The tech behind the Bathurst 1000
Each year, the V8 Supercars series converges on Mount Panorama for the endurance race known as the Bathurst 1000. ZDNet took a look at the tech behind the data used by the Symantec Nissan team to strategise the race.
ZDNet was invited to see the inside of the Symantec Norton pits at the Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercars race over the weekend, where racing engineers were collating and analysing the data provided by the cars on the practice and qualifying laps.
Disclosure: Corinne Reichert travelled to the Bathurst 1000 as a guest of Symantec.
A race engineer examines the incoming data in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in front of a series of Toshiba monitors displaying information and graphs on the racetrack, placings, and car stats, and live video of the race.
The engine control system and power distribution model, situated within the passenger side of the car, stores fuel and engine data onto a hard drive, aiding the engineers to make decisions on when to refuel and how much to put into the car. There are 50 sensors in each vehicle, sending data to the car's memory unit for use by the engineers.
The downloading connector, placed alongside the power distribution model, provides a set of ports for tablets or laptops to be connected to during pit stops and at the end of the race.
The laser beacon receiver pings info back to the servers that is displayed on the monitors during the race.
An engineer plugs his tablet into the downloading connector to access the car's data unit during the break between practice and qualifying.
Once downloaded, the data is then stored on the team's server. The Symantec Nissan team makes use of servers and hard drives rather than utilising any cloud computing system.
The race engineers can then access the cars' data from their laptops. The telemetry, including fuel and oil temperatures, fuel usage, tyre pressure, voltage, oil surge, and speed, are then used to determine racing strategy.
One of the Symantec Norton-sponsored Nissan cars on the Bathurst racetrack during practice on Friday.
The Symantec team was also in Bathurst to announce its AU$300,000 donation to BeyondBlue, an Australian non-profit organisation that provides support and information for those dealing with depression and anxiety. It is currently targeting cyberbullying and its effects on mental health.
Disclosure: Corinne Reichert travelled to the Bathurst 1000 as a guest of Symantec.