Making Motorsports Smarter

With a rich history dating back to 1909, the IndyCar Series has played an important role in the evolution of US motorsports.

The highly competitive nature of the racing has made IndyCar a hotbed of innovation, with every team and driver looking for something that will give them an edge, to which NTT’s ground-breaking technology is the ideal complement.

The biggest event of the IndyCar series is the Indianapolis 500, which attracts 300,000 spectators on race day – making it the world’s largest single-day sporting event.

The race is held at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway which is over a century old, but to make sure that it’s keeping up with the times, we have turned it into a ‘smart venue’ equipped with sensors, Wi-Fi networks, mobile apps, and data analytics tools that help enhance the race experience for fans, optimize management of the stadium, and help improve on-track safety.

As part of this upgrade, we also created a digital twin of the stadium into which historical and real-time data was fed. This has enabled race organizers to better manage traffic flows and fan movements to prevent congestion.

It also means a faster response to the inevitable issues during races: when cars are traveling at speeds of up to 240 miles per hour, these happen unexpectedly.

Greater fan engagement

For all fans, whether they are trackside at an IndyCar race or watching online or on TV, we have created the IndyCar Mobile App that uses AI and predictive analytics to create a much more immersive viewing experience by giving them real-time access to real-time race data from 150 sources.

“With IndyCar Mobile, we were able to provide our growing fan base with a great fan experience that we continue to scale and develop even more features with NTT DATA’s expert assistance. It will help us grow our fan base even more, especially for the next generation of fans, and keep them engaged no matter where they are, all year round.” – Jay Frye, President, IndyCar

This means 70 million IndyCar fans worldwide not only have access to live action from on-car cameras and team-to-driver radio communication but also on-track performance about a car’s speed, acceleration and braking (and more) in real-time, sent from in-car telemetry. Every car competing is equipped with more than 140 sensor channels, generating more than a billion data points combined each race weekend.

At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NTT has also constructed a 100-foot-wide and 20-foot-tall media wall on which fans can see action close-ups and visualizations of data from cars and drivers, as a race unfolds, allowing fans to stay connected and enhance their live experience.

Figure: The IndyCar Data Experience Media Wall, powered by NTT

These technological developments are significant: every second, 1,788 data points are being captured for each driver and 90 data points for each car. This means that by the end of the race, NTT’s AI will have processed 60 million data points in total.

Faster, safer racing

NTT supports IndyCar teams and their drivers too, providing advanced data analytics and machine learning solutions that enable mechanics and strategists to make better-informed tactical decisions during a race based on a car’s real-time performance.

During each race, over 100 analysts from 20 different teams are gaining invaluable insights they can use to “tweak” a car’s performance in real-time, all thanks to NTT’s telemetry data.

During each race, over 100 analysts are gaining invaluable insights they can use to “tweak” a car’s performance in real-time. The predictive insights that NTT’s smart technology offers also give race organizers and security personnel a much greater ability to manage crowds.

The predictive insights that NTT’s smart technology offers also give race organizers and security personnel a much greater ability to manage crowds on race days, and the traffic going to and from the track.

To help ensure races are run fairly and safely, there’s also NTT DATA’s race control technology, which allows officials to respond faster and more effectively to changing conditions and on-track incidents.

A world beyond IndyCars

And this is just the starting point. NTT continually brings new technology to IndyCar’s race-day and back-office operations, to create an even more exhilarating experience for both fans at venues and those that are digitally connected.

The NTT Group’s involvement in sports extends beyond IndyCar. For a decade, for instance, we have been an official patron and IT provider for The Open, delivering technology and business solutions that enhance the experience for golf players, fans, and officials at the industry’s top tournaments. The NTT Data Wall, for instance, is now a familiar sight at the tournament, offering on-course fans unprecedented insights into the state of play during each round.

We are also an official partner of Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada, providing cutting-edge technology solutions to enhance the experience for fans, players, and teams. While the International Triathlon Union (ITU) also uses our digital tools and services to improve event operations, athlete performance, and spectator engagement.

And of course, our sponsorship of the world’s premier cycling race, the Tour de France, and our partnership with the tour’s organizers, the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has led to some industry-changing innovations in the spectator experience: the world’s largest connected stadium using a digital twin of the track; the NTT Tech Truck; and the Race Center – which brings together social media and commentary with LeTourData, which provides fans with data-driven insights and AI predictions across Twitter, Instagram, and TV – to name just a few. With the augmented reality app that lets people follow the whole race as it happens, as well as digital avatars to greet fans on different stages of the race, we are really changing the game.

Figures: How new digital tools are modernizing the spectator experience for cycling fans (watch the video here).

Originally published by NTT, 2022.