Throwing out the worst time?

[derbyspeed]

At council we decided to throw out the worst time and add the other 3 for the total for each racer. I think this is a good idea as it helps eliminate some problems you may have with the track. But my question is, if a car doesn't finish (as we had one do), should the race be re-run or should you let it go as that time will be thrown out?

One car flipped up on the track and after some discussion we decided to leave as is and not re-run the heat.

I am not saying either way is better, just asking for opinions.

On one hand it seemed to be the fault of the track that the car flipped and seems fair to that racer to re-run the heat.

On the other hand the other cars may suffer do to another run.

Any thoughts?

[FatSebastian]

I think this is a good idea as it helps eliminate some problems you may have with the track. [...] One car flipped up on the track and after some discussion we decided to leave as is and not re-run the heat.

If our derby were trimming high times / scores, I would have recommended the same course of action that you took.

[Stan Pope]

At council we decided to throw out the worst time and add the other 3 for the total for each racer. I think this is a good idea as it helps eliminate some problems you may have with the track. But my question is, if a car doesn't finish (as we had one do), should the race be re-run or should you let it go as that time will be thrown out?

One car flipped up on the track and after some discussion we decided to leave as is and not re-run the heat.

I am not saying either way is better, just asking for opinions.

On one hand it seemed to be the fault of the track that the car flipped and seems fair to that racer to re-run the heat.

On the other hand the other cars may suffer do to another run.

Any thoughts?

If there is reason to believe that it was a track fault, then another try is appropriate. Since you are recording times, not heat place, why would the other cars in the heat need to run again??? Does the presence of opponents on the track affect times?

I am statistically averse to lopping off one tail of each performer's time distribution ... it helps the worst cars and barely affects the fast cars.

[derbyspeed]

If there is reason to believe that it was a track fault, then another try is appropriate. Since you are recording times, not heat place, why would the other cars in the heat need to run again??? Does the presence of opponents on the track affect times?

Running Grand Prix Software I thought at the time it would be difficult to run just the one car and be able to keep tabulation in the software.

But I am thinking now I could've written down all the times from the heat, opened up the test run area in the software and ran the single car down the same lane and written down that time and then went back to the heat and input all the times back in manually. It was mainly a software issue as to why we were thinking about running all the cars again and of course a time issue with 170 scouts racing.

I am assuming I can do that with Grand Prix - is that correct Randy? (if you happen to see this post)

(Of course if you really want to get technical, does the force of 4 cars resting on the starting pins cause the starting gate to open quicker as opposed to just one car - I would think it would be very minimal with a spring loaded gate but who knows )

[gpraceman]

But I am thinking now I could've written down all the times from the heat, opened up the test run area in the software and ran the single car down the same lane and written down that time and then went back to the heat and input all the times back in manually.
...
I am assuming I can do that with Grand Prix - is that correct Randy? (if you happen to see this post)

No need to input all the times for that heat, just edit the time for the car that was re-run, using the Manual Results button.

[derbyspeed]

But I am thinking now I could've written down all the times from the heat, opened up the test run area in the software and ran the single car down the same lane and written down that time and then went back to the heat and input all the times back in manually.
...
I am assuming I can do that with Grand Prix - is that correct Randy? (if you happen to see this post)

No need to input all the times for that heat, just edit the time for the car that was re-run, using the Manual Results button.

Thanks Randy I was in a stressfull situation at the time and didn't know for sure if I could do that so I didn't want to complicate things even more. We started out the day where both computers wouldn't read the timers on the tracks, never did figure out why, but was able to get two other computers to read them just in time.

[gpraceman]

We started out the day where both computers wouldn't read the timers on the tracks, never did figure out why, but was able to get two other computers to read them just in time.

The software's help file has some very good troubleshooting information.

Support -> Troubleshooting -> Serial Port Troubleshooting

Most often, it is an issue with installing the drivers for a USB to Serial Adapter. The help file has a whole section on troubleshooting those.

[derbyspeed]

We started out the day where both computers wouldn't read the timers on the tracks, never did figure out why, but was able to get two other computers to read them just in time.

The software's help file has some very good troubleshooting information.

Support -> Troubleshooting -> Serial Port Troubleshooting

Most often, it is an issue with installing the drivers for a USB to Serial Adapter. The help file has a whole section on troubleshooting those.

I'm pretty sure that was the problem and I went down that road but couldn't quite figure it out at the time. Need to do some more in depth study on that in case it happens again.

[gpraceman]

I'm pretty sure that was the problem and I went down that road but couldn't quite figure it out at the time. Need to do some more in depth study on that in case it happens again.

The help file is a great (and rather under utilized) resource. It does have a search feature, so you can quickly jump to a section of interest (as the parents are drilling holes in the back of your head with their eyes).

[derbyspeed]

I got to the point where I needed the software for the USB to Serial Port adapter, I am assuming the computer I was using didn't have this software installed. This was an IBM computer.

I hooked up my personal computer and it even told me what kind of timer I was connected to and I was very happy to see that. I have always used an adapter so I assume I had the correct software for their adapter?

[Stan Pope]

If there is reason to believe that it was a track fault, then another try is appropriate.

It may be quite fair to all to assume a track fault on a car's first derailment of a heat and decide to rerun the car. Any derailment should cause a check on the track to see why. Did the track somehow develop a problem since the start of racing?

However, repair/correction of the track risks the fairness of the event. When the track changes (that is what a correction is), the times that various cars run also change. Maybe the average gets faster, maybe slower. Either way some racers get helped, some hurt.

This scenario argues strongly for careful prerace check of the track, including use of go-nogo gages to decide if the track has faults. Applying those same gages in the event of derailment allows the rerun decision to be made with objectivity.

I was in a stressfull situation at the time and didn't know for sure if I could do that so I didn't want to complicate things even more.

This is the nature of "computerization". Introducing computerization into a high profile event (like a council derby) is scary! You haven't begun to learn all the things that can go wrong! There are preparations that will minimize the likelihood of anomalies, though, and I'm sure you have a good list of those now. And there are learning activities that will allow you to accurately and expediciously work through recovery from anomalies. I'm sure that you have a good list of ways to "Learn the hardware and learn the software ... inside and out" now, too. They will help you if you are intrepid enough to try it again next year!

Sharing the knowledge with others who would try a high profile timed event, and sharing with those who will follow you in your own event would be most helpful.

[gpraceman]

I got to the point where I needed the software for the USB to Serial Port adapter, I am assuming the computer I was using didn't have this software installed. This was an IBM computer.

I hooked up my personal computer and it even told me what kind of timer I was connected to and I was very happy to see that. I have always used an adapter so I assume I had the correct software for their adapter?

These adapters should come with a CD with the drivers on it. Often it is a mini CD hidden in the packaging for the adapter. Too often that CD is misplaced. It does help to know who the manufacturer for the adapter is, so you can go to their website and download the latest drivers. That is especially important if it is an adapter that was purchased a few years ago and you want to use it on Windows Vista or 7 (even more so if it is the 64 bit versions of those).

Some might try to say that these adapters are plug-and-play, but that is rarely the case.

Of course, you should always make sure that your computer is tested with the timer well before race day. If there are problems, then you have the time to resolve them.

[derbyspeed]

These adapters should come with a CD with the drivers on it. Often it is a mini CD hidden in the packaging for the adapter. Too often that CD is misplaced. It does help to know who the manufacturer for the adapter is, so you can go to their website and download the latest drivers. That is especially important if it is an adapter that was purchased a few years ago and you want to use it on Windows Vista or 7 (even more so if it is the 64 bit versions of those).

Some might try to say that these adapters are plug-and-play, but that is rarely the case.

Of course, you should always make sure that your computer is tested with the timer well before race day. If there are problems, then you have the time to resolve them.

I checked to see if I just happened to catch a Wi Fi spot where we were at but couldn't so I couldn't check for software availability.

It was my fault for assuming that they had checked to make sure the timer worked, although they said they had just used it recently but I'm not sure if it was with the same track/timer. They had just updated to the latest version of Grand Prix also, I believe just that week.

We were about an hour away from starting the Council races and It just popped into my head that I had better check and see if the timers are working, luckily I had enough time to get it straightened out. Randy you probably have my voice on your answering machine from last weekend!!

[derbyspeed]

This is the nature of "computerization". Introducing computerization into a high profile event (like a council derby) is scary! You haven't begun to learn all the things that can go wrong! There are preparations that will minimize the likelihood of anomalies, though, and I'm sure you have a good list of those now. And there are learning activities that will allow you to accurately and expediciously work through recovery from anomalies. I'm sure that you have a good list of ways to "Learn the hardware and learn the software ... inside and out" now, too. They will help you if you are intrepid enough to try it again next year!

Sharing the knowledge with others who would try a high profile timed event, and sharing with those who will follow you in your own event would be most helpful.

This was my first year helping at the council and both helpers for running the software had backed out, since I had used the software for 3 years they asked me to step in. That was the call I got the day before the race so I didn't have a lot of time to check things out, although it's sometimes better to be "thrown into the fire quickly" you don't have to worry about it days ahead of time!

And in all honesty I probably worked better under pressure.

As far as gleaning wisdom from this experience:
- Racing with times is quick but boring to the audience.
- Make sure you announce the standings for everyone even 170th place - everyone wants to know how they stood up against the best.
- Throwing the worst time out does give you some lattitude
- Make sure you use full names and numbers for the cars (we had two tracks and the other track used first initial and last name - I think there were two families that had the same first initial and of course the same last name - we didn't use numbers so this made for some confusion) Since we didn't have numbers I made sure I put in their full name plus every kid wants to see his name up on the screen!
- Make sure you explain to the whole audience how the race will be run and the process, don't leave them in the dark.
- Have a deadline (which we did) to sign up for the races and then input all the names in the software a day or two before the race, this will give them a number and you can just leave the "passed" box unchecked if they don't show.
- Announce to the audience at the beginning what you will do if a car jumps the track or wheel falls off and stick to that rule. This is a common issue that can be resolved easily if the rule has been stated before the race.
- And of course check the timer to see if it talks to your software!! (that should've been my number one maxim of big race wisdom )

Even under some duress I still had a great time and am ready to go at it again next year if they will have me!

[gpraceman]

We were about an hour away from starting the Council races and It just popped into my head that I had better check and see if the timers are working, luckily I had enough time to get it straightened out. Randy you probably have my voice on your answering machine from last weekend!!

Unfortunately, I get those type of voice mails all too often. By the time that I hear them, it is usually too late to provide any help. It would be nice for users if we had 24/7 support, but that is not realistic for our small company. Anyways, nothing is more stressful for all concerned than trying to resolve a problem over the phone during a race, especially with kids being loud in the background.

This was my first year helping at the council and both helpers for running the software had backed out, since I had used the software for 3 years they asked me to step in. That was the call I got the day before the race so I didn't have a lot of time to check things out, although it's sometimes better to be "thrown into the fire quickly"

Ouch!

we didn't use numbers so this made for some confusion) Since we didn't have numbers I made sure I put in their full name plus every kid wants to see his name up on the screen!

Didn't use numbers? For GPRM, every car must have a car number.

Even under some duress I still had a great time and am ready to go at it again next year if they will have me!

Well, I am glad that it all worked out and you got through the race.