Lenovo, as a key technology partner of the Ducati team, is gearing up for the new MotoGP season, the world championship of motor racing, which starts on March 10. On this occasion, a number of technologies were presented that will help Ducati motorcycle riders fight for the title in 2024.
This year, 22 rounds of the championship are scheduled, making this season the most intense in the history of the race. The races will start in Qatar and visit Kazakhstan for the first time. The venue for the final round, which will take place on November 17, remains the same — Valencia, Spain.
Luca Rossi, President of Lenovo Intelligent Devices Group, expressed optimism after last year's successful racing season and shared his thoughts on further cooperation with Ducati Corse: "Our goal is not only to fight for the title, but also to make technical achievements, designed for the track, were available to everyone, for example in the Ducati street bike portfolio.'
Data analysis on the track: infrastructure solutions from Lenovo
In the technological field of MotoGP, it is important to understand data and use it to make strategic decisions in seconds. During each race weekend, Ducati Corse collects a total of 100GB of data from eight Ducati Desmosedici bikes, each equipped with around 50 sensors. In order to further improve on-track data analysis, the new 2024 season will introduce Lenovo's ThinkAgile hyperconverged infrastructure. It is a powerful and flexible platform that will help you quickly analyze huge amounts of data, as well as promote mobility and reliability thanks to Lenovo ThinkSystem SE350 edge servers. In addition, the infrastructure is optimized for AI technologies, which will ensure that Ducati's deep and machine learning tools work.
Data analysis takes place not only on the track, but also remotely. To do this, Ducati Corse uses a remote garage, which allows engineers to receive data in real time and stay in touch with the team to optimize the settings of the bikes. A remote garage space at Ducati headquarters was equipped with Lenovo devices, including monitors, workstations and accessories.
Software modeling solutions, cloud services and AI
The team, based at Ducati headquarters, is also responsible for aerodynamics and hydrodynamics modeling. This is implemented using Lenovo's High Performance Computing (HPC) technology based on Lenovo ThinkSystem SD530, SR630 and SR650 servers. Lenovo's HPC infrastructure will continue to play a key role in motorcycle innovation for racing and performance on the track. Artificial intelligence is responsible for accelerating peripheral workloads, which also optimizes processes to accelerate data analytics.
In addition, Ducati Corse has entered into an agreement with Lenovo to provide cloud solutions to meet the needs of the dynamically developing sport. This allows you to receive additional resources and services on demand through a public cloud service. Thus, the team will be able to quickly adapt to unexpected peak loads.
Lenovo high-performance workstations for leadership on the track
In motorsports, Lenovo workstations, PCs, tablets and monitors greatly empower people at all levels of the organization, from headquarters to the race track. They improve operations, facilitate better interactions and help analyze data. Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Mobile Workstations help electronics engineers until the last minute before the start, when the final adjustments of the motorcycles are made.
In the 2024 season, the Ducati Lenovo team will present an innovative solution for surveying on the track. Using a Lenovo ThinkStation P360 Ultra workstation, Ducati Corse engineers have developed an autonomous robot equipped with a variety of sensors. It will drive around the track at the start of each MotoGP weekend, providing the team with an exact digital copy of it. Using Lenovo's high-performance workstations, the Ducati team will be able to collect and analyze up to 200GB of data at each track.
Accelerating innovation to win on and off the track
“We are looking forward to the start of the 2024 MotoGP season and looking forward to challenging ourselves again after an exceptional year. On our side again is Lenovo, a key technology partner with whom we have made significant progress and important results on the track. Ducati and Lenovo share a similar philosophy that encourages us to always strive for more and constantly set new ambitious goals. For years, we have worked together to win on and off the track, and we will continue to do so with the same determination, including through the new opportunities offered by augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality technologies. Everything is ready to start the engines again on March 10 in Qatar and cheer together with all the Ducati fans #ForzaDucati!", comments Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding.
Innovation is a continuous journey and Lenovo and Ducati are constantly researching, testing and implementing new ideas and technologies with the main goal of winning both on and off the track. Going forward, Ducati Corse is looking at the opportunities offered by AR and VR technologies, as well as Lenovo services, to achieve its sustainability goals and gain flexibility in the ever-changing world of motorsport.
