Whether you’re a casual race fan or avid gear-head, plenty of motorsports apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch are at your disposal. From action-packed driving games to information-intense news hubs, you can always be current on the motorsports world.
Here are the top auto-racing apps for people, who like me, need to get their racing fix when on the go.
Games to drive like a pro
If you’re on a budget, iPit (99 cents) is an inexpensive game where you’re a pit crew member tasked with changing tires and refueling the car. In a battle against the clock, your total pit stop time can be uploaded to iPit’s Web site to see how you stack up against your competitors. This simple app is fun at first but gets old quickly.
Days of Thunder! ($3.99) and Real Racing puts users behind the wheel. Both are addictive racing games, utilizing the iPhone/iPod Touch’s accelerometer to steer the car around the screen while putting virtual pedal to virtual metal.
Based on the motion picture staring Tom Cruise, Days of Thunder! lets you race 14 different cars and up to 12 tracks on six different circuits. This game is explosive, with arcade-like driving and big crashes.
If you’re more of a Gran Turismo aficionado like myself, then check out Real Racing. With up to 48 cars and 12 tracks and five different modes, including career mode, this graphically impressive and smooth game impresses from the drop of the first green flag. With detailed settings adjustments, such as brake assist, and the ability to play your own music, Real Racing is the real deal. You can even play head-to-head with up to five friends on the same Wi-Fi network in online mode.
Rev your car
Ever wonder what goes on under the hood of your car? Rev ($39.99), an app that monitors, displays, charts and records real-time vehicle data, is the answer. It’s hefty price tag forced me to try Rev Lite (free), which monitors only a handful of data points, including acceleration and GPS tracking to test your braking efficiency.
If you fork out $40 for the full app, then you’ll also need an on-board OBD-II data device to connect to your car, which can run upwards of $150. It’s an expensive way to record your car’s data, but if you are a performance enthusiast, this could be the perfect app for you.
Need-to-know news
In the fast-paced world of auto racing, having information first is vital. The following four apps get the job done by providing basic news, results, championship standings and season schedules. But each has shining points of its own.
Go Go Go!-F1 ($1.99), F1 2009 Lap-By-Lap ($1.99) and F1 Insider ($1.99) all cover Formula 1 racing, but in slightly different ways. Go Go Go!-F1’s news isn’t as frequent, while F1 2009 Lap-By-Lap provides in-depth history from the sport. F1 Insider uses a clever news aggregator to pull the best stories from a variety of trusted F1 sources. F1 Insider’s clean design and detailed circuit data makes it the winner.
Race Fan Ultimate ($2.99) covers NASCAR and provides similar features, plus audio and video links to popular YouTube and iTunes content. While not as sleek looking as its F1 counterparts, this app is good for a stock-car junkie.
