Race day apps

"beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard" (beardsbynelly-Rikerbeard) 02/14/2020 at 21:43 • Filed to: None

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Hey friends.

Hill climb season is nearly upon us down in Aus, and I’m looking at getting a bit more serious this year, particularly in tracking my sector times and Improvements more thoroughly.

Do any of you have experience with race data logging? Before I drop a few hundo on a vbox or similar, What phone apps are out there that are popular?

Oh, and I have access to iPhones and androids so I’m not limited to OS.

Pictured is my head mechanic

NYankee1927 > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:07

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I use Harry’s lap timer. If you can find a mount sturdy enough it shows you real-time splits. It is accurate in lap times to within .1 seconds of a person on the pit wall timing you. $30 gets you the app that even does overlay. Absolute beast for the money. Just make sure to get an external charger. It drains your battery in a stunning fashion.

It even does theoretical fastest lap, which is a great tool to get your times down. 

wafflesnfalafel > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:11

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head mechanic looks a little annoyed there :)  

WRXforScience > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:12

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Phones use a 1Hz gps receiver and for useful data you’ll want a 10Hz gps unit. You can buy a standalone gps unit but you’ll be spending a good portion of what an entry/used data system will cost.

I use an AIM Solo2 for track and I’ve found it very useful. You might want to look into a Solo Storm, I know a number of people who use and like them for autox (you’ll need an external gps unit and most find it best to pair with a tablet of some sort for analysis).

There are a couple of phone apps that ‘work’ but they aren’t particularly accurate, but they’re cheap.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:15

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Track Addict & Race Chrono are good options.

WRXforScience > NYankee1927 02/14/2020 at 22:23

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I know people who after upgrading from Harry’s found out that it was off by full seconds for their fastest laps (they were fastest because of data errors). It’s great bang for the buck though.

NYankee1927 > WRXforScience 02/14/2020 at 22:25

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That is interesting. I know it suffers in the corners, but it has been reliable for overall lap time. 

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > WRXforScience 02/14/2020 at 22:33

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thanks I’ll look more into it , but a quick couple of questions you might be able to answer for me:
does it rely on having the track in their database already?
I see it’s got an export function, would my mentor need the app as well to be able to read the data?

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > NYankee1927 02/14/2020 at 22:38

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Thanks, I’ve heard of this one, a couple of other drivers at the track are keen on it.
Pretty sorted for battery... as long as nothing goes wrong it’ll only be running for around a minute each run .

WRXforScience > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:39

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The AIM and just about all the other systems all have ‘track learning’ functions where you can record custom tracks. The AIM is intended for tracks but will work on point to point runs, but if hillclimb is closer to autox then it might not be the best fit for you.

The Solo Storm requires you to set the start/finish (this can be done while doing a course walk), but I don’t know how easy it is to set from in the car.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 02/14/2020 at 22:39

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thanks, any idea if either of those lets me export and send the data to my mentor?

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > wafflesnfalafel 02/14/2020 at 22:40

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he’s upset I left the car out during  the hail storm the day before.

NYankee1927 > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:44

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As the other guy said, accuracies in corners arnt amazing at 1 hz gps. But overall good timing and if your splits are on in a straight, it does ok because interpolation works well in those instances. 

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > WRXforScience 02/14/2020 at 22:48

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Thanks again, my local track has been around a while so there’s a better than zero chance it’s in there.

Dusty Ventures > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 02/14/2020 at 22:57

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I use TrackAddict. You can export the data, it saves it in three formats, .csv, .tad, and .txt, so you can choose the one that works for you. I download the .csv and import it to the RaceRender video editing program to do video overlays from my onboards. Track addict also has a massive track library, which in includes ovals, road courses, drag strips, some hill climbs, etc. You can also program in a new track/climb course it doesn’t already have and tell it where the start/finish are so it can automatically log the start and finish. You can also pair it with an OBD2 for extra data.