Whether you are a weekend track enthusiast or a more serious racer, a lap timer app combined with a smartphone or a tablet provides a powerful and inexpensive tool to help you train and chart progress. Most apps will record video and a variety of data in real time: the car’s location, speed, G forces, lap times and other information.

To get this “real-time” performance data, you will also need a highly accurate GPS, with at least 5Hz sampling rate.

While the GPS built into your smartphone or tablet may work for many applications, a high-accuracy, standalone GPS is recommended to keep up with a car that’s moving fast along the racetrack.

The XGPS160 provides high-speed and high-accuracy GPS coordinates to any app. With fast signal acquisition and 10Hz positioning updates it is deal for race car drivers and other fast moving applications.

Its Bluetooth wireless connectivity allows for an optimal location of the receiver, while your smartphone or tablet can be safely stored inside the car.

Two great examples of apps that work well with the XGPS160 and XGPS150 include the CMS Lap Timer Pro and Harry’s LapTimer.