Erebus Motorsport wins with D2N – Technology Solutions
back to newsSYDNEY, 31 October 2023
Erebus Motorsport came into existence in 2011 with team owner Betty Klimenko setting her sights on succeeding in the fast world of motorsport. With a number of accomplishments in GTs under her belt, both on home soil and internationally, Betty was hungry for more and as a result took over a Supercars team to rebrand it as her own. Fast forward to 2023 and Erebus has continued their winning ways with pole positions and podium finishes thanks in part to unique technology partnerships such as the one they enjoy with D2N – Technology Solutions.
Erebus Motorsport race engineer, Tom Moore explained, “We were using D2N previously as a supplier and purchasing smaller items from them, such as radio adapter looms and rooftop antennas, as they were one of the only suppliers in Australia who were producing radio parts with specific applications in motorsport and Supercars. The radio applications which are used in Supercars are very specific and therefore it is very difficult to find suppliers with equipment that exactly suit our needs. I knew that D2N were also suppliers of higher end intercom equipment and Riedel was of particular interest to us, so when we were looking into upgrading our garage communications to incorporate those systems, it was a natural progression to seek out D2N and enquire about how they could fulfil our requirements.”
One of the main reasons Erebus wanted to invest in a D2N wireless intercom system was the duplex interaction it allows between engineers, car controller and crew and team managers all simultaneously.
Moore continued, “We had one or two issues occur during a pit stop where the information provided by the engineer to the car controller needed to be updated after the pit stop had begun and with standard digital RF radios, communicating a change once the car controller has keyed up the car in the pit lane is virtually impossible.
In this sport, one preventable issue is one too many, so it was clear we needed to invest in the latest technology to ensure we were equipped to achieve the best results possible at all times. For that we needed D2N, their experience and their solutions.”
Amongst many other smaller consumable items, D2N supplied Erebus with a Riedel Bolero standalone belt pack system, consisting of 15 belt packs, three charging bays, one Network Stream Adapter (NSA), and two Bolero antennas. More recently they have also built custom Riedel MAX headsets for Erebus with individualised ports to suit the team’s needs.
Moore added, “The equipment supplied by D2N fulfilled and fulfils our needs perfectly and we utilise the features of the system on a regular basis. We are able to communicate throughout the garage to multiple people and/or groups of people concurrently and essentially hands free.”
According to Moore, in addition to being much more user friendly for the engineers and car controller, the pit crew who are now listening to the radio messages via a wireless intercom rather than an RF radio are particularly impressed by the stark difference and improvement in audio quality.
He added, “The crew couldn’t believe that the communication within the garage could be so clear. Every person in the garage uses at least one Bolero belt pack.
The engineers, team principal and crew chief use theirs to communicate to each other individually or specified groups and they use them to communicate to the pit crew for each car during all sessions including live pit stops. We use the NSA to bring in radio transmissions from the car to the Bolero system to be heard by any and all members of the team and similarly the race control transmissions are brought into the system via the NSA.”
Whilst the race engineers still communicate directly to the car with an RF radio, these transmissions are brought into the Bolero network via a Riedel NSA, and the pit crew, car controller and team principal then listen to these transmissions on their belt packs.
Race engineers communicate with their respective car crews via a Bolero belt pack and the car crews receive the messages from the race engineers on their own belt packs.
Moore said, “Our car controller uses his belt pack to communicate with the entire crew as well as the two cars, and in some circumstances – a double stack pit stop for example – the car controller is communicating to both drivers, both race engineers, a data engineer, team principal and up to 10 crew members all at the same time and all hands free whilst conducting a pit stop. The obvious wow factor with the D2N solution is the difference in audio quality between an internal wireless intercom transmission and a standard RF radio transmission. They are not even comparable in terms of audio quality. However, the features and additional functions the system allows to all users are quite astounding, duplex communication is something which is very hard to go without after getting used to the freedom it allows.”
Erebus are now essentially operating with Formula 1-level radio communications within their garage. The Bolero belt pack system is at the very forefront of technology for wireless intercom systems and the crew and team appreciate that if you wish to be operating at the pinnacle of the sport, it is imperative that the equipment you use to achieve this is also at the pinnacle of its field – and that includes the companies who provide the equipment.
Tom Moore concluded, “Whilst the equipment solutions provided by D2N perfectly fit for purpose, without their support packages we would not be able to use the equipment to its full potential. D2N is more than accommodating in helping to expand our solution whenever we require it and then cannot help enough to assist us implement that solution, whether it be visiting the team workshop prior to events or a last-minute installation at the circuit, they will do anything and everything possible to ensure we get the most from our communication equipment. They are happy to offer advice on all matters communication related and always happy to help us win races.”
Picture credits
Erebus Motorsport comms solution supplied by D2N – Technology Solutions in use on race day.
About D2N Technology Solutions
Founded in 2005 by owner Jason Owen, D2N has grown steadily gaining a very diverse and loyal customer base and technology-focused family of suppliers. Today D2N offers a huge range of options in terms of moving content, communicating and the very best in video and audio products.
As a privately owned and operated company D2N invests a significant amount into R&D each year. The company supports a number of community organisations through sponsorship programs and welcome to opportunity to engage with both the local and international business community, industry, media and Government to support their operations.
