Among the many firsts at the recent Rolex 24 at Daytona, season opener and flagship event of the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, were several achieved by SentronicsTM Limited’s FlowSonic® fuel flow sensor. Adopted by IMSA to enhance its performance data monitoring and balance of performance process, the FlowSonic was run by every class in the 56th edition of America’s endurance classic and performed flawlessly throughout the race.
In a Rolex 24 which saw records set for total distance and average speed, the FlowSonic notched up a number of noteworthy milestones of its own. The race marked the first expansion of series-wide fuel flow monitoring since the technology was introduced to Formula 1 in 2014. The reliability of the FlowSonic was demonstrated over 24 hours of non-stop running and 127,052 miles (35,689 laps) of aggregate distance – equivalent to five times around the world and 50% longer than the cumulative season race distance of an entire F1 field. Across IMSA’s Prototype, GTLM, and GTD categories, sensor accuracy and repeatability remained consistent throughout and unaffected by each team being free to design and implement their own installation of the FlowSonic.
“The addition of the Sentronics fuel flow sensors has given IMSA a much better understanding of the actual fuel used by all our competitors in all our classes,” said Geoff Carter, IMSA Senior Director, Technical Regulations and Compliance. “The sensor data will prove beneficial in developing our balance of performance in the future.”
Sentronics Managing Director Neville Meech said, “We are pleased to be working alongside IMSA with our advanced sensor technology. The feedback we’ve had from the Rolex 24 indicates the FlowSonic is already generating very useful data for both IMSA and the teams. All credit to IMSA for their vision in bringing fuel flow measurement to bear on the challenge of fairer, simpler, and more cost-effective performance balancing.”
Sentronics’ Daytona success follows its equally impressive debut as sole supplier to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the post-season Abu Dhabi test in November. The FlowSonic also carried off the 2017 Don Burgoon Most Innovative New Motorsport Product award at the annual World Motorsport Symposium, organised by Race Tech magazine in December.
Every FlowSonic features advanced solid-state ultrasonics in a compact, lightweight package, laboratory-quality flow data with industry-leading accuracy and repeatability, a high measurement rate and turndown ratio, race-proven reliability and durability, extreme robustness and vibration tolerance, -20°C to +120°C temperature range, compatibility with all race fuel types, internal processing and diagnostics, multiple output formats, and minimal operating and maintenance cost.
