Make sense of the traces
The vocabulary behind lap comparisons, driver inputs, and corner-by-corner analysis.
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Data basics
- Telemetry
- Measurements recorded through a session, such as speed, position, and driver inputs, that let you review what happened on track.
- Channel
- One recorded measurement over time: speed, throttle position, brake pressure, or another signal.
- Sample rate
- How often a channel is measured. A 20 Hz channel records 20 samples each second; different channels can have different rates.
- GPS trace
- The sequence of recorded positions around a lap. Its detail depends on reception, sampling, and the device’s accuracy.
Lap comparison
- Reference lap
- The lap you use as the baseline for a comparison. A representative clean lap can be more useful than one affected by traffic or a mistake.
- Lap delta
- The accumulated time difference between two laps at a corresponding point on track. Check the comparison’s sign convention before interpreting positive and negative values.
- Sector
- A portion of the circuit used to compare performance in smaller pieces than a full lap.
- Best-possible lap
- A theoretical lap assembled from the fastest recorded sectors. It is a benchmark, not necessarily a lap that was driven or is achievable in the same conditions.
Corner analysis
- Braking point
- The position where braking begins. Compare it together with brake pressure, release, and exit performance.
- Apex
- The point where the driven line comes closest to the inside of a corner. It does not always coincide with the lowest recorded speed.
- Minimum speed
- The slowest speed reached in a corner. Read it alongside the line and exit speed rather than treating it as the only target.
- Trail braking
- Continuing to use the brakes after turn-in while progressively releasing them as cornering demand builds.
- Coasting
- A period with little or no throttle and no braking input. Whether it costs time depends on the corner and the car.
- Exit speed
- Speed as the car leaves a corner. Its effect can carry along the following straight, so inspect more than the apex alone.
Inputs & forces
- Throttle position
- The recorded throttle or pedal signal. Channel definitions matter: pedal position and actual throttle opening can differ.
- Brake pressure
- Pressure measured in a brake circuit. It is not the same as pedal travel or a simulator’s normalised brake input.
- Lateral G
- Sideways acceleration expressed in multiples of gravitational acceleration. It helps describe cornering load.
- Longitudinal G
- Acceleration or deceleration along the vehicle’s direction of travel. The sign depends on the sensor or software convention.
- G-G diagram
- A plot of lateral against longitudinal acceleration. It shows how cornering, braking, and acceleration combine throughout a session.
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