Millions of TV viewers got a chance to watch live speedway racing from Burnham’s Oak Tree Arena on Monday evening (August 9th) – and Burnham-On-Sea.com was there to take a peak behind the scenes.
The Premier League match between the Somerset Rebels and Glasgow Tigers was broadcast live on Sky Sports 2 and was just the second event to be televised from the track.
A huge crowd turned out to watch the contest, which comes during the Oak Tree’s tenth anniversary. The spectators were treated to an exciting night of action which ended with Glasgow clinching a 45-45 draw in the final race.
Sky’s roving presenter Charlie Webster interviewed the riders at trackside, as pictured above, while presenters Kelvin Tatum and Nigel Pearson commentated on the action perched in a gantry overlooking the track. Miles of cables and a field full of satellite trucks were located around the track.
Oak Tree Arena promoter Debbie Hancock told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It was a great evening – the crowd was huge. The presence of the Sky cameras just added to the excitement and hopefully the TV coverage will have helped to further raise the profile of our area.”
Sky Sports presenters Kelvin Tatum and Nigel Pearson commentated on the action perched in a gantry
A huge crowd circled the track to watch the close contest between Glasgow and Somerset
The Rebels and Tigers – plus a young mascot – were paraded around the track before the event began
Striding out of the pits and onto the track… the Rebels were ready to do battle
A huge mobile camera on a crane filmed Sky’s outdoor studio
Sky’s presenter interviewing Glasgow speedway star Joe Screen
Sky Sports had over 15 cameras at the arena recording interviews and action from every angle
