The 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 race meet saw the Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) team using a Riedel Communications to keep team members, including pit crew and driver, in touch for the first time.
‘We were confident that it could stand up to the notoriously challenging RF environment at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,’ says team owner, Bryan Herta. ‘The system lived up to our expectations, enabling us to maintain a clear signal to and from the car at all times.’
The 500-mile race is the showcase on the schedule of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the premier open-wheel racing series in North America. For the 2013 race, the Barracuda Racing team interfaced a Riedel Artist 32 digital matrix intercom, used by those racing-team members who were hard-wired in the pits and timing stand, with a radio system used by the crew members who worked ‘over the wall’ or required mobility throughout the pit lane. The system supported various keypanels and five digital two-channel Performer Digital Partyline Intercom beltpacks with Max high-performance headsets. This also included 28 Motorola radios and racing headsets, 12 helmet kits for the driver and crew, and 16 Max headsets.
The intercom system increased communication efficiency within the timing stand, using multiple Riedel RiFace radio interface systems to link the intercom with the pit crew’s digital radios. Using this solution, the Barracuda Racing team was able to segment frequency use for further efficiency by providing dedicated frequencies for transmit/receive to and from the race car, sometimes traveling at speeds of over 200mph.
‘As any fan of racing knows, clear communications between team members and the driver is a critical element in a successful race,’ says Aaron Boese, Sports Solutions Manager for North America at Riedel Communications. ‘We are pleased to have provided a reliable, high-performance communications system that allows the Barracuda Racing team to focus on winning races.’
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