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Posted

This will be my second season with NASA. Looking in to getting a transponder or GPS unit to keep track of lap times.

Does NASA use specific devices or brands?

Will one transponder work for every track?

If you get a trasponder, do you also need another unit to show you times in the car?

What do you guys recommend?

 

A have looked in many different magazines and at http://www.maxqdata.com. Seems like there is a lot out there and I couldnt find anything specific at nasaproracing.com.

 

Thanks for the help

Tcal

Posted

Does NASA use specific devices or brands?

Will one transponder work for every track?

If you get a trasponder, do you also need another unit to show you times in the car?

What do you guys recommend?

 

 

The AMB Tranx260 is what you are required to have for racing. It comes in direct powered or rechargeable.

 

http://www.amb-it.com/sports-transponders-c-22_24.html

 

It will work at every NASA track and for that matter should work at every road racing track in the US should the timing system be turned on. You should be able to get a printout from timing and scoring an hour after your session. In addition, the data should also be uploaded to mylaps.com by NASA and you can see each lap time and compare to others.

 

AMB also makes an in car display, DisplayIT but it gets mixed reviews and is rumored not to work at all tracks. You dont' really need an in car display though, your focus should be on the track and gauges, not the lap time while in the car.

 

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/product/282/AMB_DisplayIT_In_Car_Display

Posted

Also, whether they allow timing devices in HPDE is region dependent. I don't know whether you are driving in HPDE or asking about time trials or racing, but given that you don't know about which transponders are in use, I would guess that you are driving in HPDE. So, I would recommend cheking with your regional director as to what groups (if any) allow tranpsonders.

 

For example, in NASA Rocky Mountain, you can use a transponder in HPDE 3 and 4, I belive NorCal (which I am shortly moving to), only allows trnaspodners in HPDE 4 (and time trials and racing, of course)

Posted

Obviously, its not something I will be focusing on while driving, but it would be something I would like to see after driving. My goal is to move up a group this season and become a better driver. If you dont have lap times, how do you know youre improving?

 

Thanks for the replies...I will look into that. I also found AIM....they have some pretty cool stand alone systems. And not too expensive.

Posted

There are better places you could spend your money.

Good in-car video if you don't already have it.

Another day at the track with instruction.

Hire someone to instruct you for the day.

Put the money aside and save up for a data acquisition system.

Lot's of other places.

 

I find that lap timers can actually limit your learning and improvements. Even now that I'm racing competitvely, I turn off the in-car lap timer. Once I stopped using it, my lap times fell. Besides, different days will produce different lap times. Ever wonder why you hear people say "it's a fast track today"? How can you tell when you're making improvements? After each session, come in and take a few minutes to de-brief. Write it down. You WILL know as you continue to make improvements.

Posted
There are better places you could spend your money.

Good in-car video if you don't already have it.

Another day at the track with instruction.

Hire someone to instruct you for the day.

Put the money aside and save up for a data acquisition system.

Lot's of other places.

 

I find that lap timers can actually limit your learning and improvements. Even now that I'm racing competitvely, I turn off the in-car lap timer. Once I stopped using it, my lap times fell. Besides, different days will produce different lap times. Ever wonder why you hear people say "it's a fast track today"? How can you tell when you're making improvements? After each session, come in and take a few minutes to de-brief. Write it down. You WILL know as you continue to make improvements.

 

 

Excellent information Dave !!!

Posted

using RPM/speed at markers on track out are a better indication of your exit speed, and that helps you figure out HOW to go faster, rather than telling you you're going fast/slow

Posted
using RPM/speed at markers on track out are a better indication of your exit speed, and that helps you figure out HOW to go faster, rather than telling you you're going fast/slow

 

+1

 

I went to a Skip Barber school in January and this is what they recommended.

Posted

What they said.

 

Also, just because you ran a faster lap time, all you know is that the lap as a whole was faster. You don't know whether you went faster on the front straight, turn 10, turn 3/4 combo, etc... RPM at braking points and speed markers is a much better indicator of how you are doing, because it allows you to say "Okay, I went faster through turn 10, but my turn 3/4 combo was slower" A faster lap time won't tell you that.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Thanks for all of the advice! I will try all those things and I do understand that 99% of improvement will come from experience and my instructor. I do have a video camera mounted in the car and it has helped.

I found a used gps system from maxqata.com. It seems like it could help some....showing you your line on the track and lap times. Of course...all of this is done afterward on my laptop. It was cheap...so I got it. We will see how it works?

Again...thanks everyone! Hope to see you out there.

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Do us all a favor and keep mum about whatever you do. We don't want to hear about your lap times in an HPDE setting.

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

What a cool discussion. In HPDE3/4 SoCal we constantly have the "I turned a 2:?? and am 1.5-9 (insert improvement here) seconds faster. It is sooo much more important to dissect where you are getting your time and the entry and exit speeds at critical corners on the track. Also things vary on track with traffic and conditions of the car so it gives a much richer kind of info to learn from.

 

We have been getting excellent results from the MaxQData GPS logger. It can be configured for sector times (just like F1) and gives an amazing amount of info (maybe too much for a newbie to comprehend).

 

Lap times are cool, but looking at a video with a faster (better driven) car to compare to (in front) coupled with some data logging will yield so much improvement. It's a lot more overhead, but if you're serious this is what it takes. Learn how to drive quickly with great car control, then hone the individual corners and lines. Don't forget hard notes on tire pressures and temps and immediate handling comments on pit out and you're starting to get serious about improvement. Add in historical notes of spring/bar settings and tire condition and you're well on your way to record times!

 

Remember, area under the speed/distance curve is track-made-good and means you are ahead of the competition . . .who will be slower at that exact point on the track.

 

My 2 cents.

Posted

Precisely Ken. My point is that focusing on lap times alone is not the aim of the HPDE ladder. Also the level of understanding and involvement to go really fast requires discipline and support to do well. I have signed off 4-5 HPDE3/4 level people last weekend and they are headed to Driving Concepts and W2W racing.

 

Just trying to add scope to the discussion.

 

It's my experience that without instruction or a dedicated program of improvement, growth is slow. There are always individual exceptions. I love dicing with my former students in the race classes. It gives them a chance to utter those famous words from Star Wars "Now I am the master" heh heh.

 

MD out

Posted
. I have signed off 4-5 HPDE3/4 level people last weekend and they are headed to Driving Concepts and W2W racing.

 

Mike, I'm part of the SoCal HPDE3 gang. I wasn't driving during the last event as my car was in need of new rear wheel bearings.

 

I plan on racing W2W, too. What do I need to get a sign off to go racing? I'm already registered for the next Driving Concepts racing school.

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