Real-Time Karting Performance Monitoring via DAQ System

with RTK-Enhanced GPS

Saeid Edriss

, Paolo Boatto

, Giuseppe Annino

, Francesca Campoli

, Lucio Caprioli

Nunzio Lanotte

, Emilio Panichi

, Cristian Romagnoli

and Vincenzo Bonaiuto

Sports Engineering Lab, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy

APLAB, Rome, Italy

Department of Medicine & Surgery, Rome Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy

Department of Human Science & Promotion of Quality of Life, San Raffaele University, Rome, Italy

Keywords: Digital Acquisition System, Karting, Telemetry, Performance Assessment, Real Time Kinematic.

Abstract: Measuring instantaneous speed and engine parameters and accurately assessing trajectories is paramount in

evaluating racing performance in motorsports. DAQuino is a general-purpose acquisition system that can

configure these specific sports applications. This paper deals with an application of such a DAQ, based on

RTK-enhanced GPS, suited for the telemetry acquisition of a kart’s parameters and driver performance

assessment. The proposed system measuring the kart’s position with a maximum error of a few centimetres

can assess the effectiveness of the trajectories.

1 INTRODUCTION

Karting, which had its inception in the United States

during the 1950s, has steadily risen to prominence as

a widely embraced motorsport discipline

(Chaldanbayev, 2022). This thrilling form of racing

centres around competitive events featuring open-

wheeled vehicles characterized by their absence of

bodywork, unforgiving solid suspension, and a fixed

differential (Figure 1). As with many sporting

endeavours, karting operates within a comprehensive

framework of rules and regulations, meticulously

crafted to safeguard fair competition, and uphold the

sport's fundamental integrity (Nakamura et al., 2020).

Governing bodies operating at various echelons,

ranging from national bodies to international

federations, meticulously enforce these regulations.

These entities undertake the essential task of

overseeing the sport, ensuring conformity with

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0224-8294

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https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6669-8089

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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0904-634X

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2328-4793

standardized rules, and fostering an equitable

environment for all participants (Bucur, 2019).

Figure 1: Kart vehicle.

The physical demands imposed by the world of

karting necessitate that drivers maintain a state of

Edriss, S., Boatto, P., Annino, G., Campoli, F., Caprioli, L., Lanotte, N., Panichi, E., Romagnoli, C. and Bonaiuto, V.

Real-Time Karting Performance Monitoring via DAQ System with RTK-Enhanced GPS.

DOI: 10.5220/0012186900003587

In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Sport Sciences Research and Technology Support (icSPORTS 2023), pages 82-90

ISBN: 978-989-758-673-6; ISSN: 2184-3201

exceptional endurance and physical fitness. The

remarkable acceleration encountered during karting

races subjects’ drivers to substantial G-forces,

exerting significant strain on their bodies.

Consequently, the cultivation of superior physical

endurance, stamina, and muscular strength assumes

paramount importance in the pursuit of elevated

performance within the realm of karting

(Potkanowicz & Mendel, 2013). To cope with their

physical condition, drivers engage in cardiovascular

exercises, strength training, and neck exercises to

enhance their stamina, muscle strength, and neck

stability (Matsumura et al., 2011; Yamakoshi et al.,

2010).

Furthermore, karting also requires psychological

and concentration abilities as drivers need to make

split-second decisions, adapt to changes in race

conditions such as weather and surface, vibration

impacts, and strategically respond to the actions of

their opponents. Mental strategies play a vital role in

karting, allowing drivers to stay focused, make quick

and effective decisions, and remain resilient in

challenging situations (Iannuzzi et al., 2018;

Yamakoshi et al., 2010).

Such vehicles can reach more than 200 km/h

speeds depending on the type and class. Usually, they

are powered by two-stroke gasoline engines ranging

from 120 cc (junior classes) up to 250 cc (Super-kart

class). Furthermore, in amateur classes, it is common

to find a notable absence of a gearbox, further

simplifying the operation and enhancing accessibility

for newcomers to the sport. Combining these unique

features and characteristics sets karting apart as a

distinct and exciting branch of motorsports (Calderón

et al., 2013; Hruska et al., 2017; Lot & Dal Bianco,

2016).

In the realm of modern sports analysis, precision

and real-time data acquisition have become

paramount for athletes and enthusiasts alike. In this

article, we delve into the innovative adaptation of the

DAQuino Digital Acquisition Board, a multipurpose

data acquisition system (Bonaiuto et al., 2018) that

can be tailorable for the specific sport application and

that has been already successfully employed in other

sport applications as kayaking (Bonaiuto et al., 2020)

and swimming (Lanotte et al., 2018). In this case,

such a system has been tailored to attach to the unique

requisites of karting applications. Therefore, the

comprehensive assessment of trajectory data and real-

time speed metrics, coupled with the precise insights

garnered from engine telemetry, emerges as an

invaluable tool in the critical evaluation of racing

performance.

In the ever-evolving world of sports and

performance analysis, precision data acquisition has

emerged as the cornerstone of athletic excellence

(Kirkbride, 2013). In this era of cutting-edge

technology, where every fraction of a second and

every degree of movement can mean the difference

between victory and defeat (Hughes et al., 2019;

McGarry, 2009). Born from a previous exploration of

its potential, DAQuino has undergone a

transformation tailored to the unique requirements of

karting applications. But its significance extends far

beyond the racetrack, offering a versatile toolkit for

sports and activities where trajectory tracking, and

data-driven insights hold the key to unlocking true

potential (Bonaiuto et al., 2020).

Beyond the karting circuit, the applications of this

system are far-reaching. Real-time kinematics (RTK)

technology, integrated into the DAQuino system,

revolutionizes precise location measurements. RTK

GPS, when paired with an RTK base station, provides

highly accurate positioning by incorporating real-

time correction data into Global navigation satellite

system (GNSS) receivers (Moon et al., 2018; Ng et

al., 2018). This technology has found use in a diverse

range of sports, including skiing and role skiing,

cycling, and urban transport, where it enhances

performance analysis, safety measures, and

navigation capabilities (Desai et al., 2021; Ligocki et

al., 2020; Moon et al., 2018; Supej, 2010).

Within the confines of this scholarly paper, we

introduce a tailored and meticulously engineered

iteration of an acquisition system, purpose-built

specifically to cater to the unique requirements of

karting vehicles. This sophisticated system has been

thoughtfully crafted to facilitate the seamless

collection and subsequent in-depth analysis of

pertinent data emanating from the kart, thereby

making a significant contribution to the enhancement

of performance within the domain of karting.

2 DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM

The DAQuino Digital Acquisition Board consists of

a master node that can host GPS, Inertial

Measurement Unit (IMU), and other kinds of sensors.

Furthermore, via a custom radio channel, the system

can be connected to up to eight slave boards where

specific sensors can be hosted.

For this application, DAQuino (Figure 2) has been

customized by equipping it with proper transducers

for the measurement of engine speed (revolutions per

minute – RPM – at a sampling rate of 25 Hz) and the

temperature of both cooling liquid (1 Hz) and exhaust

Real-Time Karting Performance Monitoring via DAQ System with RTK-Enhanced GPS

Figure 2: Block scheme of the DAQuino system customized for karting.

gases (10 Hz). The IMU (Nine DoF – Degree of

Freedom) has been set at a sampling frequency of 200

Hz, allowing a reasonable estimation of the slip

angles too. Figure 3 illustrates the hardware of the

DAQuino system that is located on the kart in front of

the driver’s seat.

Some of the acquired data (e.g., instantaneous

speed, lap time, cooling liquid temperature, etc.) are

made available to the driver through a webpage on a

small tablet that can be placed on the steering wheel

(Figure 4) and that communicates with the system

installed onboard the kart via a Wi-Fi link.

All the data acquired by the system are stored in

an onboard SD memory and they can be downloaded

to a computer located for example in the paddock via

a Wi-Fi link at each lap for an immediate assessment

of the race performances.

A special software program has been properly

designed to post-process all the data acquired on the

kart and show the relative results. Significant

parameters calculated by the developed software

include, among the others, lap time, speed in specific

sectors, lap distance, average, top and bottom speed

for each lap together with the engine speed, tyres slip

angles and exhausted gas and cooling water

temperatures.

Data from different laps can be superposed for

direct comparison and they can be exported to a

virtual globe software (e.g., Google Earth), for

immediate visualization of the trajectories of each lap

and the analysis of the telemetry in the different

sections of the circuit.

Figure 3: The DAQuino system that is tailored and located

in front of the kart driver’s seat.

Moreover, the installed GPS device (ZED-F9P by

uBlox Switzerland) is a high performance multi-

GNSS multi frequency device that exploits multi-

band RTK (Gurusinghe et al., 2002) technologies for

centimetres-level accuracy.

A comprehensive approach was employed to

capture and record the instantaneous values of critical

performance metrics throughout each lap's entirety.

icSPORTS 2023 - 11th International Conference on Sport Sciences Research and Technology Support

Figure 4: Driver monitor mounted over the steer to

immediate view of some driving parameters.

The precise measurement of lap duration,

displacement, and average velocity, contributing to a

holistic understanding of the kart's dynamic

performance characteristics and race dynamics were

measured (Table 1). Additionally, this encompassed

the real-time measurement of speed, quantified in

kilometres per hour, engine RPM, as well as the

precise monitoring of water temperature and exhaust

gas temperature, expressed in degrees Celsius (Table

2). This meticulous data collection process enabled a

detailed examination of the kart's dynamic

performance characteristics, offering a nuanced

insight into its behaviour on the track.

To enhance the analytical capabilities of this

research, advanced software tools were harnessed to

consolidate and visualize the acquired datasets. This

software provided the means to amalgamate the

diverse data streams into a cohesive, informative

figure. Notably, the software's interactive

functionality permitted users to delve into the data

with remarkable precision. With a simple click on the

tracked trajectory line corresponding to each lap,

investigators were empowered to access specific data

points at precise moments of interest (Figure 5). This

study feature facilitated an in-depth exploration of

performance nuances, bolstering the accuracy and

efficiency of our research endeavours and offering a

dynamic and user-friendly approach to data analysis.

Table 1: Measurement of race duration (seconds), total displacement (meters), and average speed (km/h) for each lap.

lap Time [s] Distance [m] Average speed [km/h]

1 49.242 796.3 58.2

2 43.143 795.8 66.4

3 42.076 797.9 68.3

4 41.508 797.1 69.1

5 41.255 797.3 69.6

6 41.189 799.0 69.8

7 40.688 796.8 70.5

8 40.921 799.1 70.3

9 40.944 801.0 70.4

10 40.741 799.5 70.6

Table 2: Instantaneous values were recorded for each minimum and maximum speed (km/h), RPM, water temperature, and

exhaust gas temperature (in degrees Celsius) for each lap.

lap

Min lap

Speed [km/h]

Max lap

Speed[km/h]

Min water

T [°C]

Max water

T [°C]

Min exhaust

Gas T[°C]

Max exhaust

Gas T[°C]

Min RPM Max RPM

1 38.4 88.2 51 52 342 621 6192 15629

2 39.8 95.1 50 53 281 637 7513 15752

3 41.8 96.9 50 51 289 622 7119 15637

4 43.7 97.4 50 52 311 629 7616 15649

5 43.5 97.9 48 49 322 623 7544 15710

6 44.4 98.2 49 50 346 606 7689 15588

7 44.8 98.3 48 50 313 608 7628 15669

8 43.8 98.4 51 52 347 611 7072 15864

9 44.4 98.6 51 52 328 641 7363 15818

10 44.5 98.1 51 52 0 620 7486 15764

Real-Time Karting Performance Monitoring via DAQ System with RTK-Enhanced GPS

Figure 5: The kart’s trajectory (tracking magenta line) was recorded by the system with some parameters recorded by the

system in specific track points: the time obtained for each subsection of the track (yellow), the kart’s speed in some random

track points (red), RPM (green), water temperature (cyan), exhaust gas temperature (orange).

Figure 6: Speed data for kart across two laps (the 1

lap in black and the 5

lap in blue).

The power of specialized software to not only collect

and store a wealth of performance data but also to

transform it into meaningful visual representations.

This facilitates the design and generation of dynamic

graphs for each of the monitored parameters over

time. One of its standout features is the ability to

select specific laps for comparative analysis. This

means that researchers have the flexibility to choose

laps of interest and directly compare the performance

metrics they wish to scrutinize. Figure 6, for instance,

illustrates the variation in vehicle speed during the first

and the fifth laps, providing a visual representation of

how speed evolves throughout the race.

icSPORTS 2023 - 11th International Conference on Sport Sciences Research and Technology Support

Figure 7: RPM data for kart across two laps (the 1

lap 1 in blue and the 10

lap in red).

Figure 8: Slip angle data for kart across two laps (the 3rd lap in black and the 8th lap in blue).

Similarly, Figure 7 shows the RPM values in the

first and tenth laps, allowing for a direct comparison

of engine performance between these two specific

laps in the race.

Another ability of the system is to measure the

tyres’ slip angle that most often occurs during

changing the directions and curves. This information

aids to the driver’s ability to control the kart and

understand the breaking force to observe the vehicle

performance. In Figure 8 the variation of tyres’ side-

slip angle over the distance of the circuit is depicted,

while Figure 9 shows some technical details of this

tyres’ feature and the applied force on the tyre in

motion and the effect that can occur the slip angle.

Real-Time Karting Performance Monitoring via DAQ System with RTK-Enhanced GPS

Figure 9: The parameters that have effect to occur slip angle

in the axes of the tyres in motions.

These illustrative figures not only enhance the

reader's understanding of our research but also

underscore the valuable capabilities of the software in

generating customized visualizations for in-depth

analysis.

3 REAL-TIME KINEMATICS

RTK has emerged as a promising technology that

offers precise location measurements. This

technology utilizes a family of low-cost GPS

navigation receivers, which, when connected to an

RTK base station, can achieve highly accurate

positioning. The key advantage of RTK GPS is its

ability to incorporate correction data into the GNSS

receivers, significantly improving, in this way, their

position accuracy. The RTK base station plays a

crucial role as a stationary GNSS receiver with a

known location to receive correction data via

receivers. The RTK technology offers a significant

improvement over traditional GPS systems by

providing real-time correction data. With an RTK

base station within a radius of approximately 40 km,

the RTK rover can benefit from high-precision

positioning capabilities (Broekman & Gräbe, 2021;

Skoglund et al., 2016).

RTK GPS technology has demonstrated

beneficial use in outdoor sports such as Skiing and

cycling. RTK GPS enables detailed slope mapping

and grooming, allowing cyclists to analyse their

performance on different terrains and optimize their

training and enhance safety through avalanche

detection systems and provide accurate navigation for

skiers, particularly in challenging mountainous

environments (Sharma et al., 2018; Skaloud et al.,

2004; Supej, 2010). Moreover, in urban transport, the

application of RTK GPS for vehicle tracking is

beneficial for studying factors such as rapid

acceleration and deceleration, helping to improve

transportation systems and optimize traffic flow

(Supej & Čuk, 2014). These examples highlight the

diverse range of sports and activities where RTK GPS

technology is proving valuable in terms of

performance analysis, safety enhancement, and

navigation in sports. Its refresh rate has been set to

25Hz. The onboard tablet is connected via a 4G data

link to an NTRIP Server (Networked Transport of

RTCM via Internet Protocol) to download the

parameters useful for the position correction that are

transmitted to the GPS device via a Bluetooth radio

link to implement the embedded RTK procedures.

Figure 10 illustrates two distinct trajectories

derived from identical GPS data. The first trajectory,

depicted in red, shows the results when the Real-Time

Kinematic (RTK) correction system is operational,

while the second trajectory, represented in yellow,

demonstrates the outcome when this system is

intentionally deactivated.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The paper introduced an innovative adaptation of the

DAQuino system, meticulously tailored to address

the specific requisites of karting applications. This

enhanced system, equipped with precision sensors, is

adept at capturing critical performance metrics. These

encompass the measurement of motor RPM, the

monitoring of temperature levels in both the cooling

liquid and exhaust gases, and the comprehensive

acquisition of kinematic data through a cutting-edge

9 DoF IMU. The utilization of this IMU facilitates the

estimation of slip angles, a pivotal parameter in

karting performance analysis.

Furthermore, the system boasts a GPS

component, bolstered by an RTK position correction

mechanism, ensuring the retrieval of position data

with centimetre-level accuracy. The incorporation of

these advanced features, coupled with an

impressively high data update rate, renders this

system eminently suitable for a spectrum of sporting

applications where precise trajectory tracking holds

paramount importance. Examples of such sports

encompass but are not limited to canoe slalom, skiing,

cycling, and more, where the quest for accuracy in

tracing and analysing trajectories stands as a critical

component of performance assessment and

improvement.

icSPORTS 2023 - 11th International Conference on Sport Sciences Research and Technology Support

Figure 10: Trajectories recorded by the system differentiate between those acquired with RTK correction (in red) and those

obtained without it (in yellow).

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