This weeks article is written by Neel Vasavada, Founder and CEO of Apex Speed Technology . This article is the first in a series on selecting a data system for your car. Neel draws from his experience in professional race series including IRL, ALMS, Grand Am, Speed World Touring, and many others. There is some really great info here and more to come. Make sure you check out Neel’s company and the excellent forums that  they hosts.

Racing exists somewhere between your reflexes and deliberate action - its a sport where remembering what you did right or wrong isn't always easy. Its hard to see where to improve by just watching - there are sights, sounds and G-forces that just can't experience outside a race car. Practice takes a bit more planning and effort than most sports, so getting better can mean thinking about what your driver between stints behind the wheel. The thing is, simply replaying laps it in your mind isn't enough; you need to compare them to some reference to know if you were actually faster or slower. Data acquisition helps fill this gap of analysis.