“Developed by a former grand prix team insider, the Soft Pauer F1 Timing App application for the iPhone replicates displays that race engineers use to keep track of their cars during grand prix,” Pappone reports. “Going far beyond the simple live timing that’s available online, the application is the brainchild of Otmar Szafnauer, former vice-president of Honda Racing who left the team last year as the manufacturer prepared its exit from the sport at the end of the 2008 season.”
“After realizing that he missed the kind of detailed information he enjoyed while watching races in the Honda garage, Szafnauer thought the iPhone would be the perfect platform to bring the same features to racing fans,” Pappone reports. “‘When I realized the capabilities of the iPhone, I then thought it would be great to make all the information that I used to use when watching a race [available] to race fans,’ said Szafnauer, who began his F1 career as operations director with British American Racing when it formed in 1998 and continued with the team after Honda took over a few years later.”
“F1 circuits have timing loops buried in their surfaces at intervals of about 200 metres, which collect data from each car’s transponder as it roars around the track. The software uses the transponder information to create real-time, three-dimensional track maps with each car displayed as a dot with the name of the driver,” Pappone reports. “It is the only application that provides a live track map of F1 races.”
“A version of the live timing feed and a real-time leaderboard with in-race commentary is also available. The application can display each piece of information individually or together on one screen. It also offers an F1 news feed, full results from every track session, post-race driver and constructor points updates, and driver biographies and team profiles,” Pappone reports. “All the races and related information are saved on the iPhone for replay at any time.”
“The Soft Pauer F1 Timing App allows users to follow any car during the race, allowing fans to zoom in on their favourite driver or simply one making a move through the field,” Pappone reports. “When picking a specific driver to follow, the application shifts the display to show his position and lap times in relation to the rest of the field. The track map allows the user to pan out to see all the cars or zoom in to see just the chosen driver.”
“While it is something that should enhance the experience of watching a grand prix on television, the application may prove invaluable for fans at the track who can have all the tools they use at home in the palm of their hand,” Pappone reports. “The long-term plan is to expand the offering to other series, such as the World Rally championship, NASCAR and IndyCar, and annual race events, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
Pappone reports, “The full application, which gives all live data for each car from the three days of the remaining seven grand prix can be downloaded from iTunes [App Store] for $16.99. A limited version may also be downloaded for $1.99, which works only for the Friday practice sessions for the rest of the season.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Joe W.” for the heads up.]