Have you tried RaceChrono with an external GPS?
I use RaceChrono with XGPS160 and it's fairly accurate, I've heard Qstarz BL-818GT works even better if you can find one.
If you also buy an OBDLink MX+ you can log throttle,
brake pedal, engine rpm and speed.
Gear you can typically tell by looking at rpm and speed, and the steering wheel is easy to tell if you have an onboard video.
The refresh rate is about 10 Hz and not super stable, but that's a great starting point.
The app also has an experimental CAN-bus reading through OBDLink devices. It has some bugs, but the author is
working on it.
If you want to save some money and are open to learn something new as you DIY things, check out
my DYI CAN bus reader project.
It was laughably cheap, and is specifically designed for RaceChrono, and works
awesome.
I did have some of the "forgot to turn on" things when I was just starting to use RaceChrono, but I quickly got used to it.
My current voodoo dance includes starting the GPS, helmet camera and sound recorder a few minutes before the start of each session/run. In fact I believe RaceChrono can turn on the camera remotely, but I was lazy to set it up
The external sound recorder with a mic on the rear bumper is IMO a must for good quality audio if you drive with side windows down.
Looks like if you skip the external audio thing completely in the beginning you should get away with just "don't forget to turn on the GPS before each session".
Honestly, the battery in my GoPro has caused me more headache than all the other things combined...
Here's an example of what kind of onboards I can now create: