At the start of every Flat race using starting stalls, the Starter pressing the button to release the stall gates causes a radio transmitter installed in the box on his podium to send a radio pulse directly to the photofinish equipment back in the stand. The instant that pulse is received signals the official start of the race, and the timing is plotted on the photofinish strip to enable a completely accurate time to be read off for each horse passing the winning post.

This new system is used for all Flat meetings, as radio technology means that the racecourse no longer relies on the installation of cabling for timing races. A more recent development is the growth of interest in sectional timing, whereby different parts of a race are separately timed - and show, for example, whether the early pace was slow or strong compared with the pace in the later stages of the race. In 1998 Newmarket's Rowley Mile became the first course to have RaceTech install and operate an electronic sectional timing system.