This is not exactly what it looks like back at the ranch when I head out on track today. But as most of you know, I subscribe to the philosophy that it is difficult to improve if you don't measure. For most of the amateur events I do, rudimentary timing is often available which, for the most part, is plenty good. It was far more than I needed at the outset since, in retrospect, I was a terrible driver. And I'm still no great shakes, I come to realize. But getting better is the goal and having a way to measure progress is important to me. So here is part 1 in a greater investigation of the measurement tools, otherwise known as telemetry in racing circles, that a fiscally conservative person like me has looked at. I say fiscally conservative because there are tools that are as cheap as free and others that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Without a multi-million dollar F1 contract in hand, I try to tend toward the free end of the equation and see how far I can get before I plunk down more money. Yes, it's for the children. So let's take a look. (Photo from motoward.com)