Follow a team in StafettVasan and a Vasaloppet skier in real time on the Internet!
Vasaloppet takes yet another technical leap forward this year with a new GPS service. The service has been developed in cooperation between Vasaloppet, Polar, TracTrac, Sport Support Center and Innovation Impact. This service offers the opportunity to monitor in real time your selected skiers’ progress on the course, with information about them as well as, at optionally selected places, to see and compare intermediate times, and much more.
The service, which is based on the skier bearing a GPS transponder during the race, is perfect for a company or organisation; those unable to attend or take part can follow in close-up, and the skiers themselves can retrospectively analyse and re-live their race.
The company Ramirent sees it as obvious that they should use the service and bring to light the battle between their various teams, but also they throw down the gauntlet to other teams. “As main sponsor for StafettVasan, we gladly challenge other teams to a contest where the various supporter groups can follow the unfolding drama in real time on the net,” says Kenth Sturesson, marketing manager for Ramirent.
The new GPS service reveals and highlights other duels in Vasaloppet. The battle between the two Olympic rowing aces Lassi Karonen, Sweden, and Olaf Tufte, Norway, who will both be wearing transponders, will be clear and raised to a whole new dimension. Both are suitably psyched up before the race, and hope that many will follow their contest. Last year Lassi finished as 102nd, just beaten by Olaf who took 82nd place.
This year, about 200 transponders are available for rental, at a cost of only 260SEK each. In StafettVasan each team needs one transponder to be passed on at the changeovers, in Vasaloppet the individual skier bears one all the way. A transponder weighs 80 grams and measures 92 x 44 x 18 mm.
If you would you like to see an example of how the new GPS service works, look at: http://www.tractrac.dk/archive/current/20081102-NYMarathon/
