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The remote collection and transmission of data from a moving vehicle. In motorsport, telemetry refers to the real-time or logged data streams that describe exactly what the car and driver are doing at every point on track.
In HPDE and amateur motorsport, "telemetry" typically refers to logged data from an on-board system rather than live radio transmission. The driver installs a data logger, drives the session, then downloads and reviews the data afterward in analysis software.
Modern telemetry tools for amateur drivers include AiM Solo, Racelogic VBOX Sport, TrackAddict (phone-based), and various other systems. The data they collect — GPS speed, G-forces, throttle position, video — transforms post-session debriefing from subjective conversation to objective analysis.
The skill of reading telemetry is learnable. Start with the speed trace: the peaks and valleys tell the story of the lap. High minimum speeds in corners mean you are carrying good pace. Inconsistent speeds at the same corner across multiple laps reveal technique variability. Learning to read this data is one of the fastest paths to improvement.
Competition Car Data Logging clarifies the distinction: "Telemetry means 'measure far away,' and it refers to the transmission of data by radio or similar means to a remote receiver, which in the context of motorsport usually means from a car to the pits. So telemetry is an extension to data logging in that sense, but it is not the same thing." In HPDE, drivers use the term loosely to mean any recorded session data. Segers' Analysis Techniques for Racecar Data Acquisition explains the purpose: "Logged data forms an objective measurement of vehicle performance that can be used with the (subjective) comments of the driver to evaluate what is going on with the car. The engineer can pinpoint more easily any handling problems and the locations on the racetrack where they occur."