Moving in from the fast lane

One of the main points of motorsport, we’re often told, is that it’s an R&D project and proving ground for the automotive industry. Racing cars are prototypes, and the technologies developed in the sport —anti-lock braking systems, traction control, safety cells, regenerative braking and, more recently, high-performance hybrid technologies — filter down to road cars some 15-20 years after their debut on Grand Prix circuits.

But automotive isn’t the only sector that benefits from the expertise of motorsport’s engineers. A recent event at the Institute of Engineering and Technology saw the Motorsport Industry Association showcase some of the more unexpected examples of what it refers to as ‘horizontal innovation’; the transfer of its sector’s technologies into other industries.

Some of these can be highly unexpected. Take, for example, your local supermarket. The reason it’s blessedly chilly on a hot day isn’t just down to air-conditioning. It’s because many of the aisles are lined by open-fronted fridges holding dairy products, drinks, meat and other chilled items; and while they certainly keep their contents cold, they also leak chilled air out into the shop.