Greg Miller
Well-known member
Ok, maybe not replacing, but a data recorder sure has a better memory and is much more honest.
A decade ago the item you had to have was a lap timer, and then a camera so you could see if you were improving or not as you tried various techniques or lines.
Now with gps based data recorders becoming affordable* you can get more information than you have the ability to analyze. But if you can display the data in a form you can understand you can immediately see what line is best, where late braking helps or hinders and over-layed on someone else's data you can see who has the advantage where.
* affordable - one can argue that you can't afford to run without a data recorder. You would spend much more to improve the performance of the car and get less gain than if you improve the performance of the driver. If your competitor is data equipped and savvy and you are not, they have the edge.
Last weekend TC Motorsports had a seminar on data analysis. It was based on AIM but I got a lot of useful information that applied to my Traqmate. Roger Caddell is the training manager for AIM and has experience on data gathering and analysis on everything from go-karts to off-road trucks. He showed us several tools to dig down to the cause that had the effect we were experiencing.
If you don't see me as much after each race it is because I am in the trailer on my laptop looking at data or comparing data with a fellow racer, all in an effort to - what does Carlo say "Drive smarter, not harder". If you see me B.S.ng remind me that if I'm not looking at data, I paid too much for a lap timer.
A decade ago the item you had to have was a lap timer, and then a camera so you could see if you were improving or not as you tried various techniques or lines.
Now with gps based data recorders becoming affordable* you can get more information than you have the ability to analyze. But if you can display the data in a form you can understand you can immediately see what line is best, where late braking helps or hinders and over-layed on someone else's data you can see who has the advantage where.
* affordable - one can argue that you can't afford to run without a data recorder. You would spend much more to improve the performance of the car and get less gain than if you improve the performance of the driver. If your competitor is data equipped and savvy and you are not, they have the edge.
Last weekend TC Motorsports had a seminar on data analysis. It was based on AIM but I got a lot of useful information that applied to my Traqmate. Roger Caddell is the training manager for AIM and has experience on data gathering and analysis on everything from go-karts to off-road trucks. He showed us several tools to dig down to the cause that had the effect we were experiencing.
If you don't see me as much after each race it is because I am in the trailer on my laptop looking at data or comparing data with a fellow racer, all in an effort to - what does Carlo say "Drive smarter, not harder". If you see me B.S.ng remind me that if I'm not looking at data, I paid too much for a lap timer.
