What Is The Best Lap Timer For Track Days?

Choosing the right lap timer is essential for maximising your track day experience and honing your driving skills. With the right lap timer, you can accurately measure your performance, track improvement over time and even analyse specific areas for potential improvements.

Although many motorsport lap timers might seem to do the same thing (provide insights into your lap times), they each have their own features and benefits to suit different motorsport needs. In this guide, we will discuss some of the things you should consider when choosing which lap timer is best suited to your specific needs based on elements like cost, features, experience level and accuracy.

How To Choose The Best Track Day Lap Timer

When considering which lap timer is best for your track day needs, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you a competitive driver who needs the most accurate track day performance data for post-session analysis?
• Do you want to record onboard video to overlay data over track day footage?
• Do you want an in-car display of your lap times?
• What is your budget?

With these answers in mind, it’ll be much easier to narrow down which motorsport lap timer will best suit your specific requirements. Remember everyone is different, so this is just a guide to give you an idea about which option might be better for you.

Features Of A Good Lap Timer

With so many track day lap timers on the market, it can be really difficult to know which option is right for your motorsport needs. In short, a good lap timer should typically have the following attributes and features:

• Accurate lap timing
• Easy-to-use interface & setup
• Video logging integration
• Post-session analysis capabilities
• Value for money

Accurate Lap Timing

Accurate lap timing can be a game-changer for competitive track racing. Where even a millisecond can make a difference, choosing a lap timer that provides advanced accuracy is important.

At Aim, many of our track day lap timers come with a GPS09 module, with GPS accuracy of 25Hz, as opposed to some slower GPS lap timers on the market that only sample at 10Hz. This provides drivers and teams with pinpoint accuracy to identify areas for improvement, such as braking later or accelerating sooner out of turns.

Usability

Since your focus needs to stay on the track, a lap timer should be easy to read and intuitive to set up and use. Look for devices with clear, bright displays and straightforward controls you can quickly access, even while wearing gloves. It’s also worth considering a GPS lap timer that can automatically record your lap time with precision from the moment you cross the start/finish line.

Video Logging

If you’re a professional motorsport racer, having a lap timer that can synchronise with track day video can be extremely beneficial for post-session analysis. At Aim, our Track Day Kit seamlessly captures HD video footage with driver and vehicle performance data overlays that are easy to analyse and share.

Post-Session Analysis

If you want to analyse your driving technique in detail, choose a lap timer with robust data recording and analysis options. Post-session analysis features, such as reviewing lap data on your computer or mobile device, can be incredibly helpful for refining your technique.

Using Race Studio 3 software, drivers and teams can export session performance data to analyse and optimise performance.

Value For Money

Lap timers can be quite costly depending on their features. Although a budget-friendly lap timer might be suitable for basic lap timing features, it might not be suitable for racers looking for advanced features like data logging and integration with additional sensors for complete racing performance analysis.

It’s important to be realistic about what features are the most important to you. Choose a lap timer that has features that are important to you, but is still within a reasonable budget.

Lap Timer FAQs

How Do GPS Lap Timers Work?

Using advanced GPS technology, GPS lap timers accurately measure your location on the track to provide real time location and performance data. At Aim, our GPS lap timers can provide:

• Predictive lap times: Compares the current lap to the best previous lap time.
• Theoretical lap times: Compiles the best lap time for each sector, so you can see what your potential best lap time could be.
  
• Automatic lap timing: Automatically records lap times once you cross the start/finish line, so you don’t need to remember to manually start and end the lap timing.

Is It Banned To Use A Phone As A Lap Timer?

Yes, using a phone or tablet visible on the dash is banned in racing in the UK due to the distraction they can cause. If you’d like to accurately monitor your speed during track days, we highly recommend using a track day-approved lap timer like the ones we’ve mentioned.

How To Install Aim Lap Timers

Thanks to their small dimensions and the different installation accessories available, many Aim lap timers can be installed on almost any kind of motorsport vehicle. Depending on the device, installation can be as easy as mounting it onto the bracket and plugging the device in.
For more information on how to install Aim devices, take a look at the specific products user guide.

Where To Buy An Aim Track Day Lap Timer

Track day lap timers are a powerful asset for any motorsport setup, providing drivers with valuable insights to improve speed, efficiency and consistency on the track. If you’re interested in Aim track day lap timers, visit the product page on Aim Technologies for more information on each model. You can also purchase these products directly from the following sites:

• Aim Shop
• Road Race Rally Trading
• JB Data Engineering
• GP Direct