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HERALD NEWS August 29, 1999 SpOrCB  SpoAs HnUine: To report local sparts scores call: (815) 729-6040. Dick Goss, Sparts Editor OurTown AUTO RACING SPOTLIGHT Wired wheels iS+n.nio--rut rm>rocR~x Chris Ganler top right), who does data acquisition for Mariboro Team Penske, watches the dab coming in M1om AI Unser Jr.'s car as he practices for the race at the Chicago Motor Speedway. Unser Iaboyel then sen U the changes made to his car help him gu faster during a pnctice round. All of Uie functions of his car are monitond by senson and downloaded te canputxs in 1M NR Fnalneen uae vi.w Y qe hra.klna they mad. ta Iha ear Is helping or M1urtinC the qr/orm.nce. 2080724081

Computers play crucial role in today's race cars ' n todays wired world, everything is connected. For Championship Auta Racing Teams, it's even more so. But hawdo yuu keep an Indy car connected at 200 mph? Far Marlbora Team Penske and other teams, the answer lies in telemetry. Through telemetry, pit crews use cumput- ers to manage and track the performance ofacat'sengine, chassis and tires. TheMarOwro Team Penslre pit anv Inoksta hs'DAG" DGaacbtaPcryn*~M~u'on Geek/Guy) m over- see the cmnpNer and tele.rnMty end of oper- atirnns. Chris GaMner, an elecn'val engmt•er, has[Rrfmus•rlthose dutiesfortearnfin hw years. AtNurerentTat getG[andPmtatthe Motor Ganmerdemom tF¢use telemehydurmgEYida}+s Of the I ~Uidu ~~hs5WnUo ar•~is~hus suahyedrwrth the team . . "lbe car," Gantner said, "at all times it is on the track is gathering dahnfrom a number of sensors, up to 40 or 50." TraCift pefrolmencE During practice nms and the mce, GanF ner monitors readings on up to fowlaptop computers. Similarly, representatives of the engine maker, Mercedes Benz, and the tire maker, Goodyear, are on hand to monitor the performance of those elements, ..Sensor informalion is gathered in two ways: a radio link between the carand the pits and through downloading data from [he car's onboard logger when the earcromes in for apit smp. One of the fast things the pit crew does is plug in the cvmputerjack That vital infunnation is displayed on two monitors visible to the pit crew. fnfornution csn be relayed by radio ra the driver out on the ttack'fhe car also is outfit[ed with a • hightech steering wheel that provides the driver readouts on cntical intortnation. Pafomwtce infannation is closely guarded durmgtaactice and the mce,sakl Mrkey Byan, asfnkesmzn brdre temn. He likened the in(qr- JOHN PA'rSCH/SrAFF PHOTOGnAPHE& &tsu CMem, an englneer forrarwnn mer• ufacturer Fad Ceaworm, ehesks the sen• son of Denn[s VROb's PontomCme en, aation to "a kodag pla9book" tliaz has to be kefR out of the hards of the cq>podtnn Sensors hack a variety of perfurmance attrlbutes. Gantner said they moNmr shock and wbtg perrannznce, trze pressme, ride he~ght. losd weightov each wheeb apeed, and ofeourse, fueL In a recent CAKTrace, the kaderran out ofgas on the Iavtlap.The team's teleme tryopemtion had bmken down. For example, ihe measurement of shock absorher compression tells the crew how the car is handling bumps and uiting in the comers. Software, much created by a company called li Research, enables the crew to interpret sensor readings. O ther sensars track what the driver is experiencing on the track, such as how much turning and braking he's doing. OpOmisng for speed The information is critical in setting up the car to get its best performance.'ihis is especially true when running on a[mck for the Grst time, Ganmer said. The Target Grand Prix was the inaugural race at the Chicago Motor Speedway. JOHN PAISCH/STAFF PHO'IOGaAPf@R ~ PayMnCayne crew HYef Doug Myer; beks at the deY tlmes of Alkhd Jeardaids rar. t "Il's crucial that in the first practice we getenough data to determine how the car will perform," Gantner said. During the practice runs, Unser puffs the car into the pits every few laps. Based an the sensor lnformation and Unsets advice, the crew adjusts or repLices the cat's equipment Each new set-up's perfor- mance is then monitored by Ganmer. Hopefully, this Information coupled with the driver's road skIDs will produce a win on race day. While much of the sensor information is geared toward speed, some provides safety. Each wheel in the car has a sensor ro measure tlre pressure, Ganmer said. Drivers can be alerted when attre is losing pressure, possS[tyavoidinga blowout and a crash. The technology behind the tire pressure sensors is par[icularyadvanced, Ganmer said, because the sensors cant be hard wired into the onboard logger. Instead they have to communicate through radio signals. In the end, this kind of technology will benefiteveryday drivers, Ganmer said the tire pressure technology, which Marlboro Team Penske helped pioneer, is showing up in some passenger cars. Racing iimits While tuning the car to the drivers traits and track conditions is of utrnost impor. tance during practice, CART does limit the use of sensors during the actual race. "1n fact, we have written rules to limit the hardware," said Dale Coyne, president of the Coyne Payton Racing Team Coyne's team also ran at the Target Grand Ptis Coyne said the number of sensors that can be installed on cars is almost unlimit- ed-C,A2T, he said, restricts sensor use in races in order to level the playing field and help hold down custs. Among the sensors that are not allowed are infrared sensors to measure tire tempemnue. "It's marrying the car to the driver. Et's how good the driver's input is and how well you can make the car fit his style,' Coyne said of the use of sensor infama- don.