MSA are planning to ban phone apps such as race Chrono in sanctioned events.

edited December 2019 in General
Due to the possibility of using phones for car to pit comms and other concerns around distractions the MSA is planning to ban phones in cars in sanctioned events. I will copy their email below.
My question is; Is it possible for Race Chrono once active to stop other applications from working?
If such an update is possible it may allay the concerns of the MSA.

David
Copy of MSA response follows...……….
"This new regulation was proposed from Motorsport UK Race Committee, who were concerned not about the security and mounting of devices but the distraction potential of having a mobile phone device in the cockpit of the car. The communication functions of the device can contravene existing regulations regarding pit to car communication with voice call and messaging being the committees biggest concern over distraction, but also video messaging and live streaming on social media etc. were of great concern.

The possibility of allowing such devices with the communication functions switched off was debated at length. This was deemed impossible to police as they can be switched on and off too easily before and after checks and on and off the circuit. The only way to control is to prohibit the devices from being in the vehicle.

We will continue to review our position with such devices as there could be safety benefits to use them to collect and send data for safety purposes in the future."

Comments

  • Seems like a stupid and unreasonable rule, but they'll do what they seem is the best. If the phone is in your pocket or hidden elsewhere in the car, I cannot see what kind of distraction it would be...

    RaceChrono nor any other 3rd party application cannot interfere with other apps. If you want to block voice calls and communication apps popping up, then you'll need to purchase a data-only SIM card (to block voice calls), and block the notifications from apps like Messenger etc. Other option would be to switch to airplane mode, and enable only Bluetooth and/or GPS.
  • BTW, do they plan to ban tablets too? If not I guess that would be easy replacement.
  • Hey David, thanks for sharing the MSA's response. It's understandable that they're concerned about distractions in the cockpit during sanctioned events.
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