IRONMAN have announced their latest partner for the IRONMAN Pro Series, with RaceRanger coming on board to provide their electronic drafting detection technology in 2024.

The technology, which is set to assist referees with determining whether or not an athlete is drafting during a race, has been heralded since its inception as a way to make the sport fairer.

In addition to the series races, RaceRanger technology will also be used at the IRONMAN World Championship in both Nice and Kona, plus the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupo.

How does it work?

Before each race, the RaceRanger devices, which are powered by Ultrawideband (UWB), Bluetooth, GPS/GNSS, and 4G/LTE technology, will be placed on the bikes of all professional athletes.

During the event, the sensors within the devices, which are placed on the front fork and seat post, will display an external light detection system which allows professional athletes to see where they are relative to the drafting zone.

Additionally, the data gathered by the RaceRanger unit will be continuously recorded throughout the race. This means that the race referees and organisers can access information such as how long each athlete spends in the draft zone.

“Formalising a partnership is an exciting next step”

Discussing the new partnership, IRONMAN’s Rules and Project Coordinator, Jimmy Riccitello, said that he is excited to implement the technology in races this year having collaborated with RaceRanger’s team since 2018.

“After years of collaboration and testing, formalizing a partnership with RaceRanger and its team is an exciting next step. 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.

“We are also glad to have been able to work with James and team on developments that will allow us to receive and analyse robust data such as the amount of time each athlete spent within the draft zone of another athlete.”

The technology’s co-founder, former professional triathlete James Elvery, reiterated Riccitello’s sentiments and underlined how important improving the fairness of racing is moving forward.

“After over 10 years in the making, this announcement really is a moment to be proud of for the RaceRanger team. 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.”