DrivetoSurvive

DrivetoSurvive is a Web3 platform that creates a trustless, performance-driven marketplace for motorsport drivers, teams, sponsors, and fans. Each driver is represented by an on-chain NFT that stores identity and provenance; its Performance Value Index (PVI) and market value change dynamically based on real race telemetry and fan behavior. Sponsors fund drivers through transparent escrowed sponsorships; contract terms between drivers and teams include performance clauses that automatically trigger bonuses or reviews when verified race data satisfies (or fails) milestones.

The core idea: replace opaque, influence-driven contract decisions with a meritocratic, verifiable system where true sporting performance and community support determine funding, opportunities, and payouts.

Problems we solve

Pay-to-play bias: prevents well-funded but underperforming drivers from displacing talented, under-funded racers.

Opaque sponsorships: makes sponsor funds, release conditions and payouts auditable on-chain.

Low fan utility: turns fans into genuine stakeholders with verifiable economic upside (NFTs + ProofNFT rewards).

Fragile data trust: ensures race stats used to trigger contracts are provably posted and available (no single server trust).

Core Features (MVP)

Driver NFTs (Hedera EVM) — mintable NFTs representing drivers. Metadata on IPFS includes driver info and contract pointers.

Performance Value Index (PVI) — normalized score computed by a backend valuation worker using live race data (FastF1) + fan engagement multipliers; signed by the worker for verifiability.

Contract logic (Hedera smart contracts) — contracts include base pay, bonus milestones, termination triggers and reference the PVI thresholds. Key events (signing, payout, escrow releases) are recorded on-chain.

Sponsorship Escrow — sponsors deposit funds into an on-chain escrow tied to milestone conditions; when the valuation worker verifies a milestone, funds are released automatically and a ProofNFT is minted.

Avail data-availability proofs — each valuation update payload is hashed and posted to Avail so frontends and auditors can prove that the off-chain calculation existed publicly at a given time.

Fan Engagement & Rewards — fans buy driver NFTs, perform engagement actions (watch/check-in/vote), and earn ProofNFTs or perks (discounts, merch, access). Engagement contributes to the driver’s popularity score that modifies PVI.

Team Dashboard (Main demo) — single window where teams view roster, sponsorship pool, driver PVIs, contract health and recent events. All critical actions and state are demonstrable from the dashboard.

High-level architecture & data flow

Race data source: FastF1 (or other motorsport telemetry API) → backend ingestion.

Valuation Worker (server): normalizes and composes PVI from race telemetry + fan engagement signals; signs the PVI update (JSON + signature).

Avail: the backend posts the data bundle hash (Merkle root or single hash) to Avail as an availability proof for the update.

Hedera smart contracts: read signed PVI updates (or the frontend relayer does) and accept or verify that the update has a corresponding Avail proof; smart contracts then update driver value state, release escrowed sponsor funds if milestones met, and mint ProofNFTs.

Frontend: Next.js dashboard reads on-chain state (NFT ownership, escrow events) and off-chain APIs (signed PVI, value history, FastF1 snapshots); UI shows provenance badges (“Verified on Avail”, signed by valuation worker).

On-chain vs Off-chain split: heavy, frequently updating telemetry & calculations are computed off-chain (valuation worker) to avoid gas waste; all authoritative state transitions (mint, escrow, contract signing/payout) are recorded on Hedera to maintain finality and auditability.

User journeys (what judges will see in the demo)

Team view (main demo): shows roster with driver NFT cards (token ID + current market value), sponsorship pool balance, and quick actions.

Driver detail page: shows NFT art, PVI, market value chart, contract summary with clause statuses, sponsor list, and top fan holders. Contract tiles show clause progress (e.g., “podium bonus: 2/3 → payout queued”).

Fan page: shows owned driver NFTs, engagement score, claimable rewards (ProofNFTs), and quick buy/stake buttons. Buying mints a Hedera NFT to the fan’s wallet (demo uses testnet).

Sponsor flow: sponsor deposits into escrow via the UI; when a milestone is satisfied per valuation worker and Avail proof, funds automatically unlock and transaction appears in the timeline with ProofNFT issuance.

Admin/demo controls (dev mode): push a simulated FastF1 race result → valuation recompute → UI updates PVI & market value → contract clause crosses threshold → escrow release & ProofNFT minting. This deterministic flow proves end-to-end automation.

Why this approach is unique & impactful

Meritocratic economics: funding follows verifiable performance and measurable fan support rather than opaque negotiations.

Real-world utility for fans & sponsors: NFTs are access tokens that unlock tangible perks (discounts, event passes), creating real demand and utility.

Data trust & auditability: combining signed valuation outputs + Avail-backed data-availability makes off-chain calculations publicly provable and tamper-resistant.

Hackathon fit: the project composes multiple sponsor primitives (cross-chain payments / Avail proofs / Hedera smart contracts) and creates clear demo moments for judges.

Tech stack

Frontend: Next.js + Tailwind + Wagmi/ethers (Hedera EVM compatible tooling)

Smart contracts / chain: Hedera EVM (testnet / previewnet) — Driver NFT, SponsorEscrow, Contract registry

Data feed: FastF1 API (race telemetry) + fan engagement APIs (backend)

Data availability / proof: Avail (testnet)

Valuation & backend: Node.js (valuation worker signs updates)

Storage: IPFS for NFT metadata and contract docs

What we will deliver at submission/demo

Deployed Hedera testnet smart contract(s) with a verified example mint (Hashscan link).

Working Next.js demo that shows Team View → Driver Detail → Fan and Sponsor flows end-to-end.

Live / simulated race update showing PVI change → contract clause trigger → escrow release → ProofNFT minted — all verifiable with Avail hash and on Hedera.

Public GitHub repository with README documenting how to reproduce, and a 3-4 minute demo video.

Prize alignment

Avail: we post valuation update hashes to Avail and display Avail verification in UI — direct use case for Avail Nexus and data-availability proofs.

Hedera: smart contracts run on Hedera EVM, contract verification via Hashscan, and optional Hedera Agent Kit integration for agent-based automations.

Other bounties: cross-chain payments or PayPal/PYUSD integration could later plug into sponsor flows via Avail bridge.

How it’s made: DrivetoSurvive was built using Hedera, Avail Nexus SDK, and the FastF1 API, combining live motorsport analytics with decentralized finance and fan engagement tools.

Each driver NFT is minted and managed on Hedera, with performance-linked metadata that updates based on race results from the FastF1 API. The Avail Nexus SDK powers cross-chain liquidity and sponsorship payouts, allowing fans and sponsors to seamlessly fund or trade driver NFTs across ecosystems.

The app’s frontend is built with Next.js and Shadcn UI, while smart contracts are written in Solidity for Hedera’s EVM. A subgraph (via The Graph) indexes driver stats, NFT transfers, and sponsor interactions for real-time dashboards.

A bit of hacky glue connects everything — a backend worker parses live race data, computes new performance scores, and triggers NFT metadata updates + liquidity rebalancing through Avail intents. This makes driver value fully dynamic and on-chain verifiable.