated our OPS2 cameras but it was becoming obvious that they had more or less reached the end of their lives. Maintenance and repair were costly and the film and chemicals were harder to obtain. So in 2000 a decision was made to replace the ageing cameras with the latest digital technology. After considering various options we settled on FinishLynx cameras made in the USA.

 

From the start of the 2001 season we went operational with this equipment and use it to this day. In 2009 we began to augment the FinishLynx cameras with the new IdentiLynx system which provides a video image alongside the traditional photofinish. The vehicles which we use now are leased Vauxhall Vivaros.