Racing technology still makes teams faster, but more of the time is now found in engineering hours than in hardware.

In this episode of Automotive Storytelling, Stéphane Lagresle takes you onto the floor of the first Motorsport Technology Expo at Farnborough International with two questions. Does technology really get racing teams to the finish line faster? And what bridges actually exist between motorsport and passenger and commercial vehicles?

Six conversations, recorded over two days in September, gave answers that do not line up neatly. That disagreement is the episode.

WHO YOU'LL HEAR

• Thomas Rose, Commercial Engineering Manager, McMurtry Automotive. Downforce on demand, and what it could do for a loaded truck.
• Phil White, Managing Director, Axion Shows and Conferences. Why the UK needed this show.
• Ian Palmer, Commercial Director, Cosworth Electronics. Why race cars became software defined vehicles first.
• Lucas Vieira, Forward Deployed Engineer, MOVEdot. AI agents that hand race engineers their time back.
• Jan Prins, Founder, JP76 Solutions, after 35 years at Jaguar Land Rover. Why the tire is still the hardest component to predict.
• Alan O'Neill, Founder, SCU Motorsport. The skills gap under every technology bridge.

KEY INSIGHTS

The Bottleneck Has Moved Off the Car
Thomas Rose shows physics still pays. But Lucas Vieira describes teams losing whole days to post-event reports, and Jan Prins explains that a tire still has to be built and tested before anyone can model it.

Low Volume Made the Race Car Software Defined
Ian Palmer argues race cars are already software defined vehicles, because tiny production runs push differentiation into software on proven hardware. He also warns that motorsport and automotive architectures are drifting apart.

The Real Bridges Run Through Safety, Sensing and Method
Thomas Rose sees deployable downforce shortening truck emergency stops. Jan Prins points to accelerometers inside the tire tread. Lucas Vieira's automated analysis fits any vehicle test program, on track or off it.

The Bridge Nobody Sells Is Skills
Alan O'Neill built a college race series because the technicians who service new technology are not being trained. A system nobody on the shop floor can maintain, he warns, becomes useless very quickly.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Count the hours your test program loses to reporting. MOVEdot started from engineers spending days on reports instead of analysis, and vehicle validation carries the same bottleneck.
• Put the tire on your sensing roadmap. Most vehicles know only tire pressure and possibly temperature, while an accelerometer in the tread can derive load, road friction and wear.
• Borrow motorsport's toolchain discipline before its hardware. Distributed race architectures rarely map onto domain controllers, but configuring a whole vehicle from one software toolchain does transfer.
• Budget for technicians alongside the technology. Hydrogen, high voltage and green fuel systems only deliver value if someone on the shop floor can service them.

Motorsport Technology Expo plans to return in 2027 alongside a new show, Engineered for Extremes, which widens the bridge to defense, aerospace, off-highway and marine.

#AutomotiveStorytelling #MotorsportTechnologyExpo #TechnologyTransfer #SoftwareDefinedVehicle

”Under the Hood: Automotive Storytelling” uncovers the human narratives driving innovation in an industry that impacts lives worldwide. Hosted by Stéphane Lagresle, this podcast explores how the power of storytelling ultimately connects technology to humans.