On Saturday 27 October 2018, Team BRIT came first in their category at the UK's largest annual motor race: the 6-hour-long Birkett Relay at the Silverstone Circuit.
Team BRIT, motorsport’s most inspirational racing team, is sponsored by NTT DATA. As part of Team BRIT’s mission to allow disabled drivers to race on equal terms, NTT DATA embarked on a project that combined multi-national teamwork and technology. The project has been supported by an international team from NTT DATA utilising advanced wearable and analytics technologies from Japan.
The first trial of the project took place in the Birkett Relay, where four members of Team BRIT wore the innovative Hitoe shirts. The shirts were custom made for the Team BRIT drivers and in compliance with racing regulations. The Hitoe shirts’ devices captured data about how the drivers’ bodies responded in the race by recording their bio electrical signals (e.g. ECG and EMG).
Now that Team BRIT has successfully completed the Birkett Relay, the next phase of the project has begun. With the help of NTT DATA, the drivers’ data is currently being analysed and mapped against their cars’ telemetry data. Since each Team BRIT driver’s Hitoe shirt was unique, they will be able to see how their body performed during different laps as well as in specific parts of an individual lap.
These insights will give further understanding as to how their bodies behaved while considering their different disabilities and could also be useful in tailoring training to individual drivers in the future.