What we’ve tried
On my KA100 I run an Insta360 X5. Our Mini driver runs an Insta360 X4 and an AiM SmartyCam 3 on a dual mount from Odenthal. All our mounts are machined metal, not plastic. Both 360 cameras sit in Insta360’s metal protective cage with the Insta360 lens guards on, and I safety-wire the cage to the chassis.
Vibration hasn’t been our problem. Our cameras have come to grief two other ways: a camera going flying when a mount let go, and rocks off the track cracking a lens. That’s why we wire the cage to the kart and run lens guards all the time. We also buy Insta360’s insurance plan, and it has paid for itself more than once.
We’ve used Insta360’s coverage once. They emailed a prepaid shipping label, had the camera two days after it arrived, and it was back with us about a week after we sent it, at no cost.
What other karters say
From other drivers we’ve talked to and read:
- A GoPro Max or Insta360 on an Odenthal mount in a metal case, wired to the chassis. One driver says theirs has lasted four years without a failure.
- Older GoPro Hero 5s and 6s, bought used, in a sealed case on a RAM mount. They report no vibration trouble.
- A GoPro Max mounted on the radiator of a Rotax.
- A metal cage for about $30 online as a cheaper option.
- Turn off voice control, because engine noise can set it off.
Helmet mounts and glasses
We haven’t tried a helmet mount. Some racers say their clubs don’t allow them, because of the extra weight on your neck and a hard point on the shell in a crash. We also see plenty of kids running GoPros on their helmets, and in an arrive-and-drive league where you can’t bolt anything to the kart, it may be the only option. Check with your series or track before you run one.
I’ve also run Meta glasses for a driver’s-eye view. It’s a fun angle nobody else has. The catch is they only record a few minutes at a time, so you get a lap or two, not a session. Some tracks don’t allow cameras at all, so ask first.
360 camera (Insta360, GoPro Max): what we’ve found
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Beautiful video for Instagram and YouTube | Every file has to be downloaded and edited first |
| Stabilization smooths out the bumps | Quick review between sessions is close to impossible |
| Filters that make you look fast | Bigger and heavier on the mount |
| The 360 view shows what happened behind and beside you, which has helped our racecraft a lot | Exposed lenses, so we run guards, a cage and the insurance |
AiM SmartyCam: what we’ve found
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Your MyChron lap data on the video in real time | Video won’t look good enough for Instagram |
| You can see brake points, apexes and where the speed goes | No 360 view of the karts around you |
| You can watch it right away at the track | |
| The best tool we’ve used for sitting down with a coach between sessions and finding a tenth or two |
Getting your data on the video
The SmartyCam 3 on the Mini is cabled to the MyChron, so his lap data shows on the video in real time while he drives. It’s the best part of that camera for us: you finish the session, and the video already shows where the speed and lap time went.
On the Insta360 I run the GPS module, so speed and GPS position are recorded into the video automatically. If you want your MyChron data on the Insta360 footage instead, a program called Telemetry Overlay can sync the MyChron data to your exported video. It takes some setup, so it’s a job for home, not the paddock.
Where we’ve landed
For video worth sharing and for learning racecraft, the 360 cameras have been great for us. For finding lap time quickly, the SmartyCam has been better. On the Mini we run both. Whatever you run, we’d wire it to the kart. That’s the one lesson we learned the expensive way.
We’re a karting family, not a camera shop. Nobody pays us for any of this. If you’ve found something that works better, tell us at kartingsocal@gmail.com.