Louise Goodman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louise Goodman
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Goodman in 2013.
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| Born | 8 May 1963 |
| Nationality | British |
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Louise Goodman (born May 8, 1963) is a British reporter and presenter who works in motorsport. She started her career helping out at Powerboat and Waterskiing Magazine. Later, she worked with press officer Tony Jardine. Louise was in charge of communications for the Leyton House Formula One team for three years. After that, she became the press officer for Jordan Grand Prix until 1996.
From 1997 to 2008, she was a pit lane reporter for ITV's coverage of Formula One. Since 2009, she has covered the British Touring Car Championship on ITV4. Louise Goodman has also taken part in rallies, sometimes as a driver and sometimes as a navigator.
Contents
About Louise Goodman
Early Life and First Jobs
Louise Goodman was born on May 8, 1963, in Derbyshire, England. She grew up in Alresford, Hampshire. When she was a child, Louise thought about becoming a doctor. However, studying science subjects like chemistry and physics made her change her mind.
She moved to London and worked at an architect's office. But she soon found this job boring. She decided to travel across the United States. While traveling in Florida, she met the editor of Powerboat and Waterskiing Magazine.
Starting in Journalism
This meeting led her to start her career in media. She worked briefly as an editorial assistant for the magazine. Louise reported on big international powerboating races. After that, she worked with public relations officer Tony Jardine. She became a press officer for his BP account.
She helped introduce the tobacco brand Camel as a sponsor for Team Lotus in Formula One in 1987. Even though she was not a big Formula One fan growing up, she became the head of communications for the Leyton House Formula One team in 1988. She stayed in this role for three years.
Louise then became the press officer for the Jordan racing team. This was for both Formula 3000 and Formula One. The team owner, Eddie Jordan, offered her the job. She stayed with Jordan until the end of the 1996 season. During this time, she also gave live race reports to broadcasters like the South African Broadcast Corporation and RTÉ in Ireland.
Working in Motorsport Television
In mid-1996, Kevin Piper from Anglia Television and journalist James Allen asked Louise if she would be interested in working in television. This was because ITV had just won the rights to show Formula One in Britain from the BBC.
In January 1997, Louise Goodman became one of the two roving pit lane reporters for ITV's Formula One coverage. She was hired because she knew a lot about the championship, the drivers, and the people in the paddock. She worked alongside James Allen and Ted Kravitz. Louise was often the only woman on the team, apart from occasional pre-race segments by Beverley Turner.
Her first race as a reporter was the 1997 Australian Grand Prix. She was the first woman in the United Kingdom to report on motorsport on television, which was mostly a male-dominated area. Louise was part of ITV's broadcast team for twelve years. She stayed until ITV stopped showing Formula One after 2008. She missed the 2004 British Grand Prix because her partner, John Walton, who was the Minardi team manager, passed away.
At the 2006 British Grand Prix, Louise became the first woman to be part of a pit stop. She helped remove the left rear tire during a Midland pit stop for driver Tiago Monteiro.
Rallying and Other Roles
Starting in 1991, Louise also took part in many rallies. She drove cars like a Ford Ka, a Peugeot 205, or a Vauxhall Corsa. Sometimes she was the driver, and other times she was the navigator. She had to convince Tony Jardine for a long time to let her try the sport.
In 2007, Louise Goodman became a presenter for ITV's coverage of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) with Ted Kravitz. In 2008, she joined HondaRacingF1.com as a guest presenter for Formula One's first online TV channel. The next year, Louise became an ambassador for the Motor Sport Association UK's (MSA) Go Motorsport program. This program helps people get involved in motor racing.
After the BBC started broadcasting Formula One again, Louise rejoined ITV4's coverage of the BTCC in 2009. She worked alongside Steve Rider as a reporter. Louise also filled in for Lee McKenzie for Channel 4's coverage of the 2017 British Grand Prix. This was because Lee was presenting the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships. For the 2018 Formula One World Championship, Louise stood in for McKenzie as a reporter for some races.
Louise runs her own media training company called Goodman Media. She has also written articles for magazines and newspapers like The Observer, The Sun, and The Times. She has covered the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Channel 4 and Quest. She also worked on Car of the Year for UKTV and other shows for ITV4 and the Audi Channel. In 2000, she published a book called Beyond the Pit Lane. Louise Goodman is an ambassador for Girls on Track UK, which encourages more women to get involved in motorsport.
Images for kids
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Louise Goodman in 2013.
