Road Racing In-car video

[Rara]

As some of you may know, I spend an awful lot of my "free time" to help run a Grand Am Cup road racing team (next year its "Grand Am Koni Challenge or something) Anyway, we tried out a new "beta" video recording system at our season finale this year, and here are some clips from that race . . .

The track is VIR, and this is about 2 hours into a 6 hour endurance race. The driver in these clips is Dean Martin, but also sharing driving duties of the #59 Rehagen Racing Mustang for the rest of the race were Jack Roush Jr. and Ray Mason. The first video is a 3 lap run just after a restart due to a caution. The other three videos are the same laps, just broken down into single laps per video.

Enjoy, but keep in mind the recorder software was still in a very early beta stage here, so there is no sound and some dropped frames . . . but it is still very watchable.

Three Lap Run (Laps49-51)

Lap 49

Lap 50

Lap 51


Team site: www.rehagenracing.com We were the top finishing mustang for the season in Grand Am Cup

 

[cuda06]

Very nice! I liked the inside pass on the other mustang. I would love to see another once you guys get everything worked out.

 

[Buckshot77]

Nice for a beta setup. I'd be interesting in seeing what it looks like when they get some tweaks done to it. Was it really that dark out that day?

The car looks like it was running very well. It appears to have some definite advantages in the braking zones, but appears a little light on low end power even though it seems to more than make up for it in midrange to top end. Any commentary on those thoughts?

Rick

 

[Jeb Hoge]

The driver in these clips is Dean Martin

DINO! Where'd you install the martini holder?

 

[Rara]

Nice for a beta setup. I'd be interesting in seeing what it looks like when they get some tweaks done to it. Was it really that dark out that day?

Yeah, it was pretty dark, the weather had been pretty poor all weekend, and it was late afternoon by that point in the video. By the end of the race, it was pitch black, and pouring rain. Jack Roush Jr. drove the last stint of the race in these horrible conditions, and actually did a pretty darn good job, especially considering it was his first Road Race.

The software for the recorder has significantly improved since that day, resolution is better, and compression is much cleaner, and I can get sound if I find a proper microphone (the ones in the car now saturate just from ambient noise in the car) but they are still working on it; the big problems now are that it still drops frames, and the resolution isn't maxed out where it is planned to be. Ultimately, I should be able to get DVD quality video out of this setup. btw, the recorder is made by a company called Neuros, and its thier new recorder in development right now called the OSD. Fwiw, I do have about 2.5 hours of race footage in 640x480, but its a 2GB video file in an oddball format

The car looks like it was running very well. It appears to have some definite advantages in the braking zones, but appears a little light on low end power even though it seems to more than make up for it in midrange to top end. Any commentary on those thoughts?

Rick

The advantages in braking now are pretty much all in how much brass the driver carries in the bottom half of his driving suit . . . For awhile we had a more confidence inspiring brake setup than the other mustangs until Ford racing was allowed to release a newer ABS unit for everyone. Our mechanical setup in the car was a little better at preventing ABS lockup issues.
In regards to the power, I'm assuming you are talking about how in certain corners the Porsches can pull away early coming out before getting reeled back in. The Porsches are allowed to run significantly lighter, and obviously have much more rear weight bias, and consequently, the can safely get on the throttle MUCH sooner in certain corners. Also, at this point in the race, the tires are pretty beat, so I'm sure traction also wasn't steller on acceleration.

 

[IRingTwyce]

DINO! Where'd you install the martini holder?

Get... out... of... my... head! :laugh:

 

[TheMexicanJob]

we need setups like that when we have our run to SZ haha