BMW’s M Laptimer and GoPro camera will now work together.
You Can Now Sync your GoPro with BMW’s M Laptimer
Starting this summer, BMW owners will be able to sync a GoPro personal camera with the company’s integrated laptimer app, known as M Laptimer. The app is downloadable from the iTunes store and works through the familiar iDrive screen; syncing a camera will allow drivers to produce video laps that can help tighten up driving.
The system will start both the lap timer and the camera simultaneously through the BMW’s touch screen. You’ll need an Apple device for now, and the system will save a low-res version on your phone or tablet to be played back with the map view on the Laptimer app.
“The BMW M Laptimer and GoPro integrations have both proven to be incredibly popular with driving enthusiasts. From the time that we launched the first in-car integration for a GoPro camera, bringing that integration together with the BMW M Laptimer seemed like the natural way to really enhance the track driving experience,” said Christian Schmid, senior development engineer at the BMW Group Technology Office USA. “This allows us to provide BMW drivers the ability to safely capture and share their track experience.”
This summer, new downloads and updates of the Laptimer app will add the GoPro integration. When you launch the Laptimer app in the iDrive system, a GoPro button will appear. Clicking that will bring up the name of the connected camera, a preview image, WiFi signal strength and access to the camera’s power button to save the battery.
Even without GoPro integration, the M Laptimer app records and provides visual depictions of throttle, speed, brake input, steering angle, engine rpm, fuel level and g-forces. BMW reminds us that the app “is for off-road use only,” and is available on any BMW with the Mobile Apps option.
If you have a GoPro Hero3 or better, this is a free upgrade. It might not be as easy as Chevy’s Performance Data Recorder, an all-in-one setup, but it looks to be just as useful once you get all the pieces working together.