The Story Behind ST1 Track.

Before there was a project, an app, or even a clear idea, there was just this: passion. The passion for motion, for the road, for sound, for speed. Not for performance — for sensation.

That energy is what started it all. A desire to create something that extends what we experience behind the wheel — something real, simple, instinctive.

And if I had to go back to the very beginning, I think it all really started here.

It all started on the track

The beginnings

Like many others, it all began in front of a screen: the first Gran Turismo, Need for Speed Underground, tuned cars, legendary circuits, the sound of engines in 480p on an old PlayStation 1.

Gran Turismo 2, PlayStation 1 (1999), RUF Turbo R

That was my first contact with speed, racing lines, and lap times. And somehow, that’s where it all began.

Games gave me the passion. But the real track — that gave me the desire to understand. To feel what we live beyond the controller.

The challenge

Years later, the circuits were no longer on a screen. We had grown up. This time, it was real asphalt, real cars, real sensations.

The Nürburgring circuit in Germany — 20.8 km of corners, elevation, and legend.

Between two sessions on track, I caught myself thinking back to my beginnings — to those games where everything revolved around the stopwatch and the perfect lap.

And then, the idea hit me... What if I created my own timer?

I had never tested other apps, it’s true. But honestly, I mostly just wanted to create something that felt like me.

I know there are professional timers, onboard systems, tools used in competition. I’ve seen and used them — they work great — but all of that is pro gear. It’s expensive and takes time. (and honestly, I just wanted to make something 😭)

So I thought... okay, but what about for someone like me? For someone who just wants to have fun on the track, without the hassle?

I wanted something simple. Accessible. A timer you have in your pocket — you turn it on, and it just works.

So I started one weekend, with no plan, just that idea: make the timer I always wished I had.

The wall

Okay, I had a timer, but nothing to time. Crazy, right? So I needed tracks with a layout and a finish line. I started looking for existing tracks to import. 🥹

But then came the reality check. Nothing clean, nothing usable. Sure, there are full databases, but mostly big tracks far from Switzerland — hours away. And I wasn’t going to drive to the Nürburgring just to test my app... 😬

That’s when I realized I was stuck: without track data, it was impossible to make the timer work. Everything depended on a few lines of code... but with no playground.

Game over???

The future project

So I started tinkering. Hours spent browsing the web, searching for GPS coordinates, drawing lines on maps, testing, retesting, recalibrating. Little by little, I got trapped in it. Tabs everywhere, files piling up, track layouts... a total mess.

At some point, my brain just said... what are you doing?

And that’s when I realized it was absurd.

Technically, it worked. But mentally, it was unsustainable. I’d spend weeks on this, and I could already feel the project collapsing under its own complexity.

The break...

So I stopped. I closed the project, turned off the screen, and set down the keyboard.

That moment when you just stand there, staring out the window, wondering why you spent so much time on something that goes nowhere.

It was frustrating. But in a way, it was also freeing...

I didn’t know it, but I just needed a break. And without realizing it, that’s exactly what I needed.

The spark

A few days later, while doing something completely different, something hit me.

Silence — the real kind that lets your brain reconnect the dots on its own.

Why should I be the one to create everything?

I realized I didn’t have to invent it all.

What if, instead of creating the tracks myself, we let users create them? Everyone has a GPS chip in their pocket. So why not let the phone build the track in real time?

💡 And just like that, I was back at it.