McLaren and SAP have joined forces for the 2014 Formula 1 season, and SAP will implement its solutions in the Formula 1 cars of both former world champion Jenson Button and Grand Prix beginner Kevin Magnussen.
Sensors placed on both cars send vital information to the team in the garage, allowing the team to monitor the performance and “health” of each vehicle.
Around 1,5Gb of data is collected from each car over a race and more than 3Tb (10Gb per car over a race weekend) of data is generated during a three-day race weekend.
“SAP solutions such as HANA allows for such data to be searched and aggregated in record time. Decisions will now not only be more informed as there is no need to predefine calculations, but will also be taken quicker and with faster access to better information.
“McLaren will be able to draw on years of data to make quick comparisons and solve problems faster and ensure it has data driven design. This will help avoid costly inefficient design processes and focus on future race winning designs,” says Manoj Bhoola, head of D&T and Mobility at SAP Africa.
On the local racing front, the two companies have also partnered up for the 2014 Rogue Rally taking place between 21 and 27 September. This year’s event sees participants travelling from Sandton to Cape Town, on an epic 2 800 km trip.
During this trip, drivers will participate in seven gruelling events that will test their endurance levels and driving skills. Some of these events include Track Day Aldo Scribante Race Circuit in Port Elizabeth, Monte Carlo Style Night Street Race at the Port Elizabeth Waterfront, Hill Climb event in Knysna, and High Speed Runs at Langebaan Airforce Base.
SAP is running a competition for to win a VIP ticket to the race day at Kyalami race track on 11 October to see the McLaren P1 in action. To enter, contestants should snap a photo of one of the supercars in the 2014 Rogue Rally and post it to Twitter, tagging @SAPGearsUp.
