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Apple Watch Apps Aston Martin

Aston Martin Racing launches new Apple Watch App making motorsport more ‘accessible’

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By Naomi Taylor, Client Services Manager

June 11, 2015 | 3 min read

Aston Martin Racing will be launching the first ever motor racing app this weekend at Le Mans, the world’s oldest active sports car race. The app has been created by digital agency Orange Bus, based in Newcastle and will engage fans bringing them closer to the action of the race.

Designed to make motorsport even more accessible, the app launched on iOS and Android, giving fans a virtual on-track experience with live telemetry data providing minute-by-minute updates on car speed, gearing, RPM, track position, class ranking, throttle, brake pressure and laps times.

In the burgeoning world of wearable technology, the Apple Watch app provides fans with bite-size information including countdowns, race headlines, official timing data and Tweets from the Aston Martin Racing team.

The mobile access-all-areas app, which is constantly being updated with new features, also allows fans to see the four Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTEs as well as view driver profiles, team news and race calendars and will be updated throughout each of the WEC rounds.

Jeremy Scoones, head of commercial partnerships at Aston Martin Racing said “We believe motorsport should be accessible; we always involve our drivers in autograph sessions and allow fans to see inside our garage during pit walk sessions. We’ve also successfully used social media to connect with our fans but these apps goes one step further. They enable fans to get closer to our team, drivers and cars than ever before, viewing the information that they want, when they want it.”

John Shepherd, senior developer and lead on the project for Orange Bus, said: “Developing an app for the Apple Watch is completely different to a mobile app; it’s a whole new interface, a new way of engaging with content.

“You can’t just shrink the original app down and make it fit something smaller,” he explains. “The information needs to be bite-size, timely and contextually relevant. The best wearable apps will predict exactly what you're interested in seeing, and then filter and present that content to you almost before you realise you need to see it.

So, understanding motor racing fans, their behaviour and their journey through the experience is key to its success and it’s very exciting to see the reaction from fans at one of the most prestigious motor racing events in the world.”

Orange Bus developers are now working with the next version of the Apple Watch kit watchOS 2 - to integrate further features for the next phase of the app.

The company, which supplies digital products and services to large businesses such as Philips, NHS and Sage, were behind Aston Martin Racing’s multi-platform mobile app that launched at the same 24 Hours of Le Mans - FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) event a year ago.

Apple Watch Apps Aston Martin

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