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Automotive racing is not just for adrenaline junkies. It has also led to a large number of innovations in automotive technology. Direct-shift gearboxes, independent suspensions, disc brakes and safety cages all began as race car innovations and made their way into mainstream production vehicles. Now, an Israeli company has manufactured a race car it says will revolutionise motorsports for fans as well as drivers.

Griiip manufactures an entry-level Formula 1000 race car. According to the company, this is the first smart race car. The company’s G1 race cars are powered by an Aprilia V4 1000cc engine, and use a simple frame to keep costs low. For drivers, the car is one of the cheapest available. It costs around 60,000 USD and a small team can operate it. The cars are equipped with Autotalks’ vehicle-to-vehicle technology, which sends an alert when drivers are approaching a dangerous area, such as when another driver has lost control. Griiip is also planning to introduce an electric version of the G1.

For fans, Griiip’s G1 features a livestreaming platform. It allows them to select individual driver feeds streaming on the companies’ G1 Series website. Griiip also plans to use drones and Facebook Live to provide live race coverage. According to Griiip CTO Gilad Agam, “The ability to affordably and reliably stream from each car during a race is ground-breaking. We believe that this, along with live car data and insights, will really help audience engagement. It is also something that will attract the attention of other motorsport series.”

At Springwise, we have seen innovations in automotive technology that range from autonomous tech, like self-delivering cars, to advances in materials science, such as spherical smart tyres. With the G1, Griips is introducing advances in technology and connectivity. This could improve driver safer and race viewership at the same time.