On the occasion of the Portimao GP, the Swiss manufacturer unveiled the new partnership with the new signing of the official Ducati team. A relationship that is part of a twenty-year collaboration between Tissot and Dorna, whose peculiarities are testified by an extremely refined work as timekeeper and whose effects could reverberate in the future on the equipment available to track day enthusiasts
March 30, 2023
There were many expectations for the start of this 2023 MotoGP season, but no one really would have ever expected a start so full of emotions and adrenaline. He knows it well Aeneas Bastianinidespite himself at the center of an episode that saw him come out with broken bones – in the true sense of the word – from the first race Sprint of history and which has nevertheless become the protagonist of the attentions of one of the most important partners of this discipline. The new official rider of the Ducati team is, in fact, the man (and rider) chosen by Tissot to embody its values inside and outside the paddock. A role played, in the past, by the best in the world (Marquez and Lorenzo above all). A certificate of esteem that underlines the trust that the whole environment places in him and in the skills that he will be called upon to express as soon as he gets back on the saddle.
Pecco Bagnaia on the top step of the “podium” after winning the first Sprint Race in MotoGP history
Three new models
To celebrate the new report, Tissot has launched three new models of the T-Race line besides the clock T-Race MotoGP. The latter is inspired, in numerous aesthetic details, by the world of competitions, with references to details of the braking system and tyres. It is, moreover, the same watch that is assigned every weekend to whoever achieves the pole position and is produced in a limited series. A “piece” that is literally snapped up every year by motorcycle and watch enthusiasts, testifying to how much the partnership between the Swiss manufacturer and the top motorcycling series is truly able to win over the hearts of enthusiasts.
From timing to the wrist of champions: for 2023 Tissot chooses the Beast!
Tissot and MotoGP, a special bond
On the other hand, the bond between Tissot and MotoGP is truly special. A real partnership that sees Dorna and the company founded in 1853 not only together, for over twenty years, in the world championship, but that shows them to be equally close in the world of production-derived bikes. The House of Le Locle is, in fact, official timekeeper, as well as MotoGP, also of World SBKwhere it is committed to providing timing services, not only for the Sunday race, but for an entire program which, in that championship, even includes three grand prix per weekend.
A trend, that of short tenders, which has seen the introduction, starting this year, of the gara Sprint in MotoGP: a revolutionary novelty, capable of marking a before and after in the history of this discipline. The format now includes, on Saturday, a program that includes FP3, Q1, Q2, to which a half-length race has been added instead of FP4, with the assignment of a reduced score. A further commitment for Tissot That in his capacity as timekeeper it is called upon not only to monitor the times and ensure the correct order of arrival, but also to provide the team, organization and enthusiasts with all the statistics that derive from an enormous amount of data collection on the track. An activity made possible by an organization that is nothing short of efficient.
The timing
It’s always a certain effect to visit the timing room of a circuit during a MotoGP grand prix. A fortune that the writer has had the opportunity to have at least on one other occasion, again thanks to Tissot. Effect because what the Swiss manufacturer is able to organise, in every circuit in the world, is a high-precision machine based on logistics, hardware and people able to work in unison like a well-knit orchestra.
A job that begins with the removal of the material present in the circuit in which you ran previously. In fact, the entire timing system moves from track to track before being installed inside the structure that will host the next Grand Prix. And if you’re wondering why Tissot doesn’t use any sensors or instruments already available at every racetrack, the answer is simple: to ensure maximum precision (oh, they’re Swiss).
Given the need to rely on the highest possible degree of accuracyin this sense it is crucial not to have to depend on equipment that is not in the full control of the timekeeper, both in terms of the technology used and in terms of their maintenance.
But it’s not just the equipment on the track that makes timing possible. Each motorcycle, in each category, has its own transponder, which sends an identification signal to the antennas (sensors) positioned along the track and in the pit lane. The transponder is mounted on the motorcycle in point closest to the asphalt as possiblein order to ensure the maximum possible readability by the sensors that are drowned on the ground.
When the bikes and their transponders pass over these sensors, they send information to them. Tissot’s computers collect them and break them down into as many data useful for processing statistics for the team, reporter, organizer and fans. In particular, the data collected by each bike during the race is entered into sophisticated computer systems, which process all the information and transform it into formats that reporters and spectators can understand (lap time, lap speed, top speed, corner speed and more). This data is also automatically transmitted to the digital scoreboard, which provides spectators with up-to-date information on the drivers’ positions and lap times (and the lead built up by the race leader). The same information is sent to the broadcasters watching the race, so they can view the data (with the Tissot logo) throughout the race, but also to people watching the live timing online.
In addition to the transmitters and antennas, however, Tissot and the organizer of the event also place very high precision fixed cameras, capable of processing very high frequency images. Their usefulness lies in the possibility of verifying in a further and visual way who among two or more competitors has actually crossed the finish line first, in the case of a arrival at the photo finish. There is also a human element of verification. Appropriate observers ensure, in this sense, that the correct information arrives from the bikes and equipment used. If, for example, a race number is listed first from all the data, observers are called upon to confirm that the driver corresponding to that number is indeed in the lead. Once the grand prix begins, the work of Tissot’s professional timekeeping teams (around 11 per race) becomes relatively simpler. At the end of the race, the complete package of all statistics is made available to sites, publications, broadcasters, organizers and teams.
Again with regard to timing, particularly interesting is also theresearch and development activities that Tissot is carrying out in the field of new technologies. The Swiss manufacturer is currently testing the technology, for example GPS. This is an area of particular interest also for amateur drivers, who often resort to chronometers of this type for their bets on the track. To date, systems that use this monitoring technique still cannot be precise enough for a discipline in which thousandths often make the difference. However, it cannot be excluded that in the near future, Tissot’s enormous commitment in this area could produce appreciable results that will then be within the reach of all enthusiasts.
