Fast car goes even faster without revving the engine

Four tires and a tank of gas aren't enough for one auto racer.

Daniel Herrington also counts on software from SAS. The rising N.C. State University sophomore races Formula-1-style cars, which can top 150 mph. He's been racing in his free time for three years and began using the software this year to improve his track performance.

What is he doing? Herrington, 19, has his car outfitted with about 40 sensors that record suspension and other settings when he drives. Afterward, the information is fed into a computer and analyzed with SAS' JMP software, which translates the statistical information into visual images.

So what? Using the software, Herrington's team can test changes in tire pressure, fuel and other variables to find the optimal car settings.

It costs as much as $100 a minute to run test laps, so the more that can be done on computer, the bigger the savings.

"There are over a billion combinations of adjustments we could make," said his father, David Herrington, who has used the Cary company's software for medical research and introduced it to his son. "The challenge is to sift through a billion different possibilities to find a 10th of a second" that can be shaved off a lap.

How does SAS benefit? Having a successful driver behind the product can boost the SAS brand. JMP is a special division of SAS, headed by company co-founder John Sall. In addition to its uses in auto racing, the software has aided workers in the semiconductor, medical and other industries. "When engineers first learn engineering, they do trial and error," Sall said. "That works, but it's not very efficient."

JMP allows simulations "just by dragging a slider," he said.

Has it helped on the track? The younger Herrington competes with people who have driven longer. Yet he is the points leader in the Star Mazda Championship Series. Translation: He's at the top of his game. He says the technology has helped.

"There is a big mental thing about driving," he said. By using the software to make adjustments, "we're faster. That gives you a lot of confidence."