The BBC has an article on using a sensor array to determine what makes 23-time Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness so quick.
Motorcycle riders have been tackling the 38-mile street circuit for over a hundred years. As it’s run on (closed) public roads, it’s an incredibly dangerous race. Riders average 212kph (132mpg) round the course—often coming within inches of stone walls and buildings.
John McGuinness is one of the most successful riders ever to tackle the course and data analysis company EMC decided to find out why he’s so quick. They fitted 50 sensors to him and the bike—collecting data on speed, acceleration, lean angle, throttle use, braking, body position, heart rate, etc.
One key finding is that he’s as cool as a cucumber, recording a heart rate of a mere 120 beats per minute when travelling at over 300kph on country roads. That lets him conserve energy and concentrate more than less skilled riders.
Applying machine learning techniques to the data revealed that only 14 variables were influential in his performance. McGuinness was just a little bit better in most areas than other riders, but each of these small advantages added up to a significant difference in lap times.
