theRACINGLINE.net Live Timing

One of the original reasons I setup theRACINGLINE.net was because Sportscar and Endurance Racing was too fragmented. Lots of different series, with different streams, with different ways of posting details.

Sure, us super hardcore fans knew that we had to go to GT World on YouTube to get Blancpain, or that the entry list for AsLMS is often buried in a Press Release. But that’s no help for anyone new, or wanting to enjoy Sportscar Racing with minimum hassle. The entire point of theRACINGLINE.net was to fill in the gaps in the current market, and just make life easier for everyone involved.

Post Resources

Step one of this process is making sure that the opening post of an event, usually a preview, has the all of the resources you need to watch an event.

Pre-Event

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This includes a link to the official site, a circuit map (if a decent one is available), entry list, time table, live timing, spotter guide (if available) and links to news and videos of previous events. This gets you setup for the race ahead.

The second part is what happens after the race.

Post-Event

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Race results, link to news, link to the video of the race, and more races should you want to watch those too.

The entire site is built in a way to make your life easy. I try and give you everything you need so you don’t have to go find it. Whether it’s get the latest news, prepare for a race you’re watching soon, or wanting to browse through old races, you should be able to get it in one place.

Live Timing can be a bit all over the place

Live Timing is one of the most important resources available to motorsport fans. The importance of live timing seems to be directly proportional to the length of the race too. You wouldn’t dream of watching the Le Mans 24 Hours without some sort of timing system.

A big problem with live timing systems is they’re all different. There are similarities, but different systems can use different colours to indicate the same thing. Sometimes it’s hard to understand what’s going on, because you’re so used to using a different system.

Different users like different styles, but my personal preference has always been for a system which is compact and gives me as much data as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of series are moving away from this and using styles with padding between the rows, and images of cars and drivers in the timing.

All the sites are different, some are not the best laid out, and you’ll need to use a different site for every series. Hardly ideal.

The solution

Thanks to an absolutely brilliant solution, developed by James Muscat, you don’t need to deal with any of that. James has built a fantastic Live Timing Aggregator which includes as many series as you can imagine.

The system is compact, full of information, and consistent in how it presents that information. The chances are, this will be the only live timing system you’ll need all year. Of all the systems in use, this is by far my favourite.

For those who watch races on a delay, this system has a fantastic function that stores the race as a replay. Meaning you can synchronize the start of the race on video, and in timing. Now, live timing is available to people who aren’t even watching live.

James has very kindly allowed us to feature the live timing on theRACINGLINE.net, which means you can get your event Live Stream and Live Timing on the same site now. Use the top menu – tRL TV for streaming, and Live Timing to access this system.

If you bookmark the timing and tRL TV pages, you’ll be able to access the race and watch ‘as live’, with timing and avoid spoilers on the way in. Just remember to avoid the home page and social media!

Engineering student, lover of all things technical and lifelong motorsport fan. Employed in the Oil & Gas Industry, developing Major Emergency Management simulations. Owner of the best beard on the site.