Apps aplenty

Google recently announced that there are 850,000 Android devices being activated every day. An impressive figure indeed, especially when you consider that is solely brand new activations and that phones and tablets that came as an upgrade or were bought second-hand are not tallied.

An equally impressive figure is the number of apps currently available to download from Google Play – formerly known as the Android Market – which has recently smashed through the 500,000 barrier.

Of course, the vast majority of these apps are utterly useless and are not worthy of your time, let alone wasting your precious data allowance on, and nowhere is that more applicable than when it comes to the motorsport-related apps.

So, with that in mind, I have tried to separate the chaff from the wheat and create a list of some of the more popular – completely free – apps that are available to download from Google Play.

If you forgot to buy your copy of Autosport which had those handy diary stickers in a few weeks ago, then Motorsport Calendar Free is for you.

This rather simplistic-looking app provides a list of the scheduled race dates for most of the major motor racing series across the globe. Not interested in Formula Nippon or World Superbikes? Then just create a list of your favourite categories instead. Easy peasy.

In an ideal world it would also provide notifications of upcoming races and it wouldn’t require a complete update just to make a few alterations to any of the calendars, but that’s just nitpicking.

It is a solid app and one that should find a place on any motor racing fan’s Android device.

Rating: ★★★★★ (4/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

With the official WRC app now consigned to the dustbin, the task of informing rally fans of the latest goings on has fallen on the shoulders of iRally. And you know what? It’s doing a remarkable job.

This independent app provides a wealth of information on the WRC, IRC and other rallying events from across the globe.

It features up-to-date news items as well as videos and podcasts to keep you entertained between events. Better still is the ability to listen to live radio commentary from each round of the WRC and IRC, along with itineraries, detailed stage times and reports from every event.

Okay, so it may throw the occasional strop and close itself down, but that is easily ignored in comparison to everything else it does right. Lovely stuff.

Rating:★★★★★ (5/5)
Click here to download from Google Play. 

It may be about as legitimate as a politician’s promise, but F1 Live Stream does everything the official Formula 1 live timing app did before it was replaced by a ridiculously overpriced variant for the 2012 season.

F1 Live Stream provides real-time information from every session during a grand prix weekend, much in the same way the live timing facility operates on the Formula1.com website. Although, it doesn’t include lap charts, weather updates or speed trap information, but those are really only minor omissions.

Rating: ★★★★★ (4/5)
Click here to download from Google Play. 

The BTCC Crazy website is dedicated to the British Touring Car Championship as well as the support categories that make up the TOCA race weekend package.

It is a great resource for tin-top fans, but unfortunately, the same cannot be said for their app is almost completely pointless.

News items, for example, are merely excerpts and you are forced to visit the website in order to read them and with no information with regards to drivers, race results or championship tables, there is very little incentive to actually download this.

Very disappointing.

Rating: ★★★★★ (1/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

To my knowledge Tom Coronel is the only active racing driver to have his own Android app. I could be mistaken, but scouring through the sports category on the Google Play website suggests I am not.

But is his app any good? Well no, not really.

Much like the BTCC Crazy app above, it commits the cardinal sin of directing you to an alternative source for information, which is misleading and unbelievably annoying. More so in this case because it doesn’t take you to a mobile-friendly website!

It does, however, have one – count it – redeeming feature: the calendar tab allows you to add reminders for upcoming WTCC race weekends to your device or Google Calendar, which is handy.

Other than that, don’t bother with it.

Rating: ★★★★★ (2/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

If ever there was a template on how to produce a worthwhile motorsport app, then the official British Rally Championship app would be it.

The wealth of information on offer is truly impressive, especially during the events.

Complementing live stage timing is the ability to listen to British Rally radio and, at the end of each day, you can read all the driver quotes and gawp at some of the lovely picture galleries.

Post event, there is a video roundup of all the weekend’s action and enough news items to see you through to the next rally.

An awesome app.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

The ESPN F1 app manages to bring you the latest Formula 1 coverage from across the globe, in both English and French.

The homepage screen features a countdown clock to the next race along with a selection of the most recent news items which, although not as fresh as say autosport.com, should be more than adequate for most F1 fans.

Elsewhere, you can find a race calendar with detailed information on each venue, an extensive picture gallery, full race results and both the drivers’ and constructors’ standings with comprehensive statistics for every driver and team.

Letting the side down a bit, however, is the video content which comprises of genuinely interesting features, but sadly, are of such appalling quality they are almost unwatchable.

But that aside, it is an extensive F1 app and a million times better than some of the other F1-related apps that fester on Google Play.

Rating: ★★★★★ (4/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

Speed, for those that don’t know, is an American television network that broadcasts mostly motorsport-related programming. And therein lays the problem when it comes to using their official app.

Due to geo-restrictions none of the media content featured in their app is viewable here in the UK.

Instead, us Brits have to make do with news and features scrapped from the Speed website, which wouldn’t be so bad if they were formatted correctly, but the lack of anything resembling a paragraph is very annoying indeed.

Could have been great, but is fairly redundant for those of us who are not residing in the US of A.

Rating: ★★★★★ (2/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

Silverstone Radio is the UK’s only station dedicated to motorsport.

Based at the home of British motorsport, it is headed up by well-known presenters such as Alan Hyde and Gary Champion and regularly features interviews, phone-in competitions and dedicated motorsport programmes running throughout the week.

It does tend to regurgitate the same content again and again, and there is a touch of hospital radio about it, but where it does come into its own is with the live race meeting commentary, which is a must if you find yourself trackside.

But is it worth installing this app when you can receive Silverstone Radio and 50,000 other radio stations via the frankly brilliant TuneIn Radio? Probably not.

Rating: ★★★★★ (3/5)
Click here to download from Google Play.

And that’s your lot for this first round-up of Android motor racing apps. Did I miss a favourite of yours? If so, let me know by leaving a comment below and I will endeavour to include it in the next instalment in the not too distant future.