Track Mode: measure lap times and driving figures on the circuit

Where to find it

The mode is its own menu behind the Drive tab. It sits apart from the rest of the app because these measurements belong on a closed circuit. The first time you open it, you confirm once: "I only use this on closed circuits". It has no place in public traffic. All tiles are Premium.

One session measures everything

You pick your vehicle (the app remembers the last one), tap "Start session" and drive. The same session measures laps, acceleration and braking runs, lean angle and wheelies at the same time. Cockpit, lap times, acceleration, braking, lean angle, wheelie and analysis are views of the same measurement, and you switch between them while you drive. The session keeps running as a foreground service with a notification when the screen goes off, a call comes in or you switch apps. A "Running" bar in the app shows that it is measuring. Starting it ends and saves a normal drive recording that is running, and while the session runs, no new drive starts. If the app crashes, the measurement so far is kept and shows up in the list as "Interrupted". It is not resumed.

Lap times, delta and sectors

You set the start/finish line yourself: drive to the point where the lap should begin and tap "Set start/finish here". The line is laid across your current heading. Every crossing counts a lap, and the time is interpolated to the line between two GPS points. The cockpit shows the current, last and best lap and the delta to your best live. The delta refers to this session or to all saved sessions on this track. You set further lines as sectors: three sector lines give four sector times, active from the next lap. A lap through the pit lane is marked by the app and does not count as a best time.

Circuit recognition: 14 circuits, not worldwide

When the session starts, the app checks whether you are at a known circuit and then sets the start/finish line for you. A note at the top says "Circuit recognised: ...". The list (as of version 0.22.78) has 14 circuits. Germany: Nürburgring (GP circuit only), Hockenheimring, Lausitzring, Bilster Berg. Austria: Red Bull Ring. Belgium: Spa-Francorchamps, Zolder, Mettet. Netherlands: Zandvoort. Italy: Imola, Misano, Vallelunga. France: Le Mans (Circuit Bugatti), Nogaro. The Nordschleife is not included, and a worldwide database does not exist yet. Recognition works without a network because the list is stored in the app (the server refreshes it), and it needs a GPS fix with an inaccuracy of 50 metres or less. The lines are derived from OpenStreetMap data, sectors are not preset. On every other circuit you set the line yourself. The app remembers it as your private track at that place (radius 1.5 km) and uses it again next time. If you do not want the preset, you remove the line and set your own.

Acceleration and braking

Acceleration measures 0 to 60, 100 and 200 km/h, 0 to 60 mph, 1/8 and 1/4 mile with the speed at the end, the roll-ons 60 to 100 and 80 to 120 km/h, and peak g. A run arms once you are at a full stop and ends by itself. A target you do not reach stays empty, a 0 never appears. For every run the app shows the slope and marks runs whose slope cannot be compared. Braking measures 100 to 0 km/h with braking distance, time and peak deceleration: accelerate past 100 km/h and brake to a stop, and the run starts by itself at 100 km/h.

Lean angle and wheelie

The app reads lean angle from the motion sensors: live, maximum left and right held separately, plus the distribution and the share above 20 degrees. The zero point calibrates on a straight, and the phone has to be mounted firmly. The wheelie detector measures duration, distance and peak angle. It only arms once the app knows the level position and you have accelerated in a straight line once, so that a lean in a corner does not count as a wheelie. Counting starts from 15 km/h and 0.4 seconds. An angle band shows Safe, Sweet spot, Warning and Danger, and your bests are in a list.

Analysis after the drive

The analysis shows a g-g diagram (longitudinal against lateral acceleration, how much grip you used), a lean distribution histogram and a speed heatmap on the outline of a lap: green is the fastest and red the slowest point of that lap, not an absolute value. In the lap comparison two laps are laid over distance, and a delta band shows where the compared lap gains (green) or loses (red) time. The sector table colours the fastest sector of the session purple and the others green or red against the reference lap. The optimal lap adds up your best sectors and gives the gap to your best lap.

How accurately it measures

Speed comes from GPS and the phone's forward acceleration, combined in a Kalman filter. GPS is requested at 100 millisecond intervals, the accelerometer runs at the fastest rate the device offers, and both rates are shown on screen. That resolves times to milliseconds instead of the GPS interval. With GPS alone at 1 Hz, a five-second 0 to 100 run would be off by up to 20 percent, because the start moment is only known to the second. The app learns the forward axis from the data, so how you mount the phone does not matter. If the device has no motion sensors, the app measures with GPS only and says so. The accuracy is proven on a simulated acceleration run: the fusion landed within 30 milliseconds of the calculated value. This page does not claim a comparison with a reference device on a real circuit.

Rpm and gear via OBD2 (cars only)

With a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter in the car, the cockpit shows rpm. If the value is older than one second, a dash appears instead of the last number. The app estimates the gear, because there is no gear query: it learns the ratio of rpm to speed during the drive and shows it as "Gear est.". It only recognises first gear if it learned the ratio after a standstill below 45 km/h. If you start the session mid-drive, a dash appears instead of a wrong value. An automatic gearbox with a torque converter smears the ratio, and then it stays at a dash. The adapter connects by itself when the session starts. On motorcycles the function stays off. The connection has so far been tested against a simulated adapter, details and limits are on the OBD2 page.

Sessions, backup and sharing

Every session lands in a list with its best figure. The data sits on the phone and also in your account, so it survives a reinstall. Only you can see it. You share results as an image card, with your own photo if you like, with vehicle and best-time stamp.

Requirements, status and price

You need the Android app, location permission and Premium. The mode has been in the app since version 0.22.28, circuit recognition with the comparison across sessions since 0.22.40, the backup in your account since 0.22.38, rpm and gear since 0.22.78. This page describes 0.22.78. New versions reach all users in Google Play only after Google's review, and an older version lacks a part. Not built: a leaderboard per circuit, duels against friends, connecting external GPS receivers and a video overlay. During the beta everything is unlocked. After that Premium is paid, the purchase runs through Google Play and Google Play shows the price. Without Premium, tapping a tile opens the Premium screen.

Frequently asked questions

Which circuits does DriveBattle recognise?

The list has 14 circuits in Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and France, including Hockenheimring, Red Bull Ring, Spa-Francorchamps and Zandvoort. Recognition is not worldwide. On other circuits you set the start/finish line yourself.

How accurate are the times?

The app combines GPS and the accelerometer and resolves times to milliseconds. This is proven on a simulated acceleration run with a deviation under 30 milliseconds. There is no comparison with a reference device on a real circuit. Without motion sensors the app measures with GPS only.

Is Track Mode Premium?

Yes, all tiles. During the beta everything is unlocked. After that Premium is paid, and the purchase runs through Google Play.

May I use it on a public road?

No. Acceleration, braking, lean angle and wheelies belong on a closed circuit or private property. You confirm this once in the app the first time you open it.

Does Track Mode work without a network?

Yes. The circuit list is stored in the app and sessions are saved on the phone first. Measuring needs GPS, not a mobile network. The backup in your account needs a connection.

Is there a leaderboard for lap times?

No. You see your best time per circuit and the delta to it. A leaderboard per circuit and duels against friends are not built.