Mikhail Grachev: “Information is power in car racing”

If you're into car racing, you've probably heard of the TCR International Series. And if you know about the TCR International Series, you probably heard about the Swedish WestCoast Racing team. And if you know about WestCoast Racing, then you know the name of the rider Mikhail Grachev. And if you have heard of Mikhail Grachev, then you understand that this is one of the best racers of the series - this season he has already won four victories.

Acronis became the sponsor of Mikhail Grachev in the Malaysian round of the TCR International Series, held simultaneously with the Malaysian Grand Prix of Formula 1 on the Sepang circuit. Here's what the rider himself said about the role of data in motorsport and the importance of using the fastest solution to protect this data.

Michael, could you tell us about the role of information technology in TCR?

The success of the TCR International Series, as in other modern racing competitions, largely depends on the data collected on the track. Information is power in car racing. Our team consists of about 20 people - riders, mechanics and engineers, who calculate our next steps based on the information collected during the race.

Most of this data comes from telemetry sensors installed in our cars. My Honda Civic Type-R TCR has over 50 of these sensors. Each sensor starts automatically as soon as I start my car. After the race, our engineers transfer data from the car to the computer for processing and analysis. It seems that 50 sensors is not much, but they generate a huge amount of data!


All systems are operational. Five minutes before the race.

Are telemetry data also transmitted to your engineers directly during the race?

No, this is not an online broadcast. Data is only recorded on drives inside the car, and unloaded for processing already in the garage.

What software do you use?

We use programs from MoTeC Engine Management & Data Acquisition Systems (engine management and data acquisition systems). Some of them work in a car, others on a computer. These are excellent telemetry analysis tools. They have many channels for collecting and processing various types of data, depending on their needs.

What telemetric data are you personally interested in as a racer?

All telemetry data is important. For example, telemetry helps me understand how to most efficiently take turns on a track: what mechanism to use, when to brake, how long to brake, and so on. Before each race, we discuss this with our engineers. They show me on the map the point where you want to brake, then give instructions like “brake 10 meters later than last time” or “do not apply too much pressure to the brake, do not lose too much speed” or “shift the brake balance a little forward” (while the front wheels brake earlier than the rear), and the like.

Why is it important? This is important because such knowledge helps you to merge with the car together, makes it possible to synchronize with it, and develops an additional sense of how your actions affect the behavior of the car. This is what leads you to success.

Thus, we, together with the engineers, analyze, refine and discuss telemetry data. After that, we bring the cars to the track with a full understanding of what is needed from us.


Ready for the race. TCR International Series at Sepang Highway in Malaysia.

How about a brand new racetrack that you have never done before?
Fortunately, we have modern technology and computer modeling. They allow you to download a track map, weather conditions, vehicle parameters and run some virtual calculations. Of course, this is not at all that you can go the real route yourself, but sometimes this is all that can be done. Our simulators are not as perfect as those of Formula 1 drivers, but our series is still developing, and we are moving forward.

We use simulators for preliminary study of the track, its turns, straight lines, braking points and a set of maximum speed. After the first race on a real race track, we start working with real data.


The race begins. WestCoast Racing engineers are busy.

If the TCR International Series supports Formula 1 racing, do you use any standard FIA services on the race track?

We use the pit lane and track tracking monitors, as well as standard services such as timing and video channels. As for GPS, our cars have their own sensors that record GPS data and help to build a traffic schedule.

What is the type of IT infrastructure in your garage?

Our IT infrastructure is very simple. We do not have any servers - only a few laptops, plus data storage devices on each machine, which stores all the telemetry data for the history of the races.

After the car returns to the garage, we merge the data into laptops, analyze them, and then save the results.

One of our biggest problems is data management and protection. Our storage devices are sometimes extremely difficult to use. First of all, they are subject to physical damage and hardware failure, as they are transported in cargo containers with all the other equipment of the team. As data accumulates, they begin to work more slowly, which makes it difficult to find the necessary information. This is very dangerous, because for us it is critical to recover data as quickly as possible, especially in the days between races. We always wanted to have some kind of cloud storage, where our data could be both maximally accessible and protected.


Mikhail Grachev and his Honda Civic Type-R TCR.

PS Heroes of Formula 1 at MIPT!

On November 17, a meeting will be held with Formula 1 driver Daniel Quat, one of the youngest riders of the Scuderia Toro Rosso team, and team leader Franz Toast. A graduate of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology Sergey Belousov (CEO of Acronis) and Stanislav Protasov (co-founder and head of software development at Acronis) decided to give such a gift to the 70th anniversary of his alma mater and all physical techs.

During a unique public talk, Sergey and Daniil will talk about the role of modern information technologies in the world of Formula 1, the technologies that came into our lives from motorsport and the future of automotive and IT. And also about what role blockchain can play in all this in the near future.

Guests will have the opportunity to feel like a Formula 1 pilot. In the hall of KZ will be installed simulators of battle cars Scuderia Toro Rosso, on which everyone will be able to experience incredible emotions from speeds on tracks around the world, whether Singapore, Malaysia, Tokyo or Sochi.

Professional photographers will help maintain vivid shots, and the most successful photos can be printed on magnets. For those who are hungry or come to the meeting right from the training, a pleasant coffee zone Theory Kitchen and Bar will be organized: tea, coffee and delicious muffins according to plan.

Come, try your hand and find out that modern racing and IT are closer than you think!

»The meeting will be held on November 17, 2016 in the KZ MIPT.
»The event starts at 18:00 (agreed upon, set a bit earlier so that people gather).
»Admission is free, prior registration is required .
»But do not forget that the number of seats by invitation in the hall is limited.

Original article