A sat nav for the track that helps you improve your lap time. It’s the stuff of science fiction, but now Garmin have made it come to life in the form of Garmin Catalyst.
What is it?
Essentially it’s a sat-nav linked to a dash camera that can record and log precisely where you are (within centimetres) while out on track.
Size-wise it measures 19.9 x 12.2 x 2.4cm and weighs 437g. There’s a serious strong suction cup and magnetic mount to keep it perfectly in place while on track, and the battery will last two hours, but of course, you can plug it in with a 12v power cable.
There’s also a screw-in adapter plate, in case you want to make it a permanent fixture. You also get a couple of connecting arms so you can bring the Catalyst closer for easy reach.
The accompanying camera sticks on with adhesive, and there’s a 3.5-metre cable to connect it to the main unit; it also features a polarising lens cover so you can get rid of those windscreen reflections.
Out of the box, you get a 32GB microSD card installed, but there’s an auxiliary slot on the side of the unit, allowing you to expand the memory up to 256GB if need be.
Screen wise the resolution is 1024 x 600, which may seem low by smartphone standards but is ample for graphics and reviewing footage. The accompanying camera is 1080p with a 140-degree field of view; however, it only records at 30 FPS.
There’s built-in WiFi for software updates, and it links with Garmin Connect so you can access info on your smartphone or computer. In addition, the unit has GPS, GLONASS and a 10 Hz Multi-GNSS positioning chip, so it’s truly global and incredibly precise.
How?
You may think that the tracks are pre-loaded onto the Garmin Catalyst, while the majority are, it can also learn a track on the fly. Simply set the Catalyst to start recording, drive the route three times, and it will learn the track.
While this is incredibly clever, it could be used out on the road as there’s no geofencing going on here. Then, of course, there’s the arbitrary warning when you boot up saying that Catalyst is intended for track use only, but would that really deter anyone?
It takes a bit of learning to find your way around the menus and how to review specific bits of your lap, but once you’ve got it nailed it’s intuitive and easy to follow. All the graphics are crisp and clear too, making the unit feel really fresh and modern.
The accuracy with which it plots your course while out on track is pretty incredible; it records your line around a corner, then the optimal line you should take, even if it’s what looks like a hair’s breadth between the two it will still show you weren’t quite bang on. It combines that 10 Hz chip with accelerometers and image processing from the camera to give such precision.
One of the coolest things has to be the True Optimal Lap; this stitches together a full lap with all your best segments. So if you took corner 3 particularly well on lap 1, then corner 4 perfectly on lap 6, it will save them all and then stitch them together to make a seamless ‘perfect’ lap of your driving.
To do this on the fly, on the device is quite remarkable. Something like this would typically need a lot of computing power to render and meld together all the different pieces. Yet, somehow the Catalyst does it onboard without ever having to wait. Instead, it’s just there, ready to watch. Super clever stuff.
You can also review your actual laps straight away, with Catalyst overlaying all the relevant info perfectly synced, showing your position on track, lap number, segment etc.
And last but not least, the voice coach, yes, this thing will give you encouragement and tell you when to turn in to hit that perfect line. This comes directly from the Catalyst unit but can also be paired to a Bluetooth stereo or headset.
The race coach feature tells you when to push, turn tighter, earlier or later, and it gives you encouragement when you’ve improved too.
Can the Garmin Catalyst improve my track time?
Heading out onto the asphalt at Thruxton – Britain’s quickest race track, my faith was in the hands of the Garmin Catalyst.
After a few sighting laps, it was time to turn up the speed. My track time started off with a best lap of 1:48:21; over the course of 40 minutes, this dropped to 1:46:33. So yes, I believe the Garmin Catalyst will improve your track time.
But…
What the Garmin Catalyst cannot do is keep an eye on your tyres, see what’s happened on track, or know when you’re on your limit. Tyres wear incredibly quickly on track; the Catalyst could be telling you to push push push, but if your tyres have deteriorated over the course of the session, that could end up in an off.
Naturally, most track drivers know this, but it’s not always obvious for the novice who would greatly benefit from the Catalyst. Plus, I could see drivers getting drawn into the lap time battle, totally engrossed in dropping seconds off their time and forgetting the basics…like tyre wear.
Garmin Catalyst Conclusion
Catalyst is a superb secret weapon for the track. I can really see it benefitting the casual track day enthusiast or someone just starting out.
It still doesn’t replace the intuition of tuition though, having a pro sit next to you, directing you with a running commentary, is still the best way to learn and improve. I do think Catalyst would cut down on the time that you’d need paid tuition for though. Splitting both 50/50 could work incredibly well.
So while it’s a costly outlay at £899.99, you have to weigh that up with the price of a pro-teacher. The Catalyst will always be there, you can take it to new tracks, and it will undoubtedly improve your lap time. For that reason alone, it makes a worthwhile investment to the dedicated racer.
Additional photos from David Shepherd.
Garmin Catalyst Case
A few people have been asking whether the Catalyst comes with a case, it doesn’t, but the Garmin Universal 7” Carrying Case fits it perfectly and is available at numerous places online.
