Commentary & Broadcasting

What started out as a bet over a drink one night has turned into a career!
At a dim and distant Auto66 Club meeting the night before a race back in 1986, the riders were told that the resident commentator Tony Coupland was unable to attend the following day’s racing and goaded by his fellow competitors, Carter was told that he’d have to do it!

 

Larry with Barry Sheene

Larry with Barry Sheene

Never one to shirk a challenge, Larry gamely took to the mic between his races and did a reasonable job to the point that the organisers invited him back later in the season on a number of occasions!

Chat shows, compering and MC duties were next along before being enlisted by Rob McElnea and Paul Major of FORRM to conduct the BSB Press Conferences in 1998 which involved interviewing the winners after each race for the benefit of the media.

Commentating legend Fred Clarke spotted Carter’s prowess and ‘head hunted’ him to work alongside him on the circuit commentary front during 2000 and but for a year when working for BBC TV, Carter – or ‘Scoop’ as Clarke affectionately refers to him as – has for many years been installed as the voice of pit lane in British Superbikes, and quite often the brunt of the champagne showers also! Now as part of the popular BSB Radio Team of Fred Clarke, Paul Musselle and ‘Scoop’, the trio broadcast not only to trackside fans but via the worldwide web via the championship website.

Whether it’s grabbing an interview with Valentino Rossi at the British MotoGP podium, prizing a few pre-race World Superbike thoughts out of Tom Sykes or having the banter on the BSB grid with Shakey Byrne, Larry is the man to do it as he knows the score, and importantly, the riders know him.

Whether it be hosting awards ceremonies, competitor interviews, stage shows, chat shows, if it involves a microphone ‘Scoop’ is usually up for it. The BBC have employed him over the past seven years to cover the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix as part of their commentary team and he was part of the official commentary team at the British round of the FIA World Rally Championship with 2010 Wales Rally GB which included the Cardiff and Sweet Lamb stages as well as hosting the ceremonial start and podium presentation.

For many years, ANCRO hired him to conduct their annual rally awards, as have MCRCB Events to do the BSB awards in the past and is always in demand to do various club awards and presentation evenings and every year, Carter is enlisted to help organisations such as NYRRSC and CJ Fund to host chat shows, where one particular forte is his prowess in raising huge sums for lots in charity auctions!

TV comes under the auspices of Scoop and as well as providing the odd post race interview or commentary for British Eurosport and fulfilling various roles at Silverstone TV at the British MotoGP, he has been known to do voiceovers on various televised events.

Larry is also an accomplished commentator in his own right on both two wheels and four. His knowledgeable and enthusiastic tones can be heard at various rallycross meetings up and down the country as well as the occasional stage rally and is a regular guest on motorsport radio shows.

Roll of Honour

  • As ‘Scoop’, British Superbike Championship circuit pit lane reporter working on BSB Radio alongside Fred Clarke and Paul Musselle as well as British rounds of MotoGP and World Superbikes since 2000.
  • Contributing Editor since 2005 and Editor/Publisher since 2011 of most British Superbike race programmes and occasional BTCC and F3/GT race programmes.
  • Circuit commentator in British Rallycross including doing the British Rallycross GP/Superprix at Croft as well as Blyton and Lydden Hill.
  • Wales Rally FM Reporter/Commentator on Rally GB 2010 & 2011.
  • Commentator for BBCTV and BBC Radio Ulster at North West 200 and Ulster GP since 2007.
  • Occasional Commentator at British Superbikes for British Eurosport.
  • Editor/Author since of 2006 British Superbike Championship Review Book – Seeing Red.
  • Editor for five years of Motorcycle Racer Magazine between 2006 and 2010.
  • Darlington & Stockton Times newspaper motorsport columnist/correspondent since 1998.
  • Regular contributor to Motorsport News
  • Ex Motorcycle road racer from 1983 to 1989 competing in Suzuki GSXR World Cup, British Championships and Manx GP. Won six Auto 66 Club championships in 1988.
  • World Championship rally co-driver including winning class on Network Q Rally GB (with Paul Bird) in 2001. Got ‘Birdy’ involved with rallying in the first place and was co driver for him (including winning the Christmas Stages twice in 2002 and 2003) for four seasons.
  • Acted as manager for the late Steve Hislop and has also represented superbike racers Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, John McGuinness, Steve Plater, Michael Rutter and Stuart Easton. More recently, involved as consultant to BSB star Tommy Bridewell and also his late brother Ollie, who was killed at Mallory in 2007, aged 21.