2009 Race Day Format
 

For those that haven't seen it
and as Rattler has pointed out that its a bit quiet on the DSC site
Here is New Era's race format for 2009

RACE DAY FORMAT
There will be significant changes to the race day format in that Timed Practice will be discontinued in favour of Qualifying Races.
This means that the first races during the day will act as qualifiers for the main Championship Races in the afternoon. Grid Stickers will be issued at Signing-On. Grid positions for these races will be allocated at Signing On. All of this will save time messing about in the Assembly Area. The fastest laps in each Class will count for Grid Positions in the Championship Races - the fastest in each Class being allocated Pole Position etc etc. The remainder of the grid will be established according to the remaining fastest lap times in order.
This means that, effectively, the meetings will be run to a "three race" format this year - and the accent will be on reducing the delays between races and, consequently, the time riders may have to spend in the Assembly Area with tyres going cold. At the same time a high degree of co-operation will be expected of our riders in order to achieve these objectives as obviously riders falling of towards the end of races will almost inevitably introduce some delays.

That sounds good to me, wonder how many laps qualy races will be over??

that is a shame...... the mad rush for the assembly area 30 minutes before the qualifying was always such fun!

I my have to add that question to my list for Saturday to see if I can get an answer

Does this mean we have to pay to enter 3 races then rather than 2 as last year?

**** me you still about:)

Trouble maker !!! ;)

pants idea that is

Makes sense from a timing and organisational point of view and besides, qualifying was virtually a race anyway :eek:. And now there's an additional practice start too..... change brings opportunity, embrace people, embrace!!! ;)

bah humbug

Sounds good to me, A lot better than when it used to be ballots.......
I remember my first ever race in the f600, Second row and crapping myself, Second corner and sat on my aris watching bikes whizz past my swede.
Ahh the good old days ehh Kev, 3 rows and 12 bikes to a row....... The HSE would have a dicky fit..

Obviously I am new to all this, but how would the tyres be warm in the first place?

I personally like the idea because it gives me a feel for a start and a race before my first proper race!

The rules are for the New Era Club as whole, DD are the only class within New Era that do not use tyre warmers.


Chris:burn:

I'm all for trying new stuff, and to be qualifying in a race format should give plenty of clear laps to get a fair time on the board... rather than having some slow plank on Pole just cos everyone else got held up! (speaking from experience!) :lol:

What I don't understand is how it would save time - someone want to enlighten me?

Yeah... tyres going cold... hate it what that happens... ;)

Was that Keevil by any chance, I seem to rember racing by as you were sat on your arse there, then again I may have passed you a few times when you were sat on your arse. It was all that power without the control.

3 rows deep and 12 riders wide did make for exciting starts and runs down to the first corner.
NG in recent years have had one Points race a day, preceeded by a quallifying race with untimed practice prior to that and its worked well for them

I could see a potential risk here.

Newby gets front row grid allocation and some angry 620's behind looking for pole slots. They all go into the first corner together...............................

Are we sure its safe not having practice, especially for the newby's.

Andy

I too wonder how this would save time - forming on the grid, an outlap, form on the grid then the start? Surely you all have to be in the assembly area just as before? I think this will add time, not save it.

Then again, it's more start practice!

I think the time saving is down to the computer running the whole day as races and the computer works out the rest which is how our swimming meets run.

We know, down to a minute, when the meet will end due to the computer system.

Andy

Grid positions by Ballot are nothing new in racing, New Era operated like this for years and its how my grid slots were allocated when I started racing with New Era from 1998 to 2004 when Transponders were then introduced.
It wasn't unusual to have 3 races per class at a meeting, often you would have a start near the front, one at the back and then one around the middle of the grid. I can't recall it causing any major incidents and along with Free practice made the meetings good value.
Question here is will there also be free practice or will your first time out on the track be the quallifying race, something I hope to find out more about tomorrow.

Just spoke to Phil at new era, the qualifying race is NOT charged for as an extra race.

interesting.

I would have concern over newbies being gridded at the front, especially if we have a mixed grid.

Previous experience of this approach means that you can request to move back on the grid if you are novice etc and not comfortable, I just wonder how many will actually do this if it is allowed.

Other than that - seems ok for me, I am **** at qualifying anyway :mad:

The ACU book says a minimum of ten mintues practice for any road race event. IIRC it used to be a minimum of 3 laps/rider but that was before they invented radial tyres and transponders.

Is the cart getting put before the horse here.
New Era have not yet said their will npot be any practice, what they have said is timed quallifying will be replaced by a quallifying race.
They also stated several weeks ago they wanted to add better value for money, They also state that they want to encourage Novices.
Now to me better value for money would be a free practice, followed by a quallifying race and then the two points races.
There has been for some time now a Riders and officials meeting arranged by New Era for tomorrow at a hotel in Daventry. Hopefully this meeting will provide a few answers.
Such as
Will there be Free Practice
How long or over how many laps will the Quallifier race be
How much time will be allocated per class per meeting.
eg if its a 8 hour race day and there is 10 classes then each class should average 48 minutes, enough time for 10 mins free practice, a 10 min quallifier and two 12 minute races, on paper it just about works but in reality we know delays of one kind or another will throw a spanner in that line of thinking.

New Era say they are running 14 classes this year, if you add our 2 that makes 16 but the way New Era have set ther classes out they could easily be combined into 6 or 7 grids and with our 2 making it 8 or 9 then the above times for practice and racing could work

After tomorrow we should know more

STOP PRESS
THE LATEST FROM NEW ERA
we will still do a morning warm up, it may only be ten minutes however the plus side is you will be able to have three races in a day

and here is the full statement

we intend to ensure there is no hanging around in the assembly area with tyres going cold, of course once the track is clear for the next race we need all riders to be ready to rock and roll , this will be the riders responsibility and there will be a strict time limit placed on the length of time the assembly area is open ( i.e. 3 minutes ) before the gate is closed and we race, we intend to try and keep tyres warm by only calling for the race once any fallen riders, bikes, oil slicks etc etc have been concluded, it has happened far too many times in the past that we all are sitting waiting when someone falls off or breaks down and all of our tyres go cold, we intend to stop this happening and improve the show for all concerened

From the conversations I’ve had the general consensus is more racing less time qualifying and better organisation, we will still do a morning warm up, it may only be ten minutes however the plus side is you will be able to have three races in a day, Paul you wrote you could get a bad place on the grid and your right however to make it fair we will draw grid slots from the hat when you sign on and unlike some other clubs we will not have riders drawing three ir four grid positions and keeping the best one, we are still to discuss whether to offer trophies to the first three in the qualifying races or to the fastest lap riders, one thing certain is that your fasterst lap will be the lap that dictates your grid position and we all know we ride faster under race conditions than we do in free practice etc

Would be interested to know the format of the "free" practice warm up regarding whether its loads of different classes all mixed up. Horrible if it is.

Yea but it would be no different to a trackday, and it is exactly what it says on the tin.... A warm up.

All the more reason for having tyre warmers they are not that expensive....

.....over to you DSC committee

You can't just have tyre warmers tho, you also need a generator and paddock stands as a lot of circuits don't have power. If you trailer your bike to a track you then need a vehicle big enough to carry the genny and stands as well as all the other stuff.
No warmers has never been an issue in dd so why make it one ?

Back to the original post I like the idea, my 1st 4 years of racing were done this way with the first race postions done on the time your entry arrived and the 2nd on your finishing position from the first. It encouraged people to get their entries in earlier which is good for the club knowing they have the entries. If you draw pole you can always ask to be moved.

Keep it simple keep it cheap :)

I'm for the extra race, gives me time to learn the circuit and maybe but a fast one (ish) at the end :)

After seeing the pace Matt T achives on his first Lap i reckon tyre warmers
are not needed just a better rider on my bike :lol:

It all sounds good to me.
I'll be able to spend time adjusting forks right up until the qually race gets called with none of the pressure of queuing up to be first out of the gate.

:lol:

"I'll be able to spend time adjusting forks right up until the qually race gets called"

that made me giggle that did!

After todays meeting between Riders and officials the race format for next year is currently undecided, after several points were raised the Merits of a Quallifier race Vs a Timed Quallifying session is now being discussed futher by the officals of New Era.
The original decision to go for the race format was in response to rider requests for more racing laps. Also thrown in to the discussion mix was two timed quallifying sessions with the best lap time out of both sessions setting your grid position.
The meeting was made up mainly of seasoned racers many riding 1000cc bikes and being able to use tyre warmers and wets and these guys have a pretty good idea of what they would like to see.

One thing that did come across was the positive attitude from some of the officials towards Desmo Due classes.
There was also a few other good suggestions
Such as Fewer calls to the holding area, possibly only One call and possibly a max of 3, no doubt they will discuss the ideas and come to a decision, I think one call once the last lap flag goes out followed by a second and final call when the chequred flag goes out would be the best option at that point you would have 3 minutes to get to the holding area before it was closed, after all what did the Final, Final, Final, Final, Final, Final call actually mean.
Also discussed was the awarding of New Eras Saturday trophies in the club house on Sat evening to try and bring a proper club feel back to the paddock, bit like Saturday evening at the Dave Holland Cadwell meeting.

Another couple of things that are likely to happen are
Credit card payments although still needing to be in with your entries 2 weeks before the meeting will not be drawn on until a week before the meeting, probably the Monday, as such late entry fees will be done away with apart from those for riders entering on the day.

Another thing that came from the meeting was that New Era did make loss last season which is why they are looking into ways of turning things around this season.
They are off to a good start
2008 Circuit Hire (medical cover etc NOT included) £460k
2009 Circuit Hire (medical cover etc NOT included) £250k ish

I wonder if that means our entry fees will be 26/45ths of those in 2008.....lol...

more like 26 race days in place of 45

Thanks for the updates - much appreciated.

Ta for the thorough updates Skids ;)

Seconded..

Thx


Craig