Driving data brings back Senna's fastest lap from 24 years ago.
Internavi is a car navigation system provided by Honda that designs driving experiences with real-time driving data collected from vehicles. Its origin and core technology, which is driving data, are still not widely known. Our mission was to tell the true possibilities of this technology.
Telemetry is not an easy or interesting topic to communicate. We needed to find a way to grasp the attention of the audience and make them feel excitement for this technology. To do so, we focused on a single sheet of paper. On it was Ayrton Senna’s driving data from the fastest lap set in 1989. This data was recorded by an old version of the same technology, which collects driving data from vehicles today.
Using this data we reenacted the world’s fastest lap, set by Ayrton Senna while qualifying for 1989 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. Every aspect of his driving data was digitally restored and analyzed. The engine sound of Senna’s F1 machine McLaren Honda MP4/5 was recreated by combining driving data collected in 1989 with engine tones recorded today.
Hundreds of networked speakers and LEDs were placed along the 5,807-meter long Suzuka circuit, the same place the actual race took place in 1989. Then the recreated engine sound was played according to driving data, bringing back Senna’s fastest lap from 24 years ago down to the millisecond. People could now realize that the technology that once supported Senna now supports everyday drivers: them.
Right after its launch, this project was covered by media from Japan, Brazil, Europe, the US and other regions despite zero PR/Media budget, becoming the most watched YouTube video by an automobile company in Japan’s history and the most watched viral video two weeks in a row worldwide. We received countless comments filled with emotions from viewers all over the world for Honda and Senna.