Oen of the problems with generic sports cameras is exactly that - verifying that they have power, are on, and are recording.
A red flashing light is only useful if you can see it when strapped in, and in most cases when the camera is mounted close to the screen facing forward, or on a roll cage over the driver's shoulder, you cant see it.
There are cameras that do work well in this situation:
- The POV models have a remote controller with a mini screen and power/recording leds that is small enough to mount on the console beside the driver.
- The Replay XD1080 remote accessory gives you power on/off, record start/stop, and led confirmation of power and recording status.
http://replayxd.com/product/xd1080-h...-stop-4-meter/
I think Contour has a decent remote start switch too. There will be others, but this is a good start.