How do I track my engine hours?
Last updated: January 30, 2026
Keeping track of engine hours is crucial for maintenance planning and performance tracking. Race Ninja makes this easy with our Garage feature, which automatically logs engine usage from your sessions.
Setting Up Your Engine
First, add your engine to your Garage:
- Go to Garage in the sidebar
- Click Add Engine
- Enter your engine details:
- Make and model (e.g., "Rotax Max", "IAME X30")
- Serial number (for tracking specific units)
- Rebuild interval in hours (e.g., 15 hours for competitive karting)
- Current hours (if you've already used it)
Assigning Engines to Sessions
After uploading a video, on the Review Page, you'll see a dropdown to assign equipment to that session. Simply select which engine (and chassis, if you've added multiple) you used.
Pro tip: We automatically calculate session duration from your video and add those hours to your engine's total runtime. No manual tracking needed!
Tracking Usage Automatically
Once you've assigned equipment to sessions, Race Ninja tracks:
- ✅ Total hours accumulated from all session durations
- ✅ Rebuild countdown showing hours remaining until your next rebuild
- ✅ Visual progress bar indicating how close you are to rebuild time
- ✅ Performance trending showing how lap times change over engine life (see "What is equipment trending?" below)
Don't miss a rebuild! When you're within 2 hours of your rebuild interval, we'll show a warning badge in your Garage. Plan ahead to avoid on-track failures.
Why Track Engine Hours?
| Benefit | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Maintenance planning | Know exactly when rebuilds are due, order parts in advance |
| Performance tracking | See how engine wear affects lap times over time |
| Budget forecasting | Predict rebuild costs based on usage patterns |
| Resale value | Documented service history increases equipment value |
Note: Session duration is calculated from your video length. If you upload partial sessions, the hour tracking will reflect only the recorded time.
Still need help? Our team is here for you.
Contact Support