The British Truck Racing Association Championship (BTRAC) has decided to install  SmartWitness video camera systems in all competing race trucks for the 2019 season.

Throughout this year SmartWitness forward-facing, rear facing and blind-side cameras will provide live video support for race officials at the events to thoroughly investigate suspected driving infringements, and also provide exciting in cab footage for the fans.

Competing trucks will have 1080HD footage on a monitored live stream via connected 3G/4G SmartWitness cameras which will be monitored on the SmartView software platform. The live video platform registers events such as hard breaking, acceleration as well as footage on demand from collisions shot in high resolution and at 30 frames per second. The forward facing SmartWitness CP2 camera has a 170 angle lens which simultaneously records to an SD card in the tamper-proof unit as well as sending footage and data via the 3G/4G cellular connection.

Driving infringements can be monitored live from the SmartView platform or can be reviewed from the SD card afterwards if race officials so wish. The SmartWitness software will allow officials to track back to the exact moment of an alleged infringement and can analyse footage frame by frame on forward-facing camera, rear or blind side cameras to see exactly what happened in any race incident.

Glen Horncastle, Championship Director said: “The SmartWitness system and cameras are the perfect solution to assist race officials to investigate and monitor these race trucks in race conditions. The SmartWitness cameras and software really impressed us and ticked all the boxes from what we needed from live video analysis. We are always looking to align ourselves with professional sponsors / partners who can bring added value to the Championship, and having the ability to work with a technology leading camera and software provider such as SmartWitness is a very exciting prospect. And not only will the Championship benefit from this relationship but so will the fans, as they will be given the opportunity of viewing truck racing from new angles and with previously unavailable vehicle telemetry.”

SmartWitness CEO Paul Singh said: “We are really proud to be a part of the British Truck Racing Association Championship, we are big fans of the sport and it’s great that we can help make it safer and fairer.
The cameras and systems are exactly the same as we install in HGV fleets across the UK and USA, the cameras are the same high definition footage, G-shock sensors and GPS tracking. Our system is so robust and flexible that it can work just as well on a truck hurtling round Brands Hatch at 100mph as it does with a vehicle in urban traffic.“

The SmartWitness system was installed and trialled at the last two rounds of the 2018 Championship with final testing taking place at the Brands Hatch Championship Finale on the 3rd and 4th November last year. The trial was seen to be a huge success and the system was robust enough to deal with the high speeds and G forces and yet still provide crystal clear footage. As a result it has now been decided that all competing trucks will have the SmartWitness system installed for the 2019 season.

SmartWitness

About the Author: John Loughran