The Lamborghini World Finals are an annual unmissable event organized by Lamborghini, bringing together owners and fans of the Italian automaker. The event provides a unique opportunity to witness and experience the latest Supercars designed and crafted in Sant’Agata Bolognese, and a chance to meet other enthusiasts, learning about the brand's history and culture. The 2023 edition took place at Vallelunga, Italy, and, as every year, attracted over 1,000 participants from around the world.

"This is a production to which we have devoted our attention since 2016," says Antoine Bulos, Executive Producer of EMG Italy. "Personally, I handle everything related to production, including event design for Lamborghini Squadra Corse. With this prestigious client, we go beyond television, addressing crucial aspects such as editorial content, advertising placement along the track, international and national distribution of the feed, and the implementation of integrations for on-site broadcasters."

EMG Italy has once again been confirmed for the entire television production, reflecting Lamborghini's preference for the quality, stability, and policies of a large international group, headquartered in Italy with an Italian "head and heart."

Worldwide Races

It's no coincidence that this choice is reaffirmed based on excellent results from a specific vote expressed after each race by professionals closely involved with the production. The evaluation covers various aspects, including team collaboration, image quality, smoothness and adherence to timing, and guarantees of worker safety—crucial aspects in productions at circuits. The races preceding the Lamborghini World Finals are organized locally and regionally worldwide. They are open to all Lamborghini owners, regardless of their experience or the type of supercar they own. Winners from local and regional races, with participants from around the world, qualify for the Lamborghini World Finals.

"After 30 years of experience as a project manager in television production," Antoine Bulos continues, "transitioning from major Superbike and MotoGP events, the Lamborghini racing department team trusts my work and EMG Italy's production. In practice, we provide them with a complete package, overseeing the entire project from graphics to timing, managing relationships between various sectors, and supervising everything that goes on air. The client wants autonomy for instructions on which cars to install onboard cameras, and we handle the installation of equipment. Another client choice is the graphic templates provided by their graphic department."

Twelve races are held every weekend, and in the Vellelunga World Finals, the Nova 126 mobile unit with a configuration similar to other high-end motorsport productions is used. Filming at Vallelunga was carried out using 15 Sony 4300 cameras with long lenses, plus five miniaturized cameras mounted onboard the cars.

On-Track Cameras and Fibers

In Vallelunga, in addition to the 5 onboard cameras on cars managed with remote switching systems, three other cameras are connected via RF, with 12 cameras positioned on gantries around the circuit. Two of the RF-connected cameras are dedicated to pit reporters and interviews in English and Spanish, while the third captures the start, exciting moments of the race, and the audience's enthusiasm. The technical equipment also includes a high-speed super motion camera at 6X and one at 3X for replays.

"Unlike other sports like soccer, basketball, and volleyball," Antoine Bulos explains, "there is more meticulous technical work in motorsports circuits: the preparation is much more challenging for several reasons, and one of the main ones is the need to lay a very long optical fiber structure covering the entire circuit for the numerous cameras, up to 13 km (where in the past, it even reached 20 km). Except for two cameras near the control room, all others are connected with intermediate hubs and specific conversion devices with dual power and UPS for electrical continuity guarantees. The entire fiber system is the result of careful planning that considers safety and optimization."

Preparation

The races run from Friday to Sunday afternoon, and on the evening of the last day, the technical crew dedicates itself to dismantling the equipment. However, preparation begins the Monday before; on Tuesday, the riggers' team does all the cabling, Wednesday involves setting up the cameras with the intervention of loyal cameramen and assistants, Thursday sees internal technical tests and those with the director, and Friday starts with the broadcast.

The technical/editorial workflow also includes an external drone supplied by a company that has long collaborated with EMG on various projects, certified by EMG's production (Robe di Droni in Turin): the insertion was necessary to capture the large number of vehicles (84) and the circuit's layout by flying over the asphalt from above. EMG Italy handles not only the entire progressive HD production but also the broadcast of images worldwide through an SRT system for high-quality video streaming.

"After gaining experience last year with this type of live streaming," Antoine Bulos says, "for the first time, SKY Italia, the broadcaster that aired these races in Italy, was convinced of the quality and reliability of this distribution method. It is based on special high-quality encoders remotely managed by a NOC wired from the public network in a white list. The servers physically in the Netherlands receive the signals and rebroadcast them worldwide, including a dedicated channel on YouTube and on SKY Germany, in addition to other global rights holders."

Streaming on SRT and the Crew

The full HD signal is conveyed by a dedicated Vodafone internet connection with which EMG is developing significant agreements, through a 100MB upload network capable of transporting a very high-quality signal to the NOC. International English commentary and SKY's national customization are done on-site at the circuit to overcome the latency issue. The EMG Italy crew for Lamborghini is international, with predominantly Italian technical and artistic staff, including Spanish personnel, such as an EVS operator, video mixer, and the renowned director, Eduard Porta.

The EMG Italy team for the Lamborghini Finals includes about twenty people, and in addition to the aforementioned Antoine Bulos as Executive Producer, Moreno Roncon serves as Technical Coordinator and an expert in motorsport television production.

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