DeLand, FL – Holding true to their mantra #beaREBEL, Rebel Rock Racing became the first IMSA team to create and distribute 360° in-car video, as well as thermal video and imaging.
Utilizing a 360Fly camera mounted in-car, Rebel Rock Racing was able to give the fans a unique and never before seen perspective: riding along with Robin Liddell on his qualifying lap. Fans, through their mobile device, are able to look all around the car (inside and out), follow apexes as though they were driving the car, and could even see Robin, where he was looking, and what he was doing with the wheel. All of this flying though backdrop of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Rebel Rock Racing Team Owner Frank DePew had this to say: “I was really excited about this (360 camera) when it was proposed to me. I saw the vison, and my guys carried it though. It’s all about the fans, and the more we can give them, and the closer we can make them feel to the team, the better.”
“Finally there is a camera that really communicates the speed the cars are travelling.” DePew said. “With standard action cameras, you get one, very limited field of view. With the 360 Camera you can see everything flying by you, where you’re going, and where you’ve been. The first time Robin went into the Corckscrew, I didn’t think he was going to make it. It looked that fast.”
RRR also brought another optic IMSA first to Laguna Seca, in using thermal infrared imaging.
“So much of what we do deals with heat. Heat in the tires, brakes, and even the cockpit. It’s something that we feverishly track. In using these optics, we can get a visual on things like tire temperature spread, and actually see how the setup is heating up and wearing the tires.” says Technical Director Chris Nott.
Strategist Trevor McClure, also had this to say about the tech: “IR is, pardon the pun, very cool. Apart from the technical insight it provides, we can also make awesome videos for the fans. We use an IR (infrared) camera that that overlays an optical image; making details like sponsors on the livery, landscape, and objects like tools stand out in detail. Something lost in typical thermal imaging. I particularly like the pit stops in Thermal. Being able to see hot tires coming off and cold tires going on is especially neat.”