Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > 2009 Race Day Format

[Scooter916]

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..

[skidlids]

Originally Posted by Scooter916

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..

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

[andys 900ss]

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

[skidlids]

Originally Posted by andys 900ss

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

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.

[nogaromill998]

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

[Lily]

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

[MLC Racing]

Originally Posted by Lily

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

Experienced the 'Fast Guys from the back of the Grid' thingy when I started racing at Aintree.
Championship leaders dont muck about when there are points at stake and a novice in the way!!! Regular upsets!!!
Someone suggested last year that 1st race grids could be decided by championship standings after the previous round.
I feel the least contentious way of doing it!!!!....and safer too!!

[uteboy]

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

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.

[skidlids]

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

[skidlids]

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