BelAir Networks said today that it will use mesh network gear to support fifteen U.S. IndyCar Series races with real-time, race-related data and voice communications. An additional 16 events that comprise the Firestone Indy Lights Series, will also use the system.

The Indy Lights Series, in the U.S. and Japan, will feature the fastest closed-course racing cars in the world. Each course ranges in size and shape from standard ovals to complex street courses that weave between buildings and city parks.

BelAir Networks nodes are being deployed to meet the challenges of the different terrains. The first IndyCar Series race of the 2008 season took place at the Homestead Miami Speedway on March 29th and the final race will take place on September 7th at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

The mesh network supports multiple applications including enterprise VoIP and high-speed data. Employees communicate work and race-related information such as race times and scoring across the venue and with co-workers at the corporate headquarters in Indianapolis.

The Indy Racing League (IRL) officiates races. Their RFID-based system, called TranX Pro, made by AMB-I.T. of Heemstede, Netherlands, is used by professional sports organizations worldwide to time and score everything from IndyCar racers to the Olympic Games.

Matsport, the official timekeeper of the Tour de France, used the AMB Activ system and FinishLynx photo camera for official race results in 2006.

Two AMB servers, running customized AMB Track Timing TimeGear MultiLoop software, collect the records and update the results.

The Indy Racing League created software retrieves the information and distributes it via the IRL’s Microsoft SQL Server 2003 database application called Indy Racing Information Systems (IRIS). Running on an HP Proliant DL 380 server, IRIS presents real-time lap-by-lap timing and scoring results to IRL race teams, officials and the media, as well as fans via scoreboards around the 750-acre motor sports complex.

ABC Sports uses some 50 cameras to cover the Indianapolis 500 race, including 26 cameras positioned around the track, eight in-car cameras, three booth cameras, a camera on a helicopter to provide aerial shots and 12 additional cameras. A 180-degree pan camera on the cars as well as an ultralight wireless “balloon cam” were introduced recently. Those systems are independent of the BelAir system which is used for ground support.

Wescam spin-off Pictorvision makes gyrostabilized camera mounts for helicopters.

Dario Franchitti, of Scotland, won the 2007 Indianapolis 500 auto race last year, which was stopped after 166 laps because of rain. He collected at least $1.5 million from a total purse of more than $10.5 million.

---

Sam Churchill and Don Park run the DailyWireless.org website which summarizes the news from Community Lan and other industry related sectors with detailed updates from around the world. It is full of sausy talk, viscious rumors and tantilizing tidbits.

---