WEC: The performance monitoring tech that will enhance TV viewers experience

Starting from round two of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship season, the 6 Hours of Portimão, TV viewers around the world will be given the chance to better understand the unfolding developments in the races in real time owing to the addition of graphics displaying the live status of Virtual Energy Tank for cars competing in the Hypercar class.

The cars competing in FIA WEC’s top class are regulated by the Balance of Performance formula, a technical rule overseen by the FIA and the ACO that allows cars of different architectures to race on equal terms by balancing out their performance potential through adjustments of power, weight and aerodynamic performance.

BoP regulates maximum power as well as energy usage while Virtual Energy Tank shows the live status of combined energy from both the combustion engine and the hybrid system, which is allocated per stint as part of the BoP process. Since the introduction of the Hypercar class to the FIA WEC in 2021, torque sensors were made mandatory, allowing for precise live monitoring of powertrain parameters.

The data from these sensors is transmitted via telemetry to FIA WEC’s TV production where it is integrated into the TV graphics, allowing fans to have an insight into the live energy usage status of each of the Hypercars and thus have an understanding of how far into a stint each of the cars is and anticipate their next pit stop for refueling.