Race Lights

About Our System

Racing is dangerous by its very nature. It has always been and will continue to be dangerous.
– But it just got a lot safer!

Due to ever increasing speeds in professional and amateur racing, a new system was needed to warn riders of danger on the track. Old fashioned cloth warning flags are often difficult to see during a race situation. While course workers will continue to be needed, a faster and more reliable method will vastly improve safety.

Clearwater has developed a wireless LED warning system for race tracks that allows an operator to remotely activate track-wide lighting signals.  Each corner or zone can be addressed as a group or individually. An advanced, code encrypted system protects the track from unauthorized control of the system.

As a software based system, it has the ability to accommodate and control many functions. Multiple uses are possible. Input from many well-known professional racers and race team principles has made this system well accepted and state-of-the-art.

The Basis of the System

The basis of the system is a centrally located control tower transmitter that broadcasts a high frequency radio signal to each of the receivers. The receivers may be placed up to 3000’ away from the main tower. This signal is a pulsed packet of digital information that tells the receiver which color code to illuminate.

A laptop will control the signals from the control tower or any other chosen location. The laptop will connect to our transmitter (the size of a small paperback book) and then out to the main transmit antenna. The antenna is a simple mast type, about 36” long. Everything is battery powered so no AC lines will be needed. This system may be set up at a venue such as Bonneville or temporary racetracks. Desert races may also be accommodated. A special oval track system is available that can control as few as four or as many as 100 red lights from a single handheld transmitter. No computer is needed for the single color oval track system.

Clearwater offers a cost-effective system that can control four, six, eight  or more red signal lights. These lights are totally self-contained and transportable in tough, custom built cases. Each case has a detachable lid and contains all the electronics, battery, antenna and control units.

There are three individual systems available. They may operate separately or work together.

TAS is Tower Alert System: This is a turn by turn communication system where each

LED light tower may be addressed individually or in any combination, as during a full course yellow. Individual tracks can purchase this as a supplement to their existing manual flag towers.

These towers can also be moved to accommodate flexible track configurations such as the Indianapolis or Long Beach race courses.

TAS Mobile: TAS Mobile is a system that allows miniature towers to be erected to suit the needs of an individual course. These towers may be configured as a small tripod, a traffic cone or one of our “berm bricks”. Each has the ability to be controlled as part of a corner location.

A new relay driver feature allows us to also control existing LED or conventional safety lights that are already in place at tracks. This option enables all the lights at a track to be integrated and controlled via our secure wireless system.

Flat Track System: Flat track motorcycle racing is fast and furious. With such tight and competitive racing, on track incidents are virtually inevitable.  Riders must commit 100% of their attention to battling closely around a tight track. Riders often do not see a warning flag. Immediate warning of an on track incident is imperative.  Clearwater’s Tower Alert System accomplishes this and is significantly more visible than traditional flagging.

Come see the Clearwater Race Track Warning System live at an upcoming MotoAmerica road racing event.