DRIVEN: How Technology Took the V8 Supercars from Local Sport To

Switched on CEO // Martin Whitaker, V8 Supercars 14 Quarter Four 2011 The V8 Supercars. The name calls to mind revving engines, the classic Holden vs Ford battle, and of course, petrol heads. But putting aside the raw edge of snapped conrods and blown head gaskets in front of baying Mt Panorama fans for a moment, it becomes apparent that the modern day V8 Supercars race is, in fact, a tech enthusiast’s dream. With high-performance automotive tuning equipment and sophisticated multimedia, the cutting-edge tech required for modern-day V8 racing means that you’re just as likely to ind a team of computer engineers in the pit as you are to ind grease-monkeys... ›› BY JONATHAN COTTON Quarter Four 2011 15 Switched on CEO // Martin Whitaker, V8 Supercars nd with huge technical advances in the way Holden V8s to battle it out for supremacy on the race track, the sport is performed and presented, the and the V8 Supercar event, as we know it today, was born. audience has changed as well. The days of The V8 Supercars moniker was adopted in 1997, and the V8s being the exclusive cultural property Network Ten began televising the series in the same year. of Aussies and Kiwis are long gone. These The Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company (AVESCO) was Adays, racing is big business and a truly international affair. The later formed to run the series directly and when the company V8 Supercars organisation now stages events all over the became an independent organisation, the future of the series globe – from Austin, Texas to Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and even in as an Australasian institution was secure. Cyberspace. Now acknowledged as the number three motor- In recent years the organization began an aggressive push sport series in the world, the V8 Supercars championship has into overseas markets, prompting a huge surge in internation- transformed itself from Aussie provincial attraction to a well al popularity, with races held all over the world, including the and truly global phenomenon, and it’s still growing rapidly. US, Canada, Europe and the UK, the Middle East and Asia, as This year marks the 51st anniversary of the V8 Supercar well as Australasia. The modern day V8 race is a sophisticated, championship. While fifty years may seem a long time, the progressive event, with organisers embracing new technol- race’s evolution into what it is today has been a gradual pro- ogy as a means to attract and interact with fans to an extent cess of moving with the times. unthought-of ten years ago. Though the Australian Touring Car Championship began And in notoriously tough times, the V8 Supercars seems in 1960, it was not until 1993 that the then Confederation of to be managing the impossible, and enjoying year on year Australian Motor Sport introduced the new Class A Australian growth. made 5.0 litre V8 engines of the Fords and Holdens. The “It is quite simply the best touring car championship in the decision played on the long-standing rivalry between the two world,” says V8 Supercars CEO Martin Whitaker. “It is a great brands, a rivalry made all the more significant by the popu- product and a great competition. And that’s one of the biggest larity of the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore with the differentiators between this and any other championship Australian car-buying public. Over time the lesser class B & C competition – it’s close racing, it sounds right, it looks right, it’s cars were phased out of the race, leaving only the Ford and got a healthy mix of consumer brands now involved in the 16 Quarter Four 2011 “ Whatever hair-brain idea you may have, with the new technology, there’s a fair chance you’re going to be able to achieve it. ” V8 SUPERCARS STANDARD TECHNICAL DETAILS Martin Whitaker, CEO, V8 Supercars Vehicle: Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore Engine: 5.0-litre fuel-injected V8 with control MoTeC engine management control system sport. And just the television content is magnificent in terms “It hasn’t fundamentally changed the way we do business, but Power: Estimated 635+ bhp limited to maximum 7,500 RPM of out and out racing spectacle.” it’s evolved. We’ve evolved the way we sell tickets and corpo- Gearbox: Control six-speed sequential And while the majority of the V8 Supercars’ audience still rate hospitality, and communicate about our business. We’re Holinger gearbox – Australian made engages with the race via free-to-air television (the race is in a state of evolution right now – we’re evolving through Differential: 9 inch broadcast in 139 countries around the world to approximately these new mediums that are now available to us. Clutch: Triple plate carbon 7 ¼ inch half a billion households every race weekend), subscription “Ultimately, selling to people isn’t rocket science,” he says. Suspension (Front): Double wishbone TV, online and mobile technology is creating new commercial “As much as anything it’s ensuring that you communicate suspension with coil over adjustable damper and cockpit adjustable front avenues for the race. And new channels of audience engage- with people. Make sure that they realise what you’re offering anti-roll bar ment mean new corporate opportunity. them, what the advantages and benefits are of the offering Suspension (Rear): Four linke rear As the organisation enters into new rights agreement and, most importantly, communicating the way in which our suspension with adjustable watts link, negotiations around free-to-air and online broadcast rights, sport is a platform for entertainment, business networking, coil over adjustable rear dampers with cockpit adjustable rear anti roll bar with both current agreements expiring at the end of 2012, tourism, etcetera. And we’ve got to use the modern tools of Brakes (Front): Alcon 6 Piston Monobloc they’re currently reassessing just how they can maximise the the trade to make sure we do that.” Caliper with removable bridge bar potential of the new content streams. Online feeds, gaming, That focus on effective communication carries over into 375mm ventilated discs TV rights, and the potential offered by mobile technology the organisations relationship with the fans too. Though races Brakes (Rear): Alcon 4 Piston Monobloc means that the V8 Supercars organisers are increasingly may be held in far-flung corners of the globe, fan interaction Caliper 343mm ventilated disc looking to market split channels of content to interested with the race is about as intimate as it can get. Wheels: Rimstock control 17 inch x 11 inch magnesium alloy parties. The V8 Supercars organisation is now focused on Ten years ago, fans had two options for participating in the Tyres: Dunlop control tyre splitting rights packages into multiple parts, allowing different events – by buying a ticket to the race or watching the event Fuel capacity: 75 litres (sprint events), bidders to focus on different channels, depending on what on television. These days however, fans both overseas and 120 litres (endurance events) their strengths are in the market. The challenge for the V8 local can watch every race in a variety of formats - online, on Fuel: E85 – 85% ethanol Supercars Series is to deliver on those channels. tablet devices or on their mobile phones. Taking a leaf out of Vehicle weight: 1345kg (category “The beauty of what we’re doing is to marry together every the AFL’s playbook, the V8 Supercars has seen the potential minimum without driver) possible means of communicating with the general public, of the online space, not only as a means of providing revenue Top speed: 294+ kph the spectator and the corporate businessman,” says Whitaker. streams, but as a means of attracting and retaining fans. ›› 0-100kph: 3.8 seconds Quarter Four 2011 17 Switched on CEO // Martin Whitaker, V8 Supercars “ The most important thing is if you’ve got a championship that has really good solid racing, then it’s going to be one that not only attracts spectators, it’s also going to attract an audience and investors into that series. ” “We recognize that we’ve got hundreds of thousands, if not the championship’s partner, Australian telco Big Pond, which millions of fans around the world,” says Whitaker. “There are allows them to watch six different combinations of real-time those among that group that are really diehard fans and want content during the race. Live animated data feeds, including to have every single parameter available at their fingertips moving steering wheel animations, driver’s gear changes, whether they’re at the race, live, or not. Via the online chan- and top end speeds are on any mobile device or PC, all in nels, they can dig into that as deep as they want, when they real time. Using this telemetry, fans can watch the race unfold, want.” lap by lap, second by second, in any form they want, from While historically live timing data was available only to anywhere. Data feeds are provided free in Australia and are punters who had bought a ticket and went to the track, with available to overseas viewers for a subscription fee. crude race data displayed for paying patrons only, now, via Whitaker says that the new technology opens up the race the online membership services, fans have a range of data to new audiences and allows the organisation to capture their options to choose from, including a live timing feed that attention. shows car numbers, times, positions on the track and other “Primarily it is a tool to create greater awareness for the race-related information – and they can view lap and sector championship, which in turn leads to those mediums and plat- times as cars cross the line.

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