Ironman Pro Series to use RaceRanger electronic drafting detection system

Ironman will utilize RaceRanger’s drafting detection technology for its Pro Series events in 2024, which “will give referees visibility of drafting activity and confirm when athletes are within the draft zone of another athlete,” according to a release sent out today.

The RaceRanger device is placed on the front fork and the seat post, and a light detection system indicates whether an athlete is within the draft zone – in the case of Ironman, within 12 m.

“Professional athletes will be able to see these lights to help them understand where they are relative to the drafting zone,” today’s statement continued. “Rear RaceRanger units also continuously record data throughout the race, including how long each athlete spends in the draft zone. This data can be accessed by referees and the race organizer after the race.”

The technology won’t replace referees – “rather they will be a tool to assist referees with rules enforcement and maintaining clean and fair racing … Drafting penalties will remain a judgement call by the referees.”

RaceRanger was co-founded by former pro triathletes James Elvery and Dylan McNiece. Ironman’s Rules and Projects Coordinator, Jimmy Riccitello, has been working with the RaceRanger team since 2018.

Will this fix drafting in triathlon?

“After years of collaboration and testing, formalizing a partnership with RaceRanger and its team is an exciting next step,” said Riccitello. “During testing at the 2023 Ironman Florida triathlon, we saw encouraging data from RaceRanger’s continued improvements, giving us confidence to implement the technology at the 2024 Ironman Pro Series races in an effort to produce an objective draft zone for our professional athletes and referees. We are also glad to have been able to work with James and team on developments that will allow us to receive and analyze robust data such as the amount of time each athlete spent within the draft zone of another athlete.”

Today’s announcement is big news for RaceRanger, who ultimately hope that RaceRanger devices will become standard race-day fare for all competitors at large triathlon events, similar to timing chips. That’s not likely to become a reality until the cost of the technology drops, but as with all technology these days, that’s likely not too far off.

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“After over 10 years in the making, this announcement really is a moment to be proud of for the RaceRanger team,” added Elvery. “As the largest and most iconic event series in triathlon, operating at Ironman triathlon events has been at the top of our list of priorities from day one and we are excited to support the 2024 Ironman Pro Series. It’s been a pleasure working with Jimmy Riccitello and his team since our first introductory call back in 2018. We look forward to working alongside the Ironman team around the world to improve the fairness of racing, and continuing to develop new functionality into the RaceRanger system.”