Russell Small's 1.8 litre 300 break horsepower Audi has a top speed of 170 mph and is worth in excess of GBP 150,000. Security of the car has been entrusted to Senstar-Stellar's Repels portable outdoor sensor which operates like a radar fence, creating an invisible electromagnetic detection zone along the path of parallel cables that are supported by ground-mounted poles.

Designed specifically for re-locatable perimeter protection, Repels has none of the limitations associated with line-of-sight sensors. Russell's pit engineers report that the system takes less than 20 minutes to set up. Once the support poles are in place, the required amount of cable is reeled out of the processor unit and simply switched on. No cable cutting, connectors or fine-tuning are required. As soon as an intruder approaches to within 1.5 metres of the detection zone, an alarm is activated.

The system is already attracting interest from other competitors and race day organisers. Common applications elsewhere include any outdoor occasion requiring portable protection such as sports events, festivals and concerts.

Repels can be installed in any terrain and can handle perimeters of any shape. For example, the system performs on hills, wooded areas and around corners as well as it does in flat, straight applications. A single unit protects a perimeter of 100m (328 ft). Multiple units can be linked to cover longer distances. Like Senstar-Stellar's other outdoor perimeter sensors, Repels is largely unaffected by small animals, foliage or environmental conditions, resulting in low false and nuisance alarm rates and a high probability of detection.

Russell Small is 20 years old and comes from Birmingham. He works at Bedford Autodrome as a race instructor and is studying for a Bsc in motor sport at Oxford Brookes University. Having suffered a 100mph crash last year and being taken from the track unconscious by air ambulance, Russell has so far turned in sound performances during 2007. Russell's father, Steve, is a director of Nationwide Security Solutions, a company that specialises in CCTV installations and internal alarms at commercial and industrial premises, with offices in Chester and Halesowen.

Formula Palmer Audi is widely televised and can have up to 60,000 spectators trackside.