Over the years, technology has given enthusiasts a real boost in launching their Corvettes for quarter-mile thrills. But the launch itself was always dependent on waiting for the light of the drag strip’s Christmas Tree to illuminate and then lifting off the brake to blast down the track. Those that could anticipate the green light often had the advantage especially when the margins for taking the win can be a 10th or even a 100th of a second.
For those drivers that lagged at the sight of the green light, a common refrain was the car needed a “driver mod.”
Now, General Motors wants to remove the human element altogether with a new launch control patent that uses the vehicle’s cameras to watch the drag strip’s Christmas Tree lights and then engages the car’s launch control automatically.
The U.S Patent (12,780,203), “Methods and Systems for Coordinating Launch Control for Vehicles for Racing” was originally filed in January 2025 and was published in July 2026 according to a report by Road & Track. The patent was granted to GM on November 3, 2026.
The patent details discuss the method of using one or more exterior cameras to identify the Christmas Tree light system at a drag strip and then prompts the driver to engage launch control. It appears that happens much the same way it’s currently done, by holding down both the brake and accelerator pedals. However, in this new setup, the launch control isn’t dependent on lifting the brake pedal to engage it.
Not only does the camera wait for the Green Light to illuminate, but it can also identify the brand of the Christmas Tree lighting system to determine its timing sequence in advance. According to Road & Track, “a Pro Tree illuminates all three amber lights simultaneously before turning green 0.4 seconds later, whereas Sportsman Tree illuminates the amber lights sequentially with half-second intervals. GM’s system could account for those differences automatically.”
No specific vehicle was named in the patent, and the new system is unlikely to see production anytime soon. Is “Push-Button” racing headed for a future Corvette or COPO Camaro? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source:
Road and Track
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