Indy 500 & IRL

IRL and Indy 500 races are both the fastest motoracing races on earth with average speeds surpassing 200 miles/hour and the most competitive with time differences in qualifying as well as race of less than 1/1000th of a second. That is why, they are the only ones to be monitored at the 1/10.000th of a second, that is 10 times more accurately than Formula 1 for instance.

Since patenting the oscillating pinion in 1886, still today a major component of high end mechanical Chronographs, and the Micrograph in 1916, the first 1/100th of a second Timekeeping system in 1916, TAG Heuer has been the indisputed leader of watchmaking ultimate accuracy and reliability. This has allowed the Brand to be granted the honour of being appointed official Timekeeper of many major 20th century sports events, including the Antwerp, Paris and Amsterdam Olympic Games in the 1920’s. This obsessive search for mastering time and registering mankind’s major sports achievements has been crowned with  the patenting of the Microtimer in 1966, the first 1/1000th of a second Timekeeping system, which has allowed TAG Heuer legendary watchmaking and timekeeping saga to go further on in the late 20th century with, amongst many feats the Scuderia Ferrari Timekeeping in the 1970’s, the Lake Placid and Moscow Olympic games in the 1980’s, the FIS St-Moritz 2003 Alpine Ski World Championship or the FIA Formula 1 Timekeeping since 1992.

With the IRL/Indy 500 Timekeeping, TAG Heuer watchmakers, designers and engineers enter in a new technological era, mastering time at the 1/10’000th of a second, equipping and monitoring time of  25 to 36 open wheel 700 Hp powered single seaters cars competing at 200 mph for winning the world fastest and most competitive motoracing Championship. For perspective the closest margin of victory in motoracing history was established in 2002 in IRL in Chicagoland  by Sam Hornish Jr winning over Al Unser Jr by 2/100th of a second only.

With performance levels further improving and competition more intense than ever, mastering IRL/Indy 500 time to 1/10,000th of a second has become mandatory to ensure the accuracy and legitimacy of qualifying and racing results.