Reigning BTCC champion team NAPA Racing is set to add Road Angel dash cams to its arsenal of race data analysis kit. Here’s why.
Dash cams in the British Touring Car Championship. For a motorsport series known to be so tough on body panels, it’s a wonder that nobody’s thought of this before! I kid, of course; NAPA Racing won’t be using Road Angel dash cams to claim back the insurance on any mean-spirited scrapes they get into, but rather as a valuable new tool for analysis. If you’re a keen track day-goer, read this article to see what ideas you can steal from the pros. Who knows, if it’s good enough for the likes of Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish, maybe these techniques will help you shave some fractions off your own lap time.
Now, there is a bit of fine print to cover before I explain what this is all about. See, BTCC regulations prohibit teams from installing non-broadcaster-sanctioned cameras inside their cars. As such, the Road Angel dash cams will only make an appearance aboard NAPA’s quartet of Ford Focus STs during testing sessions outside of scheduled championship events. Still, there’s plenty to learn from them, as I’ll describe next.
How can dash cams help track performance?
NAPA Racing’s team of engineers will be able to download the footage and assess it with the drivers to understand where each of them can enhance their racing lines; corner entries and exits, essentially. In the past, teams will have been able to do this via telemetry, but the addition of dash cams into the mix provides a visual element that may further help the drivers’ understanding of how to improve.
Similarly, if you’re on an amateur track day, you might be able to look back at your dash cam footage and decide where you can adjust your driving to get more out of your car in terms of lap time.
The Road Angel cameras that NAPA Racing will be using are designed to handle bumps and speeds of up to around 140mph. As such, they make use of high-end image sensors cand stabilization tech to counteract car vibrations that would otherwise blur the image. While this isn’t what you’d want when recording footage for recreational purposes (as it would detract from the drama), it’s ideal for motorsport use as it gives the engineers and drivers a clearer view of everything.
The dash cams are the same specification as available to regular Road Angel customers. Though, if you wanted to get really serious with your personal improvement, there are a whole host of track day-specific dash cams out there designed to not only capture your performance, but train you too. Either way, it’s something to consider if you dream of reaching the speeds that Sutton managed on his route to the 2023 BTCC crown.
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