RaceTrips tutorials

Get set up

Tutorial 1: Set up your account

By the end you are signed in, verified, and your profile knows your team and race class.

1. Install RaceTrips from the App Store or Google Play and open it. The splash animation plays for about three and a half seconds, then the welcome screen appears.
2. Tap Register. Fill in Your Name, Email and a Password of at least 6 characters. If a friend gave you an Invite code, enter it; otherwise leave it blank. Tick I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions and tap Create Account.
3. The eight-page Product Tour starts. Tap Next to page through it, or Skip to jump ahead; on the last page tap Take me to the App. You land on My Race Trips, the calendar screen that is home from now on.
4. Open your email and tap the verification link. Verification unlocks purchases later. If you cannot find the email, open the side menu (☰) → My Profile (the screen is titled My Account Profile) and tap Send Again on the red Verify email bar.
5. While you are in My Profile, fill in My Race Team and tap My Primary Race Class to search for and select your class. Tap the green check to save; a "Profile updated" message confirms. If My Name or My Race Team is empty you see "Errors exist"; choose Continue editing and fill them in.

More in the user guide: Create an account & sign in · Navigating the app · My Profile

Log your racing

Tutorial 2: Log your first race trip

One race weekend, start to finish: the trip, the payout, an expense from a receipt, and your miles.

Create the trip

1. On My Race Trips, tap the big green +. The Choose your action menu opens; choose Create New Trip Report. (Tapping a day on the calendar opens the same menu with that date pre-filled.)
2. Type a Trip Report Name, for example the track and event. Leave Trip Template alone for now.
3. Under Trip Dates pick Single Day for a one-night show or Multi-Day for a weekend, then tap the date row and choose the date or range.
4. Under Trip Tags tap the New Tag chip, type the track name and tap Add. The tag is created and selected automatically. (A name you already use shows "Tag already exists"; tap that chip instead.) Tags are how you filter reports later.
5. Tap the green check. If you already have a trip on that date, RaceTrips asks whether to save another one; tap Yes, Create another Trip. The Trip Report page opens.

Add your prize money

1. Tap Add Prize. Type the payout in the big dollar field.
2. Choose Check or Cash, then tap Start position and pick where you started; tap Finish position and pick where you finished.
3. Tap the check. Back on the trip, the header now shows a badge like P3 (+7) and the Summary shows your prize money in green.

Add an expense with Smart Scan

1. Tap Add Expense, then Scan with AI. The camera opens; photograph a receipt (pit pass, fuel, tires, a meal).
2. RaceTrips reads the amount, name and date into the form. Check them, then tap Category and pick the right one if it did not fill in.
3. Tap the check to save and return to the trip. Tap Add Expense again for the next receipt, and repeat for every receipt from the weekend. (The + button saves and clears the text fields, but in the current version a second + on the same screen can overwrite the item you just saved, so the check is the safe route.)

Add your miles

1. Tap Add Miles in the Total Distance panel.
2. Tap the crosshair icon on Start location to use your current location, type the track into Destination location, switch One Way to Round Trip if you drove both ways, and tap Calculate. Or simply type the miles into Miles to add.
3. Tap the check to save. Miles must be greater than 0.

Review and finish

1. On the trip page, the Summary tab shows Prize Money, Expenses and Total. Tap it to switch to Details and see every line; tap any line to edit it.
2. Tap the back arrow. Because the trip's totals changed, the Report Saved! dialog tells you how much this trip changed your taxable liability, reminds you of anything missing, and may suggest an expense you forgot. Tap Done. (If nothing changed, you simply return to the calendar.)

More in the user guide: Create a trip report · Add prize money · Add expenses & scan receipts · Add travel miles · Report Saved

Tutorial 3: Record a rainout

A rained-out night still cost you fuel, miles and maybe a pit pass. Record it so those costs count.

1. Tap + and choose Record Rainout Day. The form opens with the Rainout switch on and the name set to "Rain out". Pick the date and tap the check. (On a normal Create form you can also flip the Rainout switch yourself; it is not shown when editing.)
2. Add your expenses and miles exactly as in Tutorial 2.
3. If you want the night counted in your Race Results, tap Add Prize and choose RAIN as the start position; the amount is set to $0.

More in the user guide: Record a rainout

Tutorial 4: Log season costs and other income

Not everything belongs to one race: a season pit pass, a set of tires bought in the off-season, a sponsor check, T-shirt sales.

1. Tap + and choose Log an Expense (No Trip Report). Choose Scan with AI or Enter Manually, fill in the amount, name, category and date, and tap the check.
2. Tap + and choose Log additional Income (Not Prize Money), then choose Scan with AI or Enter Manually. Enter the amount, a name, an income Category, the date and whether you were paid by check or cash.
3. For a sponsor payment, tap the envelope icon in the title bar. RaceTrips saves the income, then opens Send Receipt via Email; type the sponsor's email address and tap Send. "Email Sent" confirms.

These entries appear in the month list with their own icons, do not use up free-trial trip reports, and flow into your Season and Reports totals.

More in the user guide: Additional income & expenses

Tutorial 5: Speed up repeat trips with tags and templates

Most racers hit the same tracks all season. Make the second visit a two-tap job.

1. Open a trip you have finished logging and tap Save as a Template at the bottom. Create a Trip Template opens. Change Template Name to the track name, tap any one-off items under Copy Expense Details to Template to untick them, and tap the check. "Template created" confirms. (Backing out instead asks Keep editing or Discard the Template.)
2. Next time you race there, create the trip and tap Select a trip template (optional) under Trip Template. Its expense items are copied in when you save; adjust the amounts from the Details tab.
3. Open the side menu → Manage Tags and add the tags you will filter by later: each track, your series, "Home track", "Away", "Overnight".
4. Add the right tags to each trip when you create it. You can add them later with the pencil icon on the trip page.

More in the user guide: Trip templates · Tags

Your season and tax time

Tutorial 6: Check your season and clear Alerts

After a few trips, see what the season is really costing and make sure nothing is missing.

1. Tap Alerts on the bottom bar. Any trip this calendar year missing prize money or travel distance is listed; tap it, add what is missing, and come back until you see "No issues found with your Trip Reports!".
2. Tap Season. The Insights tab shows how much taxable income you have saved, your Your Progress ring, Your Season income, expenses and total, cash flow month by month, and My Expenses and My Income by category. Use the year dropdown in the title to change the season.
3. Switch to My Season for My Trip Reports by month, Race Results, and the Completed Trip Analysis with your average prize, average cost and total to race.
4. Tick Filter by Tag; the tag chips appear. Select a track or series to see the same numbers for just those trips.

More in the user guide: Alerts · Season Snapshot: Insights · Season Snapshot: My Season

Tutorial 7: Tax time

Turn the season into the paperwork your preparer needs.

1. Clear Alerts first so every trip has its prize money and miles.
2. Tap Reports on the bottom bar; the screen is titled RaceTrips Reports and opens on Custom Report. Tap the Tax Summary tab (side menu → Tax Report lands there directly). Pick the tax year from the dropdown; it lists the current year and any year you own or can buy. Each Schedule C line shows the categories that roll into it and the Line N Total; lines that count only in part show "NN% deductible" and a Deductible row.
3. Tap Email Tax Summary. A "Tax Summary YYYY" message confirms it was sent; forward the email to your preparer.
4. Tap Email Receipts of this year. A "Receipts of YYYY" message confirms; a ZIP of every receipt photo you attached arrives for your records.
5. Need a different slice, such as one series or one quarter? Open the Custom Report tab. Tick Filter by Tag, or under Select Date Range choose Year to Date, Last Year, Last Month or Custom (tap the dates to pick any range from 2020 to today), and read the income and expense totals by category. Custom reports are on-screen only; the email buttons send the full tax year.

More in the user guide: Tax Summary (Schedule C) · Custom Report Builder · Emailing reports & receipts

Tutorial 8: Upgrade when your free trial ends

The free trial covers a set number of trip reports, 8 unless RaceYear changes it, with every feature. After that you can keep logging, but Season stats and Reports for any year you have not bought show an Upgrade panel until you buy the edition for that tax year.

1. Make sure your email is verified (Tutorial 1, step 4). Until it is, the purchase screen shows "To continue, you need to verify your email" instead of the editions.
2. Open the side menu → Upgrade to RaceTrips Premium, or tap any Get Premium button. The screen is titled Upgrade to Premium (My Purchases once you own an edition).
3. Under RaceTrips Premium Editions, tap Buy Now on the year you need and complete the App Store or Google Play purchase.
4. RaceTrips confirms with a "Congratulations!" message and opens My Profile with the edition listed. Season and Reports unlock for that year.

More in the user guide: Your free trial & editions · Upgrade to Premium & purchases

Fixes and your account

Tutorial 9: Fix mistakes: edit and delete

Wrong amount, wrong date, a trip you logged twice. Everything can be changed, and every delete asks first.

Change a trip's name, dates or tags

1. Open the trip and tap the pencil icon in the title bar. Edit Trip Report opens with the Trip Report Name, Trip Dates and Trip Tags fields; the Trip Template selector and the Rainout switch are not shown here.
2. Change what you need, tap chips to add or remove tags, and tap the check.

Fix or remove a payout, expense or mileage line

1. On the trip page tap Details and tap the line. The form opens in edit mode with a trash icon in the title bar.
2. Change the fields and tap the check. To remove it, tap the trash icon and confirm Delete in the "This cannot be undone!" dialog.
3. If you press Back with unsaved changes, choose Save or Discard changes. If a required field is invalid you see "There are errors on the form (shown in Red)": choose Continue editing to fix it or Discard to leave.

Add or replace a receipt photo by hand

1. On any expense or income form, tap the camera icon to take a photo or the gallery icon to pick one.
2. RaceTrips asks Scan the receipt. Choose Smart-Scan to fill in the amount, name and date from the photo, or Don't scan to keep the photo as a plain receipt. Taking or picking another photo replaces it.

Delete a whole trip

1. Open the trip and tap the trash icon in the title bar.
2. Confirm Delete in "Do you want to delete this Trip Report? This cannot be undone!". Every line item on it is removed and, on the free trial, the trip report is given back.

Clean up tags and templates

1. Side menu → Manage Tags: tap the X on a chip. RaceTrips always warns that the tag is active on one or more reports and that deleting it removes it from all of them; tap Yes, Delete Tag or No, cancel. To take a tag off just one trip, use the pencil on that trip instead.
2. Side menu → Manage Templates: tap the trash icon on a template and tap Ok. Trips already created from it are not affected.

More in the user guide: Review, edit & delete a trip report · Add expenses & scan receipts · Tags · Trip templates

Tutorial 10: Manage your account and settings

Passwords, the AI suggestion cards, a new tax year, signing out, and deleting your account.

1. Change your password. Side menu → My Profile → Reset Password. Type a new password (6 characters minimum) and tap Submit; "Password updated" confirms. Forgot it entirely? On the login screen tap Forgot Password?, enter your email and tap Request password reset, then follow the email.
2. Turn AI suggestions on or off. In My Profile, flip View AI Insights Messages under AI Insights and tap the check to save. The switch only takes effect when you save the profile.
3. Start a new tax year. When the calendar moves into a year you have not bought, the headline on My Race Trips reads "New Year! Don't miss a trip" with a Get YYYY button; Season and Reports show Get Ready for YYYY!. Keep logging trips as normal and buy the new edition when you are ready (Tutorial 8). Use the year dropdown in Season and Reports to look back at a previous year.
4. Replay the tour or get help. Side menu → Replay Product Tour, Tutorial Videos (this page) or Help and Feedback (the Help Center).
5. Sign out. Side menu → Sign Out, or the Sign Out panel at the bottom of My Profile. Your data stays on the server; log in on any phone to see it.
6. Delete your account. In My Profile tap Request Account Deletion under Delete Account. The deletion request page opens in your browser; submit it there. Deletion is permanent.

More in the user guide: My Profile · Sign out, delete account & help · Your free trial & editions

Still stuck?

If a step does not match what you see, check the troubleshooting section of the user guide or contact us. Telling us your device, your app version (shown at the bottom of My Profile) and what you were doing helps us sort it out faster.

The Tutorial Videos item in the app's side menu opens this page. Video versions of these tutorials will be posted here as they are released. Until then, the written steps above cover the same ground, and the User Guide has a section for every screen.