Wesbank V8 Racing in South Africa has never been as closely fought a contest as it is this season - and the provision of a handheld bar code scanning system, supplied by mobile computing and bar coding specialist Harmonic Group, has made it easier for the SA Modified Saloon Car Association (SAMCAR) to manage the countrywide motor racing event.
In addition, the Harmonic handheld bar code solution ensures that the tyres supplied to Wesbank V8 Racing teams this year meet racing regulations as laid out by the committee.
Brett Rousseau, sales manager at Harmonic, says that the association has been supplied with a Bitatek IQ-3000 handheld device.
"The Goodyear tyres arrive from the USA with bar codes and are then supplied to the individual drivers of each team. In previous racing seasons, the tyres were stamped according to their usage.
"However, this system proved to be very confusing and difficult to control. We were tasked with providing a solution that would enable the drivers and race teams to better manage the use of tyres using the new bar codes," he says.
The Bitatek IQ-3000 handheld device is a multifunctional high-tech digital product that allows realtime data input and output to be shared in a working environment - in this case, monitoring the use of tyres between practice and actual racing. The IQ-3000 includes a bar code scanner, making it ideal for scanning the bar coded tyres and capturing data.
The scanner is an inexpensive yet feature-rich device that dispenses with a colour screen in favour of a greyscale, but it includes a USB-port, Compact Flash slot and infrared communications. Input on the device is via a touch screen and software keyboard, while it also has an audio-recording feature.
Tyres are scanned at Goodyear SA and are then issued to the drivers and not to the teams themselves for race and practice purposes.
At every race meeting, the Wesbank V8 Racing technical director initiates what is called a 'pit lane checking system' which ensures that drivers competing on the day are using the correct tyres that were originally supplied to them. All data about each set of tyres is then downloaded onto a laptop so that it can be checked and verified in an instant.
"This means that the association now has documentary proof of the tyres used for each race. If there is a problem with any set of tyres - such as the driver using old or incorrect tyres for racing - the association has the option of black-flagging and eliminating the driver from the race results," he explains.
Rousseau says that the drivers and SAMCAR representatives are extremely pleased with the new system as it is faster and more reliable than the previous method of checking tyres manually based on a stamp.
"We are very pleased with the results so far. Indeed, the system we developed has evolved from the initial solution that was used. It now has a number of checks and balances built in and we have made several modifications to the software to suit the varying race conditions," Rousseau concludes.
For more information contact Brett Rousseau, Harmonic Group, 011 887 3333.
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