V8: Peter Williamson, in-car camera pioneer, dies

Racecam pioneer Peter Williamson has died at the age of 78.

Williamson, who was a regular competitor at Bathurst during the 1970s and '80s, and who picked up class wins in a Toyota Celica in 1979 and 1981, debuted the in-car camera – which weighed more than 150lb – in 1979. It is believed to have been the first in-car camera to be used during a race anywhere in the world.

"John Porter and Peter Larsson, approached us at Amaroo Park when we were standing around at a barbeque after a race meeting there," Williamson told the Shannons website in a 2013 interview.

"They said they had this idea for an in-car camera but Brocky [Peter Brock] and the rest didn't want anything to do with them. I listened to what they had to say and it took me about 40 seconds to make a decision and we took it on.

"They did say it would require a fair commitment from us and that they'd need a fair bit of our time to help develop it and make it work, because it was just an idea at that stage. Eventually Channel Seven agreed to fund its development and I remember going out to Oran Park every other week driving around and around with helicopters flying overhead as they experimented with different links and cameras and all that. It took a fair amount of time to work it all out."

According to Australian site Speedcafe, Williamson's DNF at Bathurst in 1980 was caused by the 'Racecam' draining the car's alternator.

Watch: Racecam's debut