SPEED.com explores Level 5 Motorsports’ technical partnership with Microsoft and its Office 2010 platform and how it's integrated into the team’s daily work-flow...
Level 5 Motorsports' partnership with Microsoft Office 2010 extends beyond the graphics on the side of their Lola-Hondas. (Photo: Level 5 Motorsports)
When it comes to sponsorship in the world of auto racing, it’s often a one-way street. Companies shell out big bucks, sometimes millions of dollars, to be plastered on the side of rolling billboards, otherwise known as race cars. While that’s frequently been the case in many forms of motorsports, there have been a few exceptions over time, where a sponsorship takes on an entirely new level within a team.
One such recent example has been Microsoft’s involvement with Level 5 Motorsports. The technology giant, one of the largest companies in the world with over $60 billion in annual revenue, joined forces with the Scott Tucker-owned squad in late 2009 through its Office 2010 software platform.
“They were willing to listen where a lot of companies weren’t, especially in this economy,” explained Brian Weaver, CEO of Level 5 Motorsports, who brokered the deal. “It took some creative thinking on our part and on their part to figure out how it could work. I think that’s a good testament to the kind of company Microsoft is, and then on our side, the kind of business we’ve built that we’re willing to take some risks.”
On the surface, it could be considered an odd marriage of sorts, especially given Microsoft’s lack of motorsports involvement and absence from sports sponsorships altogether. But Weaver saw an opportunity to tie the two organizations together through a unique technical alliance that went beyond the decals seen on the team’s Lola-Hondas.
What started as a complete integration of the Office 2010 platform throughout the team quickly evolved into Level 5 becoming a case study for how a worldwide motorsports organization uses their product.
“For us, this was totally, unique, new way to tell a story,” said Chris Barry, Director, Office Enterprise Product Management. “The global motorsports market is not that huge for us relative to all of the markets we serve. But it’s a very easily digestible one that’s data-intensive.
“Because these guys are pushing a product in ways that wouldn’t typically be used in a normal enterprise, just with the amount of data being created over a course of a race. It’s gigabytes of data streaming off these cars.”
The fast paced and data-intensive environment has already given Office engineers plenty to work with for future updates and revisions. Spreadsheets in Excel, for example, have already been expanded to allow millions of rows instead of the previous limit of thousands to better suit large-scale data entries that a typical race team performs.
On the flip-side, the team as a whole has increased its efficiency thanks to the group’s support. From engineer Jeff Braun gaining a better understanding of the data streaming into spreadsheets to Level 5’s parts manager and logistics coordinator, who also both rely on the product on a daily basis, the partnership has touched every facet of the organization.
Level 5 has also become one of the first to beta test new products and developments from the Microsoft team, including Office 365, a new productivity suite that utilizes cloud-based storage for collaboration between multiple users. It’s already proven to be a valuable asset for the team in the midst of their global campaign in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
“It’s a perfect fit for a race organization like ours, especially when we’re in the chase for this international championship,” Weaver said. “We’ve got our European squad on the program as well. So virtually, they’re [everywhere our U.S.-based team is and vice versa]. It’s just an extension of the team. So when you start looking at all of those benefits, it’s huge.”
The team has also begun testing other communication mediums such as video conferencing, presence and new instant-messaging technology. And with much of it now being cloud-based, it’s not as hardware intensive as what other methods would normally be.
With the team continuing its journey into uncharted waters with its ambitious dual-season program in the American Le Mans Series and ILMC, there’s still likely a lot that can be learned with this cutting-edge technical partnership between two of the most successful organizations in each respective field.
“We’re not done innovating in the productivity software workspace,” Barry said. “What I love about our partnership with Level 5 is that these guys aren’t done trying to win races and they’re going to keep pushing us to deliver better software. And we’re going to respond in time by pushing the envelope on how we can advance.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at askdagys@gmail.com
One such recent example has been Microsoft’s involvement with Level 5 Motorsports. The technology giant, one of the largest companies in the world with over $60 billion in annual revenue, joined forces with the Scott Tucker-owned squad in late 2009 through its Office 2010 software platform.
“They were willing to listen where a lot of companies weren’t, especially in this economy,” explained Brian Weaver, CEO of Level 5 Motorsports, who brokered the deal. “It took some creative thinking on our part and on their part to figure out how it could work. I think that’s a good testament to the kind of company Microsoft is, and then on our side, the kind of business we’ve built that we’re willing to take some risks.”
On the surface, it could be considered an odd marriage of sorts, especially given Microsoft’s lack of motorsports involvement and absence from sports sponsorships altogether. But Weaver saw an opportunity to tie the two organizations together through a unique technical alliance that went beyond the decals seen on the team’s Lola-Hondas.
What started as a complete integration of the Office 2010 platform throughout the team quickly evolved into Level 5 becoming a case study for how a worldwide motorsports organization uses their product.
“For us, this was totally, unique, new way to tell a story,” said Chris Barry, Director, Office Enterprise Product Management. “The global motorsports market is not that huge for us relative to all of the markets we serve. But it’s a very easily digestible one that’s data-intensive.
“Because these guys are pushing a product in ways that wouldn’t typically be used in a normal enterprise, just with the amount of data being created over a course of a race. It’s gigabytes of data streaming off these cars.”
The fast paced and data-intensive environment has already given Office engineers plenty to work with for future updates and revisions. Spreadsheets in Excel, for example, have already been expanded to allow millions of rows instead of the previous limit of thousands to better suit large-scale data entries that a typical race team performs.
On the flip-side, the team as a whole has increased its efficiency thanks to the group’s support. From engineer Jeff Braun gaining a better understanding of the data streaming into spreadsheets to Level 5’s parts manager and logistics coordinator, who also both rely on the product on a daily basis, the partnership has touched every facet of the organization.
Level 5 has also become one of the first to beta test new products and developments from the Microsoft team, including Office 365, a new productivity suite that utilizes cloud-based storage for collaboration between multiple users. It’s already proven to be a valuable asset for the team in the midst of their global campaign in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.
“It’s a perfect fit for a race organization like ours, especially when we’re in the chase for this international championship,” Weaver said. “We’ve got our European squad on the program as well. So virtually, they’re [everywhere our U.S.-based team is and vice versa]. It’s just an extension of the team. So when you start looking at all of those benefits, it’s huge.”
The team has also begun testing other communication mediums such as video conferencing, presence and new instant-messaging technology. And with much of it now being cloud-based, it’s not as hardware intensive as what other methods would normally be.
With the team continuing its journey into uncharted waters with its ambitious dual-season program in the American Le Mans Series and ILMC, there’s still likely a lot that can be learned with this cutting-edge technical partnership between two of the most successful organizations in each respective field.
“We’re not done innovating in the productivity software workspace,” Barry said. “What I love about our partnership with Level 5 is that these guys aren’t done trying to win races and they’re going to keep pushing us to deliver better software. And we’re going to respond in time by pushing the envelope on how we can advance.”
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at askdagys@gmail.com
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