About
RallySafe is the leader of the next generation of rally management systems; designed from the ground up, by rally people, for rally people. Combining world-leading sensors and communication platforms into a robust, lightweight package ideal for all forms of rallying & offroad motorsport, RallySafe provides a huge range of features in four key areas; safety, timing, tracking and management.
With a compact form factor and customisable features, the system is capable of supporting many different event types; A-to-A rallies, A-to-B rallies, navigational events, off-road events, and more. Since its inception in 2010, RallySafe has been utilised by hundreds of events worldwide, in many different motorsport types.
The purpose-built system has been developed specifically to allow RallySafe to make motorsport safer, more accurate, more accessible for spectators and easier to run for marshals and organisers. Read on to learn more about the system, and if you’d like to enquire about using RallySafe at your event, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
FEATURES
AUTOMATIC OPERATION
RallySafe has been designed for ease of use, first and foremost. Drivers and navigators can go an entire rally never needing to press a button; the system gives them the information they need, when they need it. Coupled to this is automatic hazard recognition – if a vehicle stops on stage, or is involved in a serious accident, the unit will send the appropriate warning to other competitors and to race control. This means we can act instantly to any incident, thus reducing response times.
ADVANCED TIMING
RallySafe utilises a high-frequency GPS chip in conjunction with our own interpolation algorithms to provide highly accurate, instant timing for rally events. The system can be also be run with our timing beams or manual backup, which stage crews set up at the stage finish to provide a backup timing source.
GLOBAL TRACKING
RallySafe utilises two transmission methods to get information from the car back to Race Control; the Iridium satellite network, and the GSM (Mobile Phone network). GSM is used when available, and can be used for extremely high-frequency tracking updates, down to once per second. Iridium is used everywhere GSM coverage is not available, and provides invaluable coverage, as rallies quite often are held away from population centers.
VEHICLE-TO-VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS
Vehicle to vehicle communications allow for instantaneous safety warnings to be transmitted between vehicles. This greatly reduces the chances of a secondary collision, and increases understanding when approaching an accident scene.
PUSH-TO-PASS
The Push-to-Pass button enables vehicles to express their intention to overtake by sending a message to a slower moving car immediately ahead of them. This message appears on the RallySafe unit’s screen in the leading car, indicating an approaching vehicle, its distance, and its intention to overtake. Push-to-Pass greatly increases safety in overtaking situations, especially in inclement weather e.g. rain or dust.
SIMPLIFIED RALLY MANAGEMENT
From vehicle tracking to managing time schedules to reviewing data in quiet zones, RallySafe’s Race Control application has been developed to make managing and running a rally as easy as possible. Race Control’s main map view shows vehicles in progress during an event, with the ability to effortlessly show multiple pieces of overlaid information such as current hazard information, stage & split times, and stage reports. Also available is the dynamic progress view, which can support up to 8 concurrently running stages in a running bar-graph style; very useful when multiple stages are live. As well as these, there are multiple management pages showing system health, real-time stats, advanced timing information and more.
MOBILE APPS & VIRTUAL SPECTATING
Timing and tracking information is made available to the public through two streams – our web application, and our Android & iOS mobile applications. Both allow the public to follow along with the rally as it’s in progress, seeing times live and staying up to date on where the cars are. Speed, split times, and overall times are just some of the in-app features available.
RALLYSAFE UNIT RENDER
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Hardware
The physical components of the system comprise of the in-car unit; which contains all of the sensors, memory and communication modems, a colour display and four buttons; an in-car antenna; a roof mounted antenna; a power lead and mounting accessories.
The unit uses GNSS (GPS/Glonass) for constant position updates, and an on-board accelerometer for sensing g-forces. Three forms of communication are used: Short-range digital radio which allows the vehicles to communicate with each other and timing gear (beams, officials); GPRS for high-speed, high-bandwidth communications (when in range) and; Iridium satellite network when out of GPRS range. Both GRPS and Iridium are used to transmit information backwards and forwards from a vehicle and race control.
Software
RallySafe uses GNSS (global navigation satellite system) to know precisely where a car is at all times. Each in-car unit is pre-programmed with the specific coordinates of each rally – for instance, all of the Stage Start and Stage Finish points – and uses this information to intelligently and automatically turn special safety features on/off as required, as well as to record timing information, or activate special management functions (quiet zones etc).
All of the information transmitted out of a RallySafe unit is collected and collated by our cloud-based web services, running 24/7 on some of the world’s fastest and most reliable data centres. From there the information can be accessed from mobile devices, tablets or any web browser by spectators, officials or organisers to get instant access to the information they need.
Primary Timing
If RallySafe is utilised for primary timing, a tablet is required for each stage start. All hardware/software is designed for the elements and to be as easy to use as possible, to minimise errors by officials and to make their roles easier, freeing up officials for use in other areas and making their rally more enjoyable.
WHO WE ARE
RallySafe was founded under parent company Status Awareness Systems in early 2010 after a serious secondary collision in Targa Tasmania, Australia’s premier tarmac racing event. Founders Stephen Sims, Wayne Maxwell, and Jason White, felt the accident could have been prevented with a vehicle-to-vehicle communications system.
From this humble aim, our first system, RallySafe, and the company, were born. Since then, Status Awareness Systems has gone from strength to strength, building RallySafe and its sister system, RaceSafeH2O, into world-leading systems. The expertise gained through our research and development efforts has allowed us to forge ahead with technological innovations to provide huge benefits in leading markets and industries. We now support multiple different racing formats throughout Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Over the last six years we have assembled a team of experts who can draw on their huge combined knowledge in a variety of fields to build our products. Our team has extensive experience in the fields of electrical engineering, industrial design, GIS, communications, as well as embedded systems, web, desktop and mobile application development. Our skills and knowledge allow us to distill the essence of a real world situation into a coherent, intuitive system which is easy to understand and use for anyone.
For more information please head to the Status Awareness Systems website.
Spectators
THE RALLYSAFE APP… BRINGING THE EVENT TO YOU
RallySafe is not only a feature used by competitors and officials, but also by spectators. RallySafe offers both web and mobile applications for event spectators anywhere in the world.
RallySafe utilises its revolutionary communication capabilities to transfer data not only to race control but to the device in your hands. The apps display various details about each competitor, such as the location, speed, direction, stage and split times, and publishes it via a clean interactive interface. This allows any fan, follower or spectator to access real-time information about the rally from anywhere in the world.
MOBILE APP FEATURES
EVENT STORE
Select any live or upcoming event from the event store. View any free or paid events for a period of time.
EVENT OVERVIEW
Event details: including start, finish and an event description.
SAFETY INFORMATION
We are all about safety so we have included a spectator safety briefing.
MAP VIEW
Keep up to date with the rally progress or follow a single vehicle to keep an eye on your favourite team.
STAGE TIMES
Compare and analyse times from each competitive stage and class or watch live times streamed to your phone.
SPLIT TIMES
Watch live split times, compare the progress of competitors, or view each individual class.
FAQ
RALLYSAFE APPS
Check out upcoming events on the official RallySafe mobile and web apps here:
Competitors
WHY RALLYSAFE?
The primary purpose of the RallySafe system for competitors is to warn the driver or co-driver of upcoming hazards on the course so that they can take action in preventing a secondary collision, and to automatically send messages back to race control and surrounding cars when a vehicle is in a dangerous position or has been involved in an accident. For more information about the system or how to use it, select either training and manuals, or FAQ.
WHAT DO I NEED TO RUN A RALLYSAFE UNIT IN MY CAR?
There are two components needed to run the RallySafe system in your car. The first is the RallySafe unit; this is leased for the event and is fitted by you or RallySafe staff either at scrutineering or another convenient time before the event starts. The second is the RallySafe fitting kit. The kit includes antennas, mounting hardware and power supply leads. In order to run RallySafe during an event (and consequently, to pass scrutineering), this needs to be installed correctly prior to the event.
For more information on installing a fitting kit, click on Training & Manuals.
A fitting kit can be purchased here. Video guide available below:
WHAT INFORMATION DOES THE RALLYSAFE UNIT DISPLAY?
- Stage name
- Car number
- Current time
- Time into stage
- Speed
- Average speed
- Auto tripmeter
- Resettable tripmeter
- Liaison and stage times
- Proximity safety alerts
- Overtake requests
- Messages from Race Control
- Special speed management (eg quiet zones)
Mobile & Web Apps
Organisers
HOW CAN RALLYSAFE BENEFIT MY EVENT?
The main benefit of the RallySafe system for Organisers/Clerk of Course’s is its ability to warn Race Control of any stopped vehicles on the course so that action can be taken in order to respond to or render assistance to an incident. RallySafe also transmits vital safety information in regards to the crashed vehicle, helping race controllers determine the incident type and its severity, which results in efficient use of resources and significantly reduced response times.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
RallySafe is a complete safety, tracking and timing rally platform, and a world leader in rally management systems. RallySafe consists of four major components; the in-car unit, timing beams, start/finish/time control tablets and the web application.
Together, these components help RallySafe achieve its two main goals: improving safety and reducing cost. These goals have given rise to a system that provides real-time safety/incident information and decreases the number of volunteers or officials required to run a rally.
Not only does RallySafe provide information about stopped vehicles, but also any abnormal activity that Race Control may need to know about, such as speeding vehicles, passing vehicles, slow moving vehicles and vehicle direction. To back this all up, an internal log is stored within each unit. This data can assist in timing enquiries, protests and, most importantly, accident investigation.
BENEFITS
REDUCED SECONDARY COLLISIONS
RallySafe’s revolutionary vehicle-to-vehicle proximity warning software helps prevent secondary collisions by warning vehicles of slow or stopped vehicles ahead, as well as identifying the severity of the incident.
IMPROVED INCIDENT RESPONSE TIMES
With instant notification of an incident and its severity, response times are greatly reduced. Providing immediate confirmation of the type of assistance needed and the location where assistance is required, RallySafe eliminates time delays in order to act and assist those in need of help.
IMPROVED TIMING
RallySafe provides both beam and GPS timing capabilities, allowing the system to detect jump starts or any abnormal behaviour throughout the competition stage, and then creating two independently produced times. With RallySafe, timing enquiries can be greatly reduced due to increased data in relation to start and finish times, improved accuracy, and decreased timing processes, making it a leader in rally timing solutions,
REDUCED NUMBER OF OFFICIALS REQUIRED
Many rallies require large numbers of officials and volunteers. These resources are limited and increasingly more difficult to find, so RallySafe has developed a system that replaces manual processes with electronic automation, reducing the number of officials required whilst also making their job easier and more enjoyable.
CLIENTS
Officials
GET INVOLVED
Safe and successful events are not possible without the cooperation and assistance of event officials and volunteers. If your event is using RallySafe, then you may be called upon to use RallySafe equipment at a time control, stage start, flying finish line, or stop point. RallySafe staff run briefings for any officials unfamiliar with the system, but rest assured it is user friendly by design and easy to get the hang of. For all the information you need on how to operate the software and to prepare yourself for an upcoming event, click on the Training and Manuals and FAQ links.