This weekend’s Blancpain GT World Challenge America season-opener at the Circuit of The Americas will see the North American series debut of the Lumirank three-digit LED position display.

The displays, mounted behind the windshield of every race car in the field, displays the car’s current position on track based on regular updates from the event’s official timing and scoring, while in rotation with a three-letter abbreviation for driver identification.

The same system has been utilized in Blancpain GT Series in Europe.

“Following our successful partnership with SRO for the Blancpain GT Series in Europe, we are delighted to make the next step by supplying the LED displays for the Blancpain GT World Challenge America for this year,” said Stefan Sack, founder and CEO of German company SAS Technologies, inventor and manufacturer of the Lumirank displays.

“Having been involved in motorsport since 1991 in various capacities, I frequently noticed that it wasn’t easy for spectators, be it on the grandstands or in front of the television screens, to keep track of the actual positions of the cars in the race, especially when pit stops are involved that can change the order.”

The first prototype with LED technology was built in 2011 and after an intense testing program and displays were first used in a race in 2012.

“Since the debut, we have succeeded in acquiring new series and customers every year,” said Sack.

“A highlight was the Nürburgring 24-hour race in 2017, where over 180 cars were equipped with Lumirank displays.

“Since that successful debut, Lumirank displays have been used in the German marathon event ever since. Other series to use the technology are the ADAC GT Masters in Germany and, from this season onwards, the GT4 European Series and the ADAC GT4 Germany.”

A third generation system debuted in last year’s California 8 Hours at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“To deal with the high temperatures that can occur in the U.S., we have installed a small additional cooler to the electronics to ensure continuous operation in all conditions,” Sack said.

“The lightweight, yet durable displays are easy to install for the teams and require no maintenance or service during the events.

“Updates come from the timing system and the rest is fully automatic. We are looking forward to a successful season in the U.S. and we will keep working on further evolutions of our product for a better viewing experience for spectators.”