Indycar’s Tony Kanaan uses his iPad during races – out geeks the competition
Well, looks like we found at least ONE customer for Scosche’s iKit iPad car mount! In this clip, professional racecar driver (and apparently professional tech geek) Tony Kanaan gives a brief overview of how his team has already incorporated the iPad into their workflow to help streamline the pit stop experience.
I must admit I never really got into the whole driving quickly in an oval thing (or whatever shape track Indycar guys race on) but still, this is pretty cool. Tony’s use of the iPad not only appears to be the first merging of sports and iPad technology, but it actually doesn’t come off feeling like Tony shoehorned the iPad into his workflow just because he loves it (which he clearly DOES. He even bought Apple’s lame case for crying out loud!).
So from now on, if anyone asks, I’m a Tony Kanaan man when it comes to Indycar. Although so far in the first 30 or so years of my life no one has asked me who I back in Indycar… but I’m sure it will come up eventually, and when it does, I finally have an answer.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Mark for the tip!
[via Indycar.com]
Nice use of technology. Of course, he could also do that with a laptop, but it wouldn’t be as cool, or quick.
I think they choose tools like the iPad because they adapt so easily. They could build something similar into steering wheel – it’s already packed with a ton of 00000000.other crap, but that would have to be proprietary so they could could keep the old stuff they already use. WIth an “open standard” like iPad apps it’s very simple to update/add tools as needed.
As for the racing, Indy is the only series that really embraces both oval and road circuits. NASCAR does very few, and it’s really just for show. Watkins Glen is a legendary track and it’s in the Northeast, so they go there for exposure. But they drive two races in the crappy little New Hampshire speedway oval. F1 has some great road courses, but the cars are now so big and so fast that the tracks are too small for racing. It’s like trying to pass in a parking ramp.
If you ever get the chance GO TO THE INDY 500! I’ve never experienced anything like it. It’s not like TV. The place is massive. You can’t see the whole track,. There’s a full golf course in the middle, that’s how big it is. The cars are faster than anything you’ve seen, and the noise actually does shake the ground. The only thing that’s come close is Lime Rock Park, in CT, back when they raced the monster prototypes (12-cylinder Jaguars, V-8 ‘Vettes and Mustangs, and Nissan Z’s). But that’s also one of those ‘special” tracks.
If I’d only seen racing at New Hampshire, I’d say stay home. It’s much better watching it on TV. But Indy should be on everyone’s “bucket list,” even people who don’t normally enjoy auto racing.