An AI coaching platform born out of sim racing has secured fresh backing from major names in motorsport, tech and sport as data-driven training tools continue to become more and more mainstream.
London-based Track Titan has just confirmed a $5million seed round to accelerate the development of its AI 'driving coach', aimed at both sim racers and track drivers who could benefit from such training. The round is co-led by Partech and Game Changers Ventures, the fund run by Alpine F1 co-owner Roger Ehrenberg.
Track Titan is built around a story from its founder, Max Teichert. After cutting his teeth on racing games, he finally earned his way into the Gran Turismo Academy where he became a finalist before moving his way into driver coaching for Porsche.
From this learning, he created this package to train the next generation of drivers.
“Beating your mates on FIFA is nothing like playing a Premier League football match," he said. "But racing a virtual Porsche around a digital Silverstone actually requires many of the same skills you need to excel on a real track. I’m living proof that it is possible to make the jump from amateur sim racing to professional driving.
“Track Titan was inspired by that experience; I wanted to unlock the insights and support available to pro-racers and make them accessible to the 190 million fans who race online and the 90 million drivers who race for fun in real life.”
Launched in 2021, the platform plugs into the likes of EA's F1 game and iRacing as well as using real-world data collected by the team. Its AI breaks down a number of metrics such as braking points, lines taken, and throttle traces, while giving the user lap-by-lap feedback.
According to the organisation, the average user will improve their performance by half a second over their personal best after the first session. And how many people have signed up so far? Over 200,000 users, each improving their wheelmanship one gaming session at a time.
“Our ambition at Track Titan is to be the Strava for motorsport - a rich community where people can further their passion for racing whilst building a true sense of belonging. Having these investors on board means we can unlock a new level for this technology and what it can deliver for the hundreds of thousands of people who already use it,” Teichert added.
The product is mainly aimed at "ambitious" sim racers and hobbyists, but it's also being tested by professional outfits who are looking to bring additional training to their simulator programmes. And with partnerships with the likes of MOZA and Fanatec, it integrates well with some of the most popular hardware out there currently.
Partech believes that AI coaching could well become standard practice. Romain Lavault, general partner of the firm, said: "What Max and his team have accomplished in such a short time in terms of traction and monetisation tells a lot about the market appetite, their ability to scale and their incredible expertise in the space.
"For the first time, AI is able to deliver personalised insights in real time like a pro-level coach sitting in the passenger seat of millions of aspiring racers. Track Titan is on its way to make this a gold standard embedded in gaming hardware or on the dashboard of any modern sports car.”
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