In the motorsports world, the speed of the cars on track demands that the data keeps up. IMSA, The International Motor Sports Association, collaborated with AWS to deliver car telemetry to fans in real time.
As the premier sports car racing sanctioning body in North America, IMSA races uniquely feature four separate classes of car that race on track at the same time. Manufacturers including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and many more compete simultaneously for races that can last as long as 24 hours long. While the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) and Pro (GTD PRO) classes feature cars you may drive past on the highway, the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) classes feature hypercar designs intended for the fastest speeds on track. This blog post covers the new GTP class car, its telemetry, and how AWS and IMSA are able to deliver real time data.
The GTP Car – pushing automotive boundaries
The GTP car was introduced to IMSA in 2023. The newest class, it uniquely features a hybrid powertrain, a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) paired with an electric motor and battery. GTP cars are the fastest on the grid and are renowned for silently launching from their pits on electric power before the ICE “bump starts” or roars to life further down pit line, following its electric powered start, creating a unique and satisfying symphony for race fans.
Each season, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship begins with one of the biggest races of the calendar, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, a 24 hour long, multi-class race. The Rolex 24 tests the endurance of both the cars and teams and pushes them to their limits. With the introduction of the GTP class’s hybrid system, new strategic challenges presented themselves that necessitated faster access to raw information. So – while the cars on track might be the ones with eye catching speed- the data streaming off them is even faster.