Learning from GoPro footage

Finally got out for a second autocross and was much less embarrassed than my first return after eight years. The RE-71Rs and dry conditions helped with providing a much more forgiving set of conditions for an unfamiliar car, but I generally drove better.

I picked up a GoPro Hero5 for fun and education, and mounted it on the roof with a suction cup.

I finally got to watch a run this morning, and the first thing that struck me is that the run didn't look too bad from the camera. And it wasn't awful, but I know from having been driving at the time that there were spots where, for instance, I didn't go wide enough in the middle of a big sweeper and had to pinch the exit to get pointed at the next gate.

Given that I already knew this, I could see it in the video. The question is, how do I spot the stuff I didn't notice while I was busy driving if the stuff I already knew is so much more subtle in the footage?

I like the completeness of the view from the roof, but perhaps it's worth giving that up to do a rear-seat kind of mount (not sure where to mount it) that gets something closer to my own view and gets my inputs?

Gah, gotta head for work, had a couple other thoughts, but I'm curious what people do with this sort of thing.

I stick mine to the glass behind the driver's window at eye level, like this:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/g9hyBYcOJ0U

You can still see nearly as much as you could from a roof mount, but also see some of what the driver's doing.

I agree with mounting the camera where you can see driver inputs. Roof cam always makes things look more composed than they really are.

Making video overlays between 2 runs can show where your are making/losing time if you don't have a data aquasition system. Here is an example where I drove Evildky's car and we weren't sure where I put the time in him. The overlay shows I put the wood to him in the sweeper and that one element was worth 0.8.

Spoolpigeon VS Evildky

I prefer the roof camera because you can see the line so much more clearly. Mounting the camera anywhere on the side or behind the driver doesn't show you how close you are getting to any cones.

As far as learning from them... have other critique it, and compare to videos you find online of fast drivers running that same course on the same day.

If you've got some time, a 'sorta quick' guy who I race with was interviewed for a podcast, he gets into video review as one of his tools.
Linky

I've tried a few different spots for camera mounting, most recently was the right quarter panel to double-check that I was getting right up on the cones.
I agree with Gameboy, if you can get your head and hands in the shot it allows you to critique your technique, make sure you're looking ahead, being smooth on the wheel, etc.

Two cameras are better than one.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/QoEupZGMz9k

^Multiple cameras are great if you can afford them. Gen1/2 GoPros can be bought pretty cheap now, and they still take 720p video or better and can be fitted with synchronized wifi control. SJCAMs with almost top-of-the-line features aren't a whole lot more money either.

You can buy a SJCAM/knockoff for less than the cost of a single Autox event.

I know the knockoffs can be put in "Car Mode" and triggered with a single switch, so managing multiple cameras is no more difficult than managing one camera.

I pick the fasted driver onsite, let them drive my car during fun runs, and study their line compared to mine. Then it's easy to see where they are making time compared to me.

The most important thing I learned from go-pro footage is that I wasted $ on a go-pro.

I never watch anything I shoot unless there is a crash, rules infraction or need to justify something I did in a race. I could have bought one of those $49 dashcams off ebay for that.

Huckleberry wrote: The most important thing I learned from go-pro footage is that I wasted $ on a go-pro. I never watch anything I shoot unless there is a crash, rules infraction or need to justify something I did in a race. I could have bought one of those $49 dashcams off ebay for that.

There is a lot of truth to this statement. I do watch my autocross runs to see where I screwed up and I use the GoPro on my drone, but a cheap dash camera does just as good a job for a fraction of the cost. As a general rule, the Chinese knock offs are easier to use as well.

Toyman01 wrote:

Huckleberry wrote: The most important thing I learned from go-pro footage is that I wasted $ on a go-pro. I never watch anything I shoot unless there is a crash, rules infraction or need to justify something I did in a race. I could have bought one of those $49 dashcams off ebay for that.

There is a lot of truth to this statement. I do watch my autocross runs to see where I screwed up and I use the GoPro on my drone, but a cheap dash camera does just as good a job for a fraction of the cost. As a general rule, the Chinese knock offs are easier to use as well.

+1 (I think)

I agree that a GoPro brand camera is absolutely not worth the extra coin over a Chinese knock off. Maybe if the extra $ got you anything, but it doesn't appear to. The app, wireless control, etc. of GoPro is complete E36 M3.

The Chinese knockoff is easier to use IMO.

Helmet cam is crucial. You go where you look, and the helmet cam is ruthless in pointing out where you are or aren't looking.

Picking where to look on course is absolutely critical. You don't see your mistakes when the camera is mounted to the dash, bumper, or parcel shelf.

I'm thinkin', next event I compete in, I'm going to break down a single run, pausing the run at various points to highlight exactly where I'm looking.

Personally, I've found that bare camera footage isn't all that useful for learning stuff. I have just started playing with RaceRender to overlay logged data with my GoPro footage and I think that has more potential, though. It's useful for putting the data in context.

I mount mine on the rollbar between the seats.

I need to fix my half-assed tech prep. I failed to learn RaceChrono well enough to set up the start/finish triggers while juggling course walk, corner work, getting to grid...

I am disappointed in the GoPro controls; I had to manually trigger the camera because I was never able to get the app to connect at the event.

Helmet mount is a good idea; I'll have to try that. I do like seeing the line from on top of the car, but reviewing from the same perspective (EDIT: I mean the same perspective I drive the course from) might be good besides getting my inputs and where I'm pointing my head.

Multiple cameras would be nice, too.

For rallycross, I usually run a go-pro on medium field of view stuck to the inside of the windshield. Outside always means it spends half the run with crap on the lens. The windshield / medium FOV setup gives pretty much a driver's eye view, so if I see something I did less than great, I can think about how it should look different the next time compared to what the video shows.

Back in 2009 I met a guy who had a crazy camera set-up in his Nationals car - a R56 H-Stock MINI (Red GT might remember him). I think he had 4 cameras: 1 over each rear fender angled so that they could tell how close the tires were to cones. One behind the driver monitoring what they were doing. And I think one on the nose. All connected to a hard-mounted laptop in the car that did the actual recording. He could bring up the video instantly between each run to see where he was losing time. Since seeing that, everything else has just seemed like toys...