CU Sign



GV Cars on track during pre-race trails



CU USA drivers John Fitch and Briggs Cunningham



GV Cars racing



GV Electronics timing device



LS Data processing centre



MS Transceiver and punch cards



GV Console operation and computer at work



LS Air conditioning van.



GV of speed trials.




Initials


SPORT: MOTOR RACING

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: This year for the first time in motoring history, during the forthcoming Sebring 12-hour Handicap car race, Florida, USA, electronic timing and on electronic computer will keep drivers spectators up-to-date positions throughout the race.

This rapid minute-by-minute information system has been made possible by I.B.M RAMAC 305 data processing system - the same as used at this year's Winter Olympic Games, Squaw Valley, and which made scoring of the 1960 Winter Games the fastest in Olympic history.

Drivers' competitive standings, including Handicap positions, will be computed and printed every half-hour, thus supplying almost continuous records of the race. Information which formerly took hours to compute is now available in minutes.

Thus, drivers can make more positive behind-the-wheeled decisions on what they must do to stay in the running - balancing their standings against tyre wear, mechanical strain and other factors.

Timing devices feed back details of cars to the trackside computer centre, which, by virtue of a mobile air conditioner van will have the controlled atmosphere of a city office.

The RAMAC computer is an electronic memory which can store up to five million characters of information on magnetic discs and retrieve any in less than a second.

So the speed at Sebring won't be all on the track.