Chasing Ghosts: Videometrics in MotoGP | MotoGP

In the latest issue of the official MotoGP magazine GPMagdata collection specialist and former Moto3 and Moto2 world champion crew chief Peter Bohm sheds light on the mystery of videometry.

The Dutchman explains the history of teams using publicly available television footage to enhance their performance, which has been transformed into overlays or “ghost mode”, which shows two riders on the same stretch of track at the same time.

“In the MotoGP paddock, the use of the ‘ghost’ feature has been dubbed ‘videometry’.” Bom writes

“All teams now hire their own videographers who film at strategic points on the track.

“The emphasis is on the differences between their riders and the competition, especially the fastest riders on other brands of bikes.

“With the help of sophisticated software, the two videos are precisely synchronized. Riders and technicians can then see exactly where their rider differs in a given corner (braking, mid-turn and acceleration) compared to, for example, the fastest rider on the track.

“Being able to see exactly where the differences lie and how many meters have been lost or gained is every rider’s and chief engineer’s dream.”

Bohm then explains how the video images can also be synchronized with the team’s telemetry data to help fine-tune the bike, while former Grand Prix rider, World Supersport champion and WorldSBK race winner Chez Davies explains how he uses videometry as a coach for Ducati. .