Question - 3 Lane Track, equal numbre of races in each lane

Debates and discussions on the various race scheduling methods that can be used and their fairness and accuracy in determining the winners.
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pwrd by tungsten
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Question - 3 Lane Track, equal numbre of races in each lane

Post by pwrd by tungsten »

We have the GrandPrix software and a new track (under construction).

I am wondering:

1) Should we run 2,3 or 4 turns per car in each lane? There are two races and each race has ten racers.
2) Which scheduling method should we use?
3) Is it Ok to not have a final?
4) I am thinking accumulative time. Is that a bad idea? Can't really think of doing it any other way.... Can be convinced though..
5) If we do accumulative time do we drop the low time, the high time, both or none?

Many Thanks.
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Re: Question - 3 Lane Track, equal numbre of races in each l

Post by Speedster »

Our Pack has a 3 lane track. We race Elapsed Time, 2 turns per car in each lane. We do not have a final. After the Tiger race we have an Open Race, open to everyone, with different rules. Mid America races once on each lane on a 6 lane track and removes the slowest time. I like that, especially for scouts, because it forgives one mistake in staging.
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Re: Question - 3 Lane Track, equal numbre of races in each l

Post by Stan Pope »

pwrd by tungsten wrote:1) Should we run 2,3 or 4 turns per car in each lane? There are two races and each race has ten racers.
10 racers is a awkward number for points racing because solutions which satisfy the "race against each other racer the same number of times" criterion require way too many heats to fit your racing schedule.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:2) Which scheduling method should we use?
For a small number of racers, e.g. less than about 30 per category, use PPN.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:3) Is it Ok to not have a final?
Depends. If you are running PPN and points, then the accuracy falls off a bit. A balanced PN final involving about twice as many racers as you have trophies to decide is indicated.

If you are running cumulative times, then finals needed if the track is subject to change during the racing day. Physically changing the track, e.g. bumping it hard or moving it, will usually change its time characteristics!
pwrd by tungsten wrote:4) I am thinking accumulative time. Is that a bad idea? Can't really think of doing it any other way.... Can be convinced though..
If you have a "snap open" start gate and solid electronic timer and the track does not get "rearranged" during racing, then cumulative times okay. If the gate open speed is manually controlled, then the starter will affect the times, and times will get slower as the starter tires.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:5) If we do accumulative time do we drop the low time, the high time, both or none?
Dropping outliers favors the less consistent racers, but probably not enough to affect the outcome. It is a good plan if your racers are new to staging their cars and subject to occasional errors in staging.

Staging the car is a part of racing, and proficiency at staging should be rewarded, too, at least as the racers become more experienced.
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Re: Question - 3 Lane Track, equal numbre of races in each l

Post by gpraceman »

pwrd by tungsten wrote:1) Should we run 2,3 or 4 turns per car in each lane? There are two races and each race has ten racers.
It depends on how much time you have budgeted for running the racing portion of the event and how many racers.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:2) Which scheduling method should we use?
I'm partial to Perfect-N type scheduling. Every racer runs in each lane, everyone gets the same number of runs and they face a variety of opponents.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:3) Is it Ok to not have a final?
Are you scoring by times or points? If by points, you have a greater chance of ties, so running a round of the top finishers can help you decide the trophies. If by times and you have a good number of racers, then running an additional round can be more exciting for the audience. It lets them see the top cars running, which generally makes the finishes much closer.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:4) I am thinking accumulative time. Is that a bad idea? Can't really think of doing it any other way.... Can be convinced though..
Cumulative or average would be my recommendation.
pwrd by tungsten wrote:5) If we do accumulative time do we drop the low time, the high time, both or none?
GPRM will allow you to drop the slowest time for each racer, if you choose to do so. If it is the race crew handling the cars, then it is a good idea to drop the slowest time, as racers have no control over how their car gets staged on the start line.
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Re: Question - 3 Lane Track, equal numbre of races in each l

Post by Rukkian »

Many good responses already, but here are my thoughts:

If you have a snap open gate that works well with a consistent timer start (IE not a laser gate), then times are fine. I personally think that points are more exciting in a smaller race, since it is all about who wins. If you run 2 times down each lane, each racer will be able to have raced 12 different opponents, which should give a pretty good idea about who is the winner. If you do 3 times down each lane, it would then be 18 opponents.

As for number of runs, it is really about time. For each time each racer goes down each run, it takes 1 race. If you have 10 racers, and do 2 times down, that is 20 races. I think it is good to figure a minute per race to be safe, even though good crews can do ~40 seconds per race.

Obviously the kids want to see their car race more times, as that is what they come for, but if you draw it out too much, you will loose interest of some of the racers, especially ones that are not competitive. In the past, we had a 3 lane track with ~35 kids and did 2 races per lane, and it seemed like a good amount, then did the same for the finals, which had 15 (top 3 from each of 5 ranks).
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