SRO Motorsports Group names Amazon Web Services (AWS) its global technology provider

SRO Motorsports Group has named Amazon Web Services (AWS) its global technology provider as part of an enhanced collaboration between the two organisations.

The new agreement will see SRO series across the globe benefit from the industry-leading suite of cloud services, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) provided by AWS, delivering an exceptional experience for teams, drivers, and fans.

It is the latest development in a relationship that began in 2019 and grew last year when AWS was named title presenter of GT World Challenge. This agreement will continue during the upcoming season when Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS expands on to a fourth continent, with Australia joining the established series in Europe, Asia and America.

The specialised skills and industry experience of AWS will also become available to the extensive range of racing categories that SRO organises around the world. Spanning GT2, GT3 and GT4 machinery, as well as touring cars, each will utilise AWS products in 2021. In turn, AWS will enjoy access to an even greater number of events worldwide at which to host its customer experiences.

Further developments in 2021 will build upon the significant progress made last year, including the new and innovative RaceVision Powered by AWS concept. With real-time insights streaming from each car into the AWS cloud, a wealth of information such as top speeds and cornering data was communicated via on-screen graphics, creating a more immersive experience for fans.

The collaboration also played an important role in SRO’s increased e-sports efforts. Using AWS virtual machines and media services to host race servers and livestream the action globally, the series launched with highly professional broadcast standards. AWS also assumed data hosting responsibilities for SRO’s world-renowned Balance of Performance (BOP) criteria, a crucial component of modern GT competition. As the relationship continues to grow, future innovations that utilise the broad set of global cloud-based products offered by AWS will also be explored to further enhance GT racing around the world.

The opening round of the 2021 season will see Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS launch at Sonoma Raceway on 6–7 March. This will kick off an extensive list of events staged across five continents, including the iconic Total 24 Hours of Spa on 29 July–1 August.

Stephane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group Founder & CEO: “We are extremely happy to further strengthen our collaboration with AWS this season. They stepped into a significant role last year and their expertise produced great results in a variety of areas, from cloud hosting services to race broadcasts. As global technology provider to SRO Motorsports Group they will play an even greater part in our plans for 2021. At a time when Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS is expanding on to a fourth continent, our relationship with a highly skilled brand such as AWS is more crucial than ever.”

CJ Moses, AWS Deputy CISO and VP of Security Engineering: “AWS is working with the world’s most renowned sports leagues to better understand their data and innovate upon it using our deep portfolio of machine learning services. With this agreement, AWS will provide our industry-leading cloud technology to SRO Motorsports Group, continuing to expand our relationship to deliver motorsports performance analytics, and collaborate to enhance the way people experience GT racing by providing more engaging content and greater insights to fans. AWS’s breadth and depth of services, our proven experience in sports analytics, and our relentless focus on innovation gives SRO the ability to bring an entirely new perspective and layer of fan involvement to sportscar racing globally.”