Dash Cameras in motorsport
If you want to go racing it is a requirement to have a forward and a rear facing camera. As many cars are open-top they need to be waterproof. The cameras of choice today are Go-Pros at £600 each, which means £1200 per car. If one of the batteries is flat, you are disqualified.
Thinkware’s M1 motorbike camera is an ideal alternative, as it is a 2-camera system with a retail price of £459, which is a third of the price. As it takes its power from the vehicle there is no concern regarding flat batteries. The front camera is equipped with EIS image stabilisation, to cope with the vibrations inherent in the motorsport environment as well as being IP66 rated.
The key advantage, however, comes with the double control button; one for Wi-Fi connectivity to a smartphone and the other for manual recording of events. Pressing the manual record button records a 1-minute clip from both cameras, starting 10 seconds before the button press and storing them in a dedicated folder. If there is an infringement the driver presses the button and then immediately at the end of the race, he can share the clip with the stewards via his smartphone, accompanying his claim. With the Go-Pro alternative, he has to search through the footage of two cameras and by the time he has found the relevant sections, everybody has gone home.
