All Team Members talk via single IP architecture
At the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday 13 May, when the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM scored their first point of the 2007 season, the team’s new state of the art team intercom system supplied by Speakerbus went fully live for the first time, delivering instant and faultless voice communications between all the key team personnel. “The latest Speakerbus technology has given SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM the facility for clear and concise communications which is of paramount importance during the high-stress times of a pressurised racing environment,” said Graham Taylor, Sporting Director, SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM.
The Speakerbus intercom was a vital component of the team’s communications and allowed for strategy decisions to be communicated quickly between pit wall, factory and the engineers. The result was a historic first World Championship point for the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM.
“It was a fantastic result for the new intercom’s first outing. The intercom system allowed SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM to set-up a Battle Room, which worked extremely well. The decision has now been made that this will be the normal practice from now on”, said Steve Mills, Speakerbus’ Head of Integrated Solutions. To meet the specific needs of the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM, Speakerbus tailored its distributed IP voice technology, i series, which has been proven in mission critical applications for the military, security and investment banking sectors. This included pre-configuring Speakerbus’ proprietary software and using robust hardware to withstand the harsh environment in the pit. Noise canceling headphones also allowed team members in the pit to by-pass the roar of the engines to talk clearly to one another via the intercom. For the first time a pure internet protocol (IP) voice system, which enables users to talk to each other from any location in the world without fixed links, was used to directly connect SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM drivers, Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson, with the support team located in the pit wall, paddock and the Leafield, UK, factory.
The Race Engineers simply had to press a button to talk to the two cars and pit crews on a radio channel. This was made possible by 12 channel intercoms and an iG214 gateway system configured to “key up” a radio channel for group calls. Moreover, chat on any of these radio channels could be constantly monitored. IP architecture also gives the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM the additional logistical advantages of dispensing with the need to install fixed links at each race and the associated inconvenience of transporting heavy central control equipment. “We are delighted to have played a role in supporting SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM’s superb performance in Barcelona. We understand the importance of team communication systems and we will be working with SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM closely to ensure our technology continues to enhance their performance throughout the season”, said Steve Mills.
Hertfordshire, UK, based Speakerbus signed in March 2007 as SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM Official Team Supplier. End
About SAF1: Since 1997, Aguri Suzuki, one of Japan’s most successful Formula One Grand Prix drivers, has been helping to promote young Japanese driving talents through the Autobacs Racing Team Aguri Project (ARTA). Suzuki entered Formula One as Team Principal of the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM in 2006 with drivers Takuma Sato, Yuji Ide and Franck Montagny. Time was against Suzuki as he brought together an F1 team, manufactured two cars and flew the outfit to compete in the first race of the season in Bahrain - a feat that many believed would not be possible in only 120 days. The team’s 2006 challenger, the SA06, was introduced at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim along with young Japanese driver, Sakon Yamamoto, in the second race seat. The team’s best result of the year was at the season finale in Sao Paulo when Takuma achieved 10th position in the race and Sakon set the seventh fastest lap time at the Brazilian Grand Prix. For the 2007 season Briton Anthony Davidson will take over as second race driver alongside Takuma Sato. The team is based at the Leafield Technical Centre in Oxfordshire, UK.