How Communications Technology Helps Motorsports
Competitive motorsports can be extremely intense. Whether it’s on a track, out in the desert or even off-road in the jungle, drivers seek out every little bit of competitive edge they can find in order to beat their rivals.
When it comes to the high-stakes world of competitive racing, the driver isn’t the only player on the team. Depending on the exact type of racing, a team might also consist of a co-driver, a Manager, automotive engineers as well as the pit crews who make sure the vehicle is operating at its best. That’s a lot of moving parts to manage!
For such a complex and interdependent team, having the ability to communicate effectively in realtime can mean the difference between winning and losing. Unfortunately, keeping everyone communicating can be quite a challenge. Old-school methods like hand signals or waving signs and flags can be used, but they’re not very efficient options in this context.
Thankfully, this is another place where modern technologies can be of great use, specifically communications technologies!
Radios, Radios Everywhere!
By now, it’s clear that everyone on a motorsports team needs to be able to talk to each other while the race is going on. This can be done effectively with the use of two-way digital or analogue radios everywhere! For example, the driver will have a two-way radio in their helmet so they can communicate directly with their co-pilot or team manager who wear similar headsets. The same can also be said for the team’s engineers whose job it is to provide feedback and guidance when necessary. Last but not least, even the pit crews need to be able to communicate with each other, particularly when they’re racing against the clock and working on their team’s vehicle. With the use of radio equipment, each team member will be able to hear each other despite all the noise in the environment.
Having said that, if all of those people talk at the same time on the same radio frequency it could be very counterproductive. Thankfully, modern communication systems used by motorsports teams also have the ability to switch across different channels.
For example, a team manager can switch over to communicate to the engineers and pit crews. He can give them instructions without being heard by the driver, thereby minimizing any kind of confusion.
Receivers, Repeaters, And More!
Two-way radios on their own aren’t very effective over long distances. Instead, they need to be supported by devices like receivers and repeaters among others.
The team’s race vehicle itself may be equipped with built-in radio receivers/transmitters and maybe an antenna. This allows the driver’s radio to pick up the radio signals better and hear their team’s communications clearly at all times. Their team would also have receivers, transmitters and other communications gear wherever they’re located, all for the same reasons.
For motorsports that involve long distances and uneven terrain (like hills and slopes), radio signals may have a tough time travelling to where they need to be. That’s why some race tracks will also be equipped with repeaters all around. As the name suggests, these devices repeat the radio signal so that receivers can pick up on them, no matter how far away from their team they may be located.
Gotta Keep Those Communications Secure!
With so many teams using radios, there’s always a chance that someone might try to listen in on their competitor’s conversations. In doing so, they could learn their rival’s strategies and use those to give themselves an unfair advantage.
That’s why when it comes to using communications technologies in motorsports, security is also a concern.
Teams typically use either analogue or digital radio communications. While there are ways to secure both types of radio communications, it seems that it’s much easier to secure digital communications. One method to do this is to basically encrypt those radio communications so that only the correct receivers are able to pick up on what is being said. That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about your competitors secretly listening in to what your team’s talking about!
It’s Not Just About Voice!
Radio communications in motorsports don’t just consist of voice conversations. No, I’m not saying that drivers are texting their teams; that would be insane! In addition to voice communications, data is also being sent back and forth between the racing vehicle and their team. This is sometimes referred to as motor racing telematics.
‘Telematics’ is what happens when telecommunications meets informatics. Using sensors that are located all over the race vehicle, data can be gathered on the spot and transmitted over long distances back to the driver’s team. All of this happens in real-time so that the team’s manager, engineers and pit crews can be fully aware of the car’s condition at all times.
Being able to receive data over radio communications can be a great advantage in motorsports. If there’s something wrong with the racing vehicle, teams can prepare themselves in advance to make quick repairs. As soon as the car comes into the pit, for example, there’s less of a need to spend time looking for the source of the problem.
Off the track, telematics can also be used to understand how a driver or the car itself behaves when it’s racing. With all this data available, teams can then choose better strategies or practice in different ways to be faster for the next race. Doing this might only shave a half-second off their total time, but in the competitive world of motorsports, half a second can mean the difference between winning and losing!
What’s In Store For The Future?
At the time of writing this article, there seems to be little mention of newer technologies being used in motorsports. With the way the world is fast evolving, there is no doubt that other technologies beyond communications will also be adopted in future racing vehicles. Among them, perhaps things like augmented reality will be used in cars. I’m just guessing here, but augmented reality could provide drivers with much more information through their heads-up display (or HUD) that enable them to make better decisions on-the-fly.
I could be wrong, but if this ever happened I would not be surprised. Use your imagination. What technologies available today do you think would be incredibly useful in motorsports?
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