Coach Dave Delta vs Garage 61 – Which is Best for You?

You want to get faster. That’s why you’re here. Both Coach Dave Delta and Garage 61 can help you analyse your driving and find lap time on iRacing. But they’re ultimately built for different drivers with different needs. This guide breaks down what each tool actually does so you can pick the right one.

The Quick Answer

If you race across multiple sims, (iRacing, ACC, Le Mans Ultimate, AMS2, AC Evo, GT7) and want professional setups, a telemetry and AI coaching tool, plus free Coaching courses in one package, Delta is the more complete solution, by a country mile.

If you race exclusively on iRacing and want a free basic telemetry tool with community-driven data, Garage 61 is a solid choice. 

That’s the short version. Now here’s the full breakdown:

At a Glance: Feature Comparison

Sim Support: The Biggest Difference

This is where the two tools diverge most clearly.

Delta is a tool that supports iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Le Mans Ultimate, Gran Turismo 7, Assetto Corsa, AMS2 and AC Evo. It’s a one-stop shop for multiple sims. If you split time between them, having one tool like Delta across all platforms is just incredible value for money and keeps your sim racing consistent, with familiarity using Delta’s telemetry tools, leaderboards, reference laps and more.

Garage 61 is a tool built specifically for iRacing. If iRacing is your only sim, that focus can be an advantage. The tool is tightly integrated with iRacing’s ecosystem, and the community has uploaded millions of laps for comparison. 

One Subscription For All

Unlimited setups for Le Mans Ultimate, iRacing & ACC. AI Coaching, Pro Reference Laps, Telemetry & Leaderboards for 7 different sims. Everything you need to win.

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Setups: Professional vs Community

Here’s where the tools take fundamentally different approaches.

Delta includes over 2,500 professionally-developed setups created by Coach Dave Academy’s team of pro sim racers and real-world engineers. These are developed for each iRacing season and updated weekly, with ACC and LMU setups following the same professional development process. The setups auto-install when you launch the app and select your session. You’ll also have access to all of the fastest laps created by Delta’s pro drivers, as well as the lap times of other users using Delta through the leaderboards, where you can simply drag and drop a time to see their telemetry data and compare.

Delta also automatically adjusts tyre pressures based on track temperature and conditions before you exit pitlane in Assetto Corsa Competizione. No more manually calculating pressures for changing weather.

Garage 61 relies on community-shared setups. Users can upload and share their configurations, which means you’ll find setups for most car/track combinations. The quality varies, however. Some are excellent, but some are uploaded by drivers still learning or who are not professionals. There’s no curation or guarantee of competitiveness. A lot of the fastest times and setups can also get locked behind the user when they choose to make their data private, meaning your comparisons for improvement with other top-performing drivers can be limited on the platform.

Telemetry and Analysis

Both tools let you record and analyse your driving data. You’ll see throttle traces, brake inputs, steering angle, speed, and lap times. Both let you compare your laps against others.

One of the biggest differences is how it is presented. G61 takes a very simplistic approach with no fancy UI, unlike Delta, where the app puts UI at the forefront and beautifully presents all of its data. 

Delta adds all of that inside the app and then an extra AI layer on top. Auto Insights analyses your laps and tells you specifically what to improve. It breaks down each corner into phases (braking, entry, apex, exit) and shows you exactly where you’re losing time compared to the reference lap. Instead of staring at overlapping traces trying to spot the issue, you get direct feedback: “Brake 5 metres earlier into Turn 3” or “You’re lifting too early on corner exit.”

This is game-changing.

Garage 61 gives you the raw information. You look at the graphs, identify where you’re losing time, and figure out what to change. This works well if you already know how to read telemetry or have a coach helping you interpret it. Most people may use MoTeC alongside G61.

The Learning Curve

Delta is a desktop app with more features packed in. The latest version (5.4) streamlined the interface significantly, moving navigation to the top and organising features into clear panels. First-time get a comprehensive tutorial before they dive in and explore, and the payoff is having setups, telemetry, AI coaching, leaderboards and reference laps all in one place, for seven different sims, not just one. 

Garage 61 is web-based. You install a small agent that runs in the background, and all your analysis happens in the browser. The interface is clean. If you’ve used any telemetry tool before, you’ll figure it out quickly. Although there are no tutorials to show you how to use the app. 

Pricing

Coach Dave Delta: $12.99/month or $109/year (save 15%) for all features for all sim racing titles offered.

Delta’s subscription includes everything at one price with no hidden charges: Unlimited setups for iRacing, ACC, and LMU, the full telemetry suite, AI coaching, the Never Lift course, SimGrid Pro access, 10% off coaching sessions, 10% off Asetek equipment and a 3-month free iRacing coupon for new annual subscribers.

Garage 61: Free basic tier. Pro features from $7/month.

Garage 61’s free tier covers basic telemetry. The Pro subscription unlocks filtering for setups, telemetry access on other drivers’ laps, and extended data storage.

The question isn’t which costs less. It’s what delivers more value for how you race.

Who Should Choose What

Choose Delta if:

• You race on multiple sims (ACC, iRacing, LMU, GT7, AMS2, AC, AC Evo)
• You want professional setups included, not community uploads
• You want AI coaching that tells you exactly what to improve without the guesswork
• You’re tired of manually installing setups and calculating tyre pressures
• You want a beginner driver course that teaches the fundamentals 
• You want everything in one subscription instead of piecing together multiple tools

Choose Garage 61 if:

• You only race on iRacing
• You want a free telemetry tool to test the waters
• You’re comfortable interpreting raw data yourself
• You prefer web-based tools over desktop apps
• You have a separate setup source you’re happy with

The Bottom Line

Coach Dave Delta is a complete driver development platform. Professional Setups, complete telemetry analysis, AI coaching, reference laps, tyre pressure automation, and multi-sim support in one package. 

For drivers who want to stop cobbling together separate tools and start improving faster, it’s the more complete solution. 

Garage 61 is a capable, free telemetry tool for iRacing. It does one thing and does it well. If you’re an iRacing-only driver who already has setups sorted and just wants basic telemetry data, it’s a solid choice.

Garage 61’s free tier makes it easy to test before committing to anything. But if you want to see what professional setups and AI coaching actually feel like, Delta’s where the difference becomes obvious.

Ready to Find Lap Time?

Join 11,500+ sim racers using Delta to get faster. Professional setups, AI coaching, and telemetry for iRacing, ACC, LMU, AMS2, AC and GT7.

Try Delta Today: https://coachdaveacademy.com/delta/

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