When tyres screeched, and engines roared through Durban on 10 August, Red Bull Shay’iMoto lit up the streets — a motorsport spinning showdown born from South Africa’s township culture and fueled by pure adrenaline.
(Above): Nick Chapman
Behind the scenes, Nickolas Chapman from Showcom had just the right gear to keep communication razor-sharp. Thanks to new Clear-Com equipment supplied by DWR Distribution, Nick and his crew were ready to take on the chaos of live motorsport with total control.
“What we’ve just invested in is opening a whole new world for us,” Nick says. “We’ve gone with the FreeSpeak II TCVR IP19 transceivers, picked up some of the new nine-channel FreeSpeak belt packs, and — the game-changer for me — the VI12 key push-button panels that can IV inject straight into the Arcadia.”
For Nick, this setup isn’t just an upgrade — it’s a launchpad into the OB (Outside Broadcast) world. “In our business, setup and teardown time is brutal. We can’t afford full complex matrix systems that take hours to rig. This modular Clear-Com system gives us high-end flexibility without the heavy lifting. It’s fast, efficient, and built for high-pressure environments.”
Kyle Robson from DWR Distribution backed him all the way. “Nick wanted the gear just in time for Red Bull Shay’iMoto — and he pulled it off. This was one of the biggest Clear-Com deployments we’ve seen in the country. It really put the system through its paces. Nick’s passion for Clear-Com is contagious — he’s flying the flag in South Africa.”
The Arcadia system, paired with Clear-Com’s latest multi-channel panels, gives Nick’s team broadcast-level control in a modular setup.
“This move means we can scale up or down depending on the gig. Broadcast teams run 12, 24, even 32-channel panels — and now we can do the same. It’s the door I’ve been wanting to open for years,” Nick explains.
And that door just led to new business. “We landed our first broadcast contract off the back of this system,” he says proudly. “We bought enough gear to power through the Red Bull event, but I’m already planning to expand — more panels, more IP transceivers, more flexibility. The goal is to phase out wired comms completely. With setup times shrinking, every second counts — and Arcadia’s plug-and-play design is a dream.”
Nick’s been loyal to Clear-Com since 1985, when it was the go-to name in live comms, and decades later, that trust still stands.
“Clear-Com’s always been solid, but what they’re doing now is next level. I love that everything’s modular. I can break a big system into smaller ones depending on the job — it’s powerful, smart, and built for people like us.”
He laughs, recalling how fast things evolved. “We started small — two Arcadias, a 32-port and a 48-port — and I’m already running out of space. I’m linking channels, integrating older FreeSpeak units, pushing everything to the max. It’s modular madness in the best way possible.”
At the end of the day, it’s that same innovation, grit, and speed that define both Showcom and Red Bull Shay’iMoto.
Because when the lights go green and the engines fire — communication can’t miss a beat.
“And yep, we just purchased more Icons and IP transceivers … can’t keep them on the shelf!”
