As the Jamaica Race Drivers Club began their 2024 Championship season on Monday, April 1, at Dover Raceway, St Ann, the event Carnival of Speed was testing ground for a brand new system to enhance the safety of local motorsport
— E-Flag Racer.

“We’re doing a soft roll-out today, testing with a few drivers in the Modified Production group, and it is geared towards improving safety in circuit racing in Jamaica,” Stephen Gunter, chairman, Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC), told the Jamaica Observer’s weekly Auto magazine.

Gunter explained that the app, as developed by Spectra Technology, is designed to provide digital flagging, marshalling, and other safety-related information in real time between event organisers and competitors via their mobile phones.

The system starts in race control, where a computer running the E-Flag Racer system sits separate from the timing system, but in communication with the race director and the clerk of the course. Drivers, download and activate the app on their own mobile devices which are mounted as safety and as visually accessible as possible in their own vehicles.

As marshalling instructions are given for the various flags, that data is relayed through the app to the drivers instantly as the system tracks them around the circuit.

Gunter stated that interest and development of E-Flag Racer by the JMMC for local use was sparked by an incident that took place at the circuit last October.

“We saw an incident occur, where a competitor stopped on the back straight and the marshals correctly put out a yellow flag, which means there’s no overtaking under race conditions and drivers are to slow, pass the obstruction, and continue to the next corner where there’s another flag that’s green indicating you can race again. Unfortunately, in October, two racers passed the yellow flag and proceeded to race and pass each other in this caution section. That’s when we realised we needed to improve the safety by communicating even better with the drivers,” Gunter said.

As one of the three drivers beta testing E-Flag Racer, Sara Misir thought this was a positive step as it brings a technology standard in the high-end GT cars she races overseas to a wider audience due its simplicity and price point.

“I do really love it. Once we fine-tune it, and it gets working, I do think it helps drivers in terms of your GPS speed, the flags, if it’s last lap, chequered flag, green for go, there’s a lot of things when you’re in the driver’s seat, and there’s so many people on track, it’s very hard to see the flags,” she said.

Gunter stated that E-Flag Racer is not a replacement for marshalling, but a supplement, and that the feedback gained at the event will be used to solidify the system for full implementation for the remaining 2024 Circuit Racing Season.