MIKE RAYMOND PASSES AWAY
By Dan McCarthy
Date posted: 8 November 2019
Mike Raymond passes away aged 76
Former Australian Touring Car commentator Mike Raymond sadly passed yesterday aged 76 after a battle with pneumonia.
By DAN McCARTHY
Raymond led the Channel 7 commentary team for a number of decades and called the Bathurst 1000 for the network more than 20 times. He was known as the voice of touring car racing in Australia from the 70s through to the 90s, coining the phrase “be there.”
His interest in motorsport began with Speedway often attending meetings at the Sydney Sportsground with his father.
He joined Channel 7 commentating alongside Evan Green and grew within the company over time becoming the head of sport for the 7 network.
Raymond was heavily involved in the worldwide innovation of RaceCam which debuted in Peter Williamson’s Toyota Celica in 1979.
The New South Welshman was very influential in the move away from the Group A era to the Shell Touring Car Series and the birth of the direct Ford versus Holden battle which started in 1993 until the Car of the Future regulations were introduced in 2013.
In 1996 he was awarded an OAM and last year was inducted into the Bathurst 1000 Legends Lane alongside Mark Skaife, Gregg Hansford and Bob Jane.
Auto Action sends its condolences to Mike’s friends and family.
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