Japanese TV Crew Films Speedway

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Video engineer Ken Okamoto, camera operator Ryu Arimto, director Maho Ando and Aya Hibono

Photo by Linda Karn

(posted Feb 17)

A Japanese WOWOW TV Crew is spending several days in Speedway to produce a 45 minute show about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and some of the town's off beat places filled with racing memorabilia.

Aya Hibino of BK Nexent Inc is helping coordinate the production. She said WOWOW contacted her in New York for assistance. WOWOW is more interested in capturing the IMS as a oval venue than highlighting the actual 500-mile race.

The crew faced a few logistical challenges while trying to film the venue. They soon discovered the IMS' vast amounts of acreage would require aerial photography. Hibino found herself making phone calls to locate a helicopter so they could take aerial shots on Feb 16. "It cost a lot," she said.

The day was not over. By the afternoon, the crew arrived at The Mail Room 500 Racing Collectibles to see its memorabilia.

Hibino said The Mail Room was selected due to a recommendation from a colleague's sister when she filmed the place during the race.

WOWOW spent several hours with the owners Frank and Jennell Gilbert. The two displayed their collectibles for taping and shared some stories that provide an enriching meaning to the collectibles. Gilbert's racing knowledge and his personal stories make the collectibles more of a treasure.

"This is a lot of fun. They are the nicest, politest people to work with," he said. This is not the first visit the Gilberts have had with Japanese TV crews. He said another crew comes to his business in May to interview people about the collectibles they purchase.

He considers The Mail Room as a holding place for collectibles until the "right person" at the "right moment" sees something that "triggers" a memory. He said one man purchased a photo of turn one to remind him of the 20 years that he had spent with his father attending the race. Gilbert noticed the man had tears in eyes as he talked about the good times he had shared with his now deceased father. It wasn't too long after the conversation started that Gilbert noticed that his eyes were welling with tears.

Gilbert's store has been graced with racing greats. Drivers Sarah Fisher, Arie Luyendyk and Stan Fox have all made their way through his doors. He said Fisher showed her true personality of kindness when she came by to purchase a Jeff Gordon stand up to give to a mechanic's son who was ill. The mechanic was part of the team that had just fired her.

Luyendyk stopped in one day to see if the milk bottle that he gulped from in Victory Lane was there. He said he handed it to someone and never found it after the race. Gilbert said he contacted the American Diary Association to get another milk bottle for Luyendyk.

He told of stories about other drivers that nobody hears about. Gilbert retains the broken car parts from Stan Fox's 1995 Indianapolis 500 accident that left him with a head injury. After Fox recovered, Jack Kerwin and Fox formed a head injury group called Friends of the Fox. The two men coordinated with the local hospitals for head injury patients to attend racing events. Fox was later killed in 2000 in an auto wreck.

The crew was also interested in looking at old tickets and programs. Part of the collection includes a 1937 race ticket listing Eddie Rickenbacker as the track owner. The ticket cost $2.00 with an itemization of $1.81 with 19 cents tax.

The crew is expected to visit Charlie Brown's Pancake and Steak House on Feb 17.

Hibino explained the program's overall theme is about sacred places of athletes and will also discuss the Grand Prix in Monaco as well as other sports and places, including baseball in Boston and soccer in Brazil. The program should be aired in Japan by mid-March.