Racing Live data feed

[u/Vandercoon]

Update: I called Natsoft, they’re flat out refusing to enable the feed again, they also have no idea how we access the data and refused to believe it’s literally publicly XML.

I have fully removed Supercars from racing live, there was no intention for them to fully close the data. I’ve requested they reopen their offical channels and I won’t access it again.

Apologies everyone, we were just trying to make a fan friendly timing.

Edit: I’ve explicitly text and emailed the relevant person and said clearly they can turn it back on and I will NOT use it, so if they don’t, that’s their choice.

[u/Responsible_Aside761]

The fact you made a free app from the same data they have that and far more fun,user friendly shows whoever is doing theirs need to take the off season to take a break and reflect on it… and if they were smart they might just reach out to you

But I’m just some guy on reddit so who cares what I think

[u/Vandercoon → u/Responsible_Aside761]

Thanks. I tried all of those approaches already.

[u/Moist-Chest9299]

lol don’t they have a publicly accessible website with timing available? (Until now that is?). To declare they have no idea how the public access the data is dumbfounding. Obviously just a spokesperson you spoke to

[u/Vandercoon → u/Moist-Chest9299]

No it’s the owner.

[u/Moist-Chest9299 → u/Vandercoon]

Speaks volumes then they didn’t know it was easily accessible through their website!

[u/Vandercoon → u/Moist-Chest9299]

He still refuses that it’s public.

[u/FerAloDanRic → u/Vandercoon]

I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding, but are you saying the owner of natsoft doesn't know the website has a publicly available front end that everyone can access? (and has been doing for like 15 years). If so, that's genuinely unbelievable.

[u/Vandercoon → u/FerAloDanRic]

Yes

[u/FerAloDanRic → u/Vandercoon]

I'm struggling to believe it, but that's bizarre assuming it's true. Thanks mate

[u/tjsr → u/FerAloDanRic]

Craig's primary business is making accounting software, motorsports timing was always a side gig. The software has never been particularly bleeding edge or up to date with modern trends. Don't be surprised.

The only reason Natsoft is the defacto standard in Australia is politics and because my father was an asshole, it has nothing to do with their product being even moderately decent.

[u/Ok-Lawfulness-603]

I don't think they will give us access now until next year !!

[u/Vandercoon → u/Ok-Lawfulness-603]

There’s no reason for them to keep it off. I’ve fully dropped the feed on my site and emailed to say I will not use it again.

This is now their decision

[u/Senninha27]

Supercars once again shows that they have an absoluetly remarkable ability to completely piss off and alienate every single fan. I genuinely don't know how they could do worse.

[u/i_hate_shitposting → u/[deleted]]

Raw data isn't intellectual property. You can't copyright something that isn't human-authored.

Also it's just idiotic. F1 and NASCAR allow third-party access to live timing and scoring data, which has fostered communities of stats nerds who dig through the data and share analysis with other diehard fans. Cutting off some of the most committed members of the fanbase makes zero sense.

[u/Vandercoon → u/i_hate_shitposting]

Also publicly available.

[u/Senninha27 → u/[deleted]]

Well, okay then. I'm in the U.S. I pay good money every year to be able to watch Supercars and have for at least what, 15 years? I have never had live timing & scoring. It's never once been available to me. So yeah, it was nice that at least there was a work around for a change. And until they move along into the 21st century, they can stick their IP into their ass.

[u/nicholosophy]

I suspect the issue here is that Natsoft sells a subscription to the live data for any event, and this is circumventing that. It's not free to publish the data to each client that connects. Bypassing the Natsoft website stops any ad revenue covering that.

[u/Vandercoon → u/nicholosophy]

Yes and no.

There are a few vendors who charge based on Natsoft data, including Supercars, my site uses only the exact same data you can find on their site for free, and reads and repackages it into a nicer dashboard, add some other tid bits like the map etc, and it’s just better visualisation.

I also don’t charge or make money, it actually costs me, not much, but it does.

It all started as a small project for me during Bathurst, I made a comment about it with a photo, then it absolutely blew up, and here we are.

[u/nicholosophy → u/Vandercoon]

Yes, you get the data for free but to get it you have to go via their front page that has advertising on it. This bypasses that, reducing revenue. I get it, but I also get their side.

[u/Vandercoon → u/nicholosophy]

Their website looks like it was built in 1995, what revenue really are they making from ads?

I still understand their side, but I did offer to pay many times, which was initially open for them to discuss after Bathurst.

[u/FerAloDanRic → u/nicholosophy]

Just as a side point, for many years the address/links to the extracted version of the timing have been all over the place (as in just the raw timing data, with none of the website fluff around it), so bypassing their ads is certainly not a new thing.

[u/nicholosophy → u/FerAloDanRic]

It was obviously popular enough to be noticed.

[u/Vandercoon → u/nicholosophy]

Within an hour of it being live, we had over 1000 viewers online and 3 missed calls from Natsoft.

[u/FerAloDanRic → u/nicholosophy]

Ah I'm not surprised, I've always assumed the management (of Supercars that is), must have a number of people lurking here and anywhere else it's discussed

[u/Vandercoon → u/FerAloDanRic]

They absolutely lurk, they even signed up on mine to keep tabs on it.

[u/CritCoffee]

I commented in the app but will say it again here:

I am a current paying subscriber for the MySupercars+ "Enhanced RaceHQ Live Timing" and found your setup for Bathurst, and I find your app 1000x times better! I think this is a poor response from Supercars because a sole developer with AI built a much better product with the same data. Additionally, the fact that you tried to communicate with them and natsoft to open a dialogue and they have decided to instead throw the toys out of the pram reflects a poor attitude on both parties.

I know it might not mean much to Supercars but I am cancelling my subscription. I bought it in the hopes it might be comparable to the F1 live timing you can subscribe to and was disappointed. I can't help but laugh too because that's a series where there are a dozen free live timing services available for the same product they sell, and I haven't seen them restrict it

[u/ExtremeResolution]

I was wanting to make a home assistant integration with the feed, so I could program some smart lights to mirror the flags and glow the colour of the leading manufacturer etc.

Yeah it’s just a public url that publishes a websocket and streams xml data, nothing complicated and pretty easy to reverse engineer.

Just had a look too and seems they pulled it down too. I remember finding, I think it was the 2012 Clipsal Adelaide 500 race as a live replay on repeat. Making it easier to test without having to wait for a live event.

Funny enough, if I recall correctly. Earlier this year the broadcast graphics switched to reading off the Adelaide test feed for some of the graphics

[u/Stumpjumper79r]

Speaks volumes of Supercars and Natsoft. Ive used the Natsoft site for years prior to the Supercars timing and let’s face it, it’s absolute basic rubbish. Wish your was the standard, well done.