Facilities

Road America
by Denise S. Dieser, Marketing Communications Writer, ddieser@pelco.com

The Elkhart Lake area, located in the beautiful rolling hills of eastern Wisconsin about halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay is the home of one of the premier road courses in the country. Road America Racetrack was the first-of-its kind, purpose-built road course, and as it nears its 50th Anniversary, it continues to be a model for many others that have followed since its inaugural race back in 1955.

World-Class Racing Venue

The racetrack itself is located on nearly 600 acres of rolling hills. This scenic, worldclass, four-mile racing surface–the longest in North America – mirrors the natural Wisconsin landscape from which it was carved. "The result is a classic, European-style road course with a wide variety of turns and high-speed straightaways, and has become one of the favorites of most racecar drivers–both past and present," said George Bruggenthies, president and general manager of Road America.

The track hosts many top professional national and international races from April to November each year. Among these are the Road America 500 featuring the American Le Mans Series, the Grand Prix of Road America featuring the CART Championship Series, national and regional Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari races, vintage races such as the Brian Redman International Challenge, and AMA motorcycle events, among many others.

Road America is a valuable, multi-million dollar facility. Add to that the millions of dollars of racecars present during any given racing series, and it is obvious that a security system is needed–for that, as well as for a wide variety of other reasons.

Video Security Key Component

The facility is a combination of yesterday and today. For example, its offices are housed in one of the area’s original farmhouses, yet the new fiber optic network and Pelco’s video security system are state-of-the-art. "As a result, the racetrack retains its charm, while serving the needs of the digital age," said Bruggenthies. The security cameras assist with race management as well as safety issues. The system is used not only for 24-hour security but also for track management activities, with the added benefit that when there's a race incident, officials are now able to determine the individuals responsible.

"One of the reasons we needed a new security system is that we now have 24-hour access with our on-track camping in the Carousel Campground area, plus we have between 500,000 and 750,000 guests over the course of the season and it helps in monitoring all activities," said Bruggenthies.

"The security system is working out great for us. It provides an important look at on-track incidents and helps race officials determine what assistance is necessary. It also helps keep races on schedule by the timely deployment of safety equipment and helps monitor on-course activities and conduct."

Bruggenthies notes that one of the unanticipated benefits is being able to provide live footage to the Fox affiliate in Green Bay. "By installing a transmitter on top of the VIP Tower and Media Center, and using Pelco’s cameras, we can transmit race footage to Green Bay for race weekend coverage, enhancing their sports reports. The full-track coverage is also an added benefit for attracting new racing series, which require full-track camera coverage."

Past Reliability, Current Success

The video security installation consists of 16 cameras with the capacity to expand to 26, as needed. The currently installed equipment includes seven ICS300 High-Resolution Color Camclosures and nine Spectra II Color Outdoor Camera Domes with variable pan, tilt, and zoom.

"They cover the entire four-mile racetrack, and two of the fixed cameras provide a panoramic view of the front straightaway and Turn 5," said Bruggenthies, who has had previous experience with Pelco cameras and was very pleased with the results of this installation.

"I used Pelco in another facility, and I liked the reliability. So when we decided to install the fiber optics and cameras for Road America, I looked to Pelco again and Keith Parker and Associates (a Pelco Manufacturer Representative). I was very pleased with the security applications provided by Pelco then, and I am very pleased with the equipment here at the racetrack now. "And the nice thing about Keith Parker and Associates is that they have a real sense of ownership about the Road America project. That's the difference between a supplier and a partner, and we like working with partners who help develop solutions."

The main participants involved with this installation were Sheboygan, Wisconsin-based Pelco Dealer, Protection Service, which provided the Pelco equipment expertise and Com-Net Midwest, Inc., of Waukesha, Wisconsin, the fiber optic systems engineering firm and integrator of the entire network of systems installed at Road America.

"We had already done some access control for Road America, and George Bruggenthies had worked with Pelco in the past, so when Com-Net Midwest needed someone familiar with Pelco equipment to work with them, George recommended that Com-Net contact us," said Dan Krueger, president of Protection Service.

The system is a combination of fixed cameras and Spectra domes located around the track. The video security system not only secures the area, Krueger said, but also helps out with safety issues during a race itself. Every corner and straightaway has a camera.

"We started installation of the camera equipment in May 2001, with the majority of it done by that August," said Krueger. "We have recently added control to the main office, which is also over fiber. The president can now control the Spectra domes right from his office and can show guests a view of the track without having to leave the office and actually go out onto the track."

Protection Service had used Pelco equipment before on a large industrial site about six years ago. "We used your original Spectras, and what we liked about them is that they were easy to put up and they’re flexible. They were the first P/T/Z domes we ever put up, and after six years they’re still going strong. What’s nice is that once we started standardizing on the Spectra domes, we could keep parts on hand and easily service them right from here."

Integration of Systems Overcome Challenges

"Our dilemma when we first met with Road America was that they had a hodgepodge of a lot of different systems that didn’t work together," said Phil Lach, of Com-Net Midwest, a provider of network solutions since 1986 within the developing voice, data, and video communications market.

The track’s length, elevation change of 160 feet, and natural susceptibility to the elements presented a challenge, said Lach, not only for television coverage of the venue’s high-profile events, but also for sound and video communications. "And until recently, it was comprised of mismatched systems that had been implemented on an as-needed basis over the years.

Lach said that with the old systems, each were independently designed and had a distinct function to enhance the track’s capabilities, and though useful in their time, they could no longer meet the needs of Road America or be integrated with the recent, more advanced technologies required today.

Com-Net engineered, designed, and integrated the new systems needed at the track, including the Pelco video security system with assistance from Protection Service. "We had a good working relationship between the two companies, and Protection Service had a good working knowledge of the Pelco cameras and equipment," said Lach.

High-Quality Goal Achieved

Weather conditions played a key role in determining the right equipment for the job. "Due to the harsh environment up here we needed outdoor, sealed units that could withstand our weather. It’s constantly wet from November to May. And we have tremendous temperature swings between summer and winter, getting up to 95 degrees in the summer with horrendous humidity and down to 20 degrees below zero during the winter. And the snow is actually like fine grains of sand (because of the dry humidity in winter)." He said that without the right enclosures, it could wreak havoc on everything. "We wanted a high-quality system and that’s what we got with Pelco as the market leader in video security and surveillance equipment."

Bruggenthies said that while they have no immediate plans to expand the system, "We're always monitoring operations and looking for ways to improve the facility." video security and surveillance equipment."