Data in sim racing provides a detailed and objective insight into every aspect of a driver’s performance and vehicle behaviour, helping to validate feedback from coaching and subjective observations with precise information.
From throttle application to braking points and tyre temperatures, data captures the intricacies of a lap that are often overlooked from the driver’s seat. However, data is only useful if the driver asks the right questions or understands what they are looking at, such as, “Where am I losing time in turn 2?” or “How does another driver’s throttle application differ from mine?”
This is why we are putting together a series of helpful guides that will help you understand how to get the most out of Delta. We start here with the basic functions of the Delta tool before we go into granular details to help you even further, covering topics such as;
- How to analyse throttle inputs
- How to analyse brake traces
- How to analyse steering traces
- Understanding cornering data for slow and fast corners and chicanes
- How to compare, identify and correct driving mistakes
Delta Works With Many Sims
This is where the Coach Dave Delta telemetry tool can help, as the app is loaded with thousands of professional reference laps on multiple racing titles for you to compare a whole range of data points.
Delta Is Filled With Important Tools
While data acquisition tools like Delta don’t automatically make a driver faster, they help drivers understand their performance more clearly and quickly. The tools within Coach Dave Delta reveal areas of inconsistency or overdriving thanks to the fantastic UI and graphs that display this information back to you in real time. Drivers still need to understand what changes are necessary, however, and practice those techniques until they are consistently executed.
Delta Has A Library Full Of Professional Setups
Top drivers use data to fine-tune their performance by benchmarking, optimising vehicle setups (or using the plethora of different professional setups available on Coach Dave Delta), refining driving techniques, and ensuring lap-to-lap consistency. The latter you can check thanks to Coach Dave Deltas’s lap-by-lap and session-by-session tracking.
A Quick Guide On How To Identify Patterns In Your Data And When You Need To Make A Change
Have A Trusted Reference Lap
Use a baseline lap recorded under similar car and track conditions to compare your performances. Differences in track conditions can easily mislead your analysis. – Coach Dave Deltas’s professional reference laps are a great place to look when wanting to use a trusted reference lap.
Identify Sections Of Inconsistency
Focus on consistency first. If you’re not providing similar inputs each lap, it’s easy to lose time, making it pointless to search for improvements until consistency is achieved.
The Coach Dave Delta app gives you plenty of information for you to check this. If you have a reference lap loaded from our professional drivers you can check the basics first like the correct gear to be in each corner.
Spot Consistent Errors
Look for areas where you lose significant time relative to the reference lap, analysing one data channel at a time (throttle, brakes, steering, etc.). Determine if the loss comes from the timing or amount of deceleration/acceleration, and adjust your approach in future sessions.
With the map zoom functionality on Coach Dave Delta, you can really focus on a certain sector or corner of the lap for a deeper analysis of all inputs.
Compare Multiple Sessions
Analysing data from different sessions can help you identify persistent issues and track your progress, especially after significant changes to your driving style or car setup.
This is another beautiful thing about Coach Dave Delta. You can have as many of your data sessions loaded side by side as you like. It’s very easy to compare many different setup choices or your progress as a driver after putting into practice what you learn thanks to the compare functionality of Delta.
To Summarise
By systematically collecting, analysing, and acting upon data, sim racers can significantly improve their performance, leading to faster lap times and a deeper understanding of driving techniques and vehicle dynamics. This is how the top drivers and top teams in sim racing gain a competitive advantage on the track.
If you are a beginner you’ll quickly find whole seconds in lap time. If you are a seasoned racer who’s never used telemetry data before you may find a few extra tenths. If you are a pro driver racing at the pinnacle but never quite find that top step, data analysis could be the difference.
