Tim Lack is our Sales and Service Manager over at Laser Tech Australia. It is not uncommon to find Tim volunteering at the many motor racing meets hosted in Australia. His list includes some seriously big-name events. Along with the Australian Grand Prix, another event that brings top racing talent to Australia is the Bathurst 12hr. This year’s 12-hour race took place at the end of January 2025.
Thanks to Tim, we were lucky enough to get an up-close look at how our UltraLyte lidar devices are used to monitor pit lane speeds.
The Bathurst 12hr is a huge international event. Each year, the race brings fans and competitors to the Mount Panorama Circuit. Most agree that this is Australia’s most iconic race track. The Bathurst 12hr attracts some huge international driver names, including Valentino Rossi and the Van Der Linde brothers. Many of Australia’s best home-grown drivers participate as well. It is a grueling 12-hour endurance race that features some of the world’s fastest GT Cars. Manufacturers like BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren all take part.
During this year’s January 30 – February 1 event, Tim spent some time stationed at Turn 20. This turn is the entrance to a section of the track known as “The Chase”. It’s the fastest point on any racetrack in Australia. Vehicles from the Repco Supercars Championship, a popular touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, reach 300km/h (186 mp/h) as they enter this point of the track. One reason why we know this is because our UltraLyte lidar devices are involved.
It turns out that these classic Laser Tech lidar devices are used at almost every race meet in Australia. That includes smaller local events to huge international events like the Grand Prix and the Bathurst 12hr. While this might be news to some of us, Motorsport Australia has used UltraLyte devices for decades. They’ve been tackling a few different tasks the whole time too. First and foremost is helping to maintain safe pit lanes. Pit lane teams use their trusty UltraLyte units to monitor the speeds of competitor drivers in the pit lane. Of course, safety is a concern here. It doesn’t require a vivid imagination to picture what can go wrong if a driver enters the pit lane at dangerous or out-of-control speeds. At the very least, the UltraLyte helps crews see the danger coming and act accordingly.
Although pit lane speed limits vary by race, 80 km/h is a common standard. You’ll find that used at most Formula 1 events and Repco Supercars Championship races. As mentioned, safety is a primary concern here. Another is to confirm that no drivers gain any unfair advantages. Along with fines, punishments for a pitlane speed limit infraction add a penalty to the racer’s time. Tim notes that these penalties can reach up to five minutes. SuperCars.com reports that “Drivers will have 15 seconds to reduce their speed to a maximum of 80km/h and engage the FCY/SC speed limiter. Speeds will be monitored and any car exceeding 80km/h will be reported to the stewards.”
We take pride in seeing our UltraLyte devices used for pit lane speed monitoring. Their continued use is a living testament to the reliability and durability we build into all our products. Thanks to Tim, you can enjoy these up-close looks at the UltraLyte in action during the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour:
Don't want to miss out on future updates? Subscribe to our blog for the latest news, trends, and expert insights from LTI. Head on over to our supbscription page to sign up today!
Sign me up!