“A small Nürburgring, with same technical and spectacular resources and an ideal track length,” says Drake Enzo Ferrari, founder of the iconic racing team and automotive company and to whom the autodrome was named after (along with his son Dino) in 1988.

“We took the opportunity of the return to Formula One to deploy and enhance our control and security system, particularly the video, which now makes us one of the most technologically advanced autodromes worldwide,” says Pietro Benvenuti, General Manager of Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola.

A huge step forward for track surveillance

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di Imola is a landmark in the region and they required control of the entire track with the ability to categorise and quickly retrieve the records of important events during each race.

Dahua Technology needed to develop a system that monitors the whole track, empowering the client to handle everything that happens on the track at any time with high definition technology and putting the circuit among the most technologically advanced autodromes in the Formula One calendar. More importantly, it’s a huge step towards security not only for Formula One but for all the events that it hosts.

Real-time recording and instant playback

To help the client achieve more value, Dahua Technology designed a specific project tailored for such events. The company utilises the experience it gained from its partnership with DZ Engineering in both national and international tracks.

“In this regard, our proposal consists a 4K video system with fixed and motorised cameras all along the circuit, connected via Dahua switches to an appropriately sized network infrastructure to avoid latency, while our customised DSS server manages real-time records and instant playback inside the control room,” explains Diego Schiraldi, Area Sales Manager of Emilia-Romagna region of Dahua Technology Italy.

Together with DZ Engineering, Dahua Technology successfully delivered the new CCTV camera system made up of 26 fixed cameras [IPC-HFW7842H-Z] with 4K definition and 11 PTZ cameras [SD6AL445XA-HNR-IR] with 4MP resolution to cover the entire circuit.

“We have been cooperating with Dahua for years and we have completed several projects, the most significant in Singapore, Hanoi and Autodromo di Monza,” Fabrizio Fabbri, Project Manager of DZ Engineering, said.

Benefits are clear

Massimiliano Ghinassi, who is responsible for track services and the Director of motor racing events, described his experience in using the Dahua system: “The new system is much more advanced than the steps we have taken in the past, in terms of quality of images and selection of cameras: PTZs, domes and fixed ones. The improvement is clear, especially when it comes to organising race meetings, with cars and motorbikes of the same type where race numbers might be difficult to distinguish."

“Zooming, resolution and frame rates are considerably better and the interaction of different cameras guarantee maximum security in our facility. The resolution is excellent even during recording and we can export files in real time to examine them, throughout and after the races.”