Multiple classes with a split gate drop

WaltersBrothersRacing

WaltersBrothersRacing

PR Member
I myself am confused with when there is a split gate that they send out the perceived faster group first?


*** If you are easily confused, you should stop reading now. ***


If you send out the faster and slower group out on the same gate, the faster group will win since they are faster. DUH!!! And you can pretty much guarantee that the faster group will put the slower group a lap down, not the entire group but most of them. But we don’t want to do that since its good to have separation so you know who is racing whom, and most importantly for safety reasons.

Now stay with me.

But for some reason the faster group is sent out first, which gives them a head start on putting the slower group a lap down even faster. What percentage of the slower group even get to run all their laps because of being lapped by the faster group? And when the faster group is putting the slower group a lap down, they are making passes with a more compact group of slower riders since they have run less time on the track and have had less time to spread out.

The solution????

Send out the slower group first! If the slower group is sent out first and the faster group is not released till the slower group has run about 3/4s of their first lap, then the slower group has a much better chance as a whole of running all their laps. This also increases safety because there will be less riders in the slower group passed by the faster group; and if and when these passes are made the slower group will be much more spread out by the result of being on the track longer which in turns makes the passing safer for both the slower and faster group rider.
 
I get where you are coming from but I dont think you are gaining that much. By being the second gate drop they slower group starts bout 1/4 of the track behind....except when people like me stall the bike in the first turn and hold everyone up 30 seconds. So technically they are 3/4 of a lap ahead. The only thing gained is the extra lap possibly but not a spread out safety issue.

I dont think it is always standard issue to put the fastest class first but it seems most often they are. The issue I can see would be some tracks starting gates may not allow that much time for the 2nd drop depending on the gate/finish layout. I think the safety issue really only posses a problem on tracks with larger/ blind type jumps. Tracks with good visibility ahead dont seem to be so bad.

Good thinking though, thought provoking. I think it could help some riders stay on the lead lap.
 
Oh man that would be bad and we tried it at a Masters race. 250C and 45 B. 45 B went first. By the end of the second lap, the 250 C top three had past the 45 B riders who were in first. As it went on, well the 45B guys in first and second started to race the other 250C guys in like 6 and 7th place, and well carnage galore. Guys didn't know who they were racing with and it turned out bad. Guys in 45 didn't want to be passed, thinking it was guys in their age group and all, PLUS 250C guys generally are faster and will jump doubles in traffic. 45B don't. Then it gets ugly real fast....

At least when the fast class goes first, it ensures that they get the back markers of the slower class first, and the guys in last don't put up much of a fight or battle. It's been tried. It doesn't work in the real world......
 
Last edited:
If people would run background colors that signifies their class. Like the old days. Ie: yellow b rider. Black c rider white a rider. That would help out.

Stagger drops need to be sooner. Everyone on the track deals with this same problem. To get everyone their laps drop the staggers faster. I don't mind having a slower class start out front. Everyone needs to navigate around the stragglers. . . No disadvantage in my eyes.
 
At the OIR pro day I got lapped by Gibson. He was in 30 and I was in 30C. Kind of sucked not to get my last lap in. Talk about having a full range of skill sets out on the track at the same time!! Pro all the way down to beginners! I don't usually get lapped if I'm on a second drop, but it does suck when it happens, especially when I think I'm riding good and didn't go down!

This is also the reason I stopped racing at Maple Shade. Maybe it has changed, but a few years ago they would have 3 drops! +30a, +30b, +30c. C class got lapped every time. I complained because I was never getting a chance to get my 4 laps in but was told to move up a class.

I do think it is safer for the faster riders to go out first. But it really sucks for the slower class to not get a full race in.

Not offering a solution... Just saying.
 
I've done three gate drops before like 913 stated. Pretty sure it was 30A/B/C as well!

Now that I think about it, after racing all over the country for 30 years I've pretty much experienced every type of combination or crazy idea anyone can come up with!
 
I saw this in the info team186 sent over, I had to confirm that if it was for real with Alex......yep they do exist.
 
hershey said:
That has to be one of the most moronic things I can imagine doing at a track as far as racing goes!
Click to expand...

It wasn't that bad, not like they were full gates. If I remember correctly there were only a handful of A riders and they lined up A and B together with C class behind. Drop one for A, then real quick reset and drop for B, then get C guys on gate and third drop. I know it was in PA too, I used to race a lot of D-5.
 
Vet261 said:
It wasn't that bad, not like they were full gates. If I remember correctly there were only a handful of A riders and they lined up A and B together with C class behind. Drop one for A, then real quick reset and drop for B, then get C guys on gate and third drop. I know it was in PA too, I used to race a lot of D-5.
Click to expand...

Heck, I don't care, send me off on the 4th drop I'll go when I'm told and race whoever is near me! What I was having a hard time with was driving 1-1/2 hours, paying gate fees, AMA, PAMX and going home with only 6 laps on the track and a few practice laps. It felt like a wasted and expensive day.

Now that I think about it... maybe they were trying to tell me I belonged in the D class!
 
Screw staggards then. Fill the gates. 1 drop.

It's still possible to rip a holey in the A class if you got B Riders on the gate.

Gets you great full gate start experience to boot.
 
GeorgiePorgie said:
Stagger drops need to be sooner. Everyone on the track deals with this same problem. To get everyone their laps drop the staggers faster. I don't mind having a slower class start out front. Everyone needs to navigate around the stragglers. . . No disadvantage in my eyes.
Click to expand...

What practice tracks are you at that use a gate? I thought they only drop them on race day?

Sorry Georgie, I couldn't resist. We're Good.
 
GeorgiePorgie said:
If people would run background colors that signifies their class. Like the old days. Ie: yellow b rider. Black c rider white a rider. That would help out.
QUOTE]
Click to expand...

That's what I've been saying for years. They did that in D5 back in the late 70's & 80's for pete sakes. It works. when your out racing and your a B rider and you come up on a rider with black plates you yell at him and he looks over at you and sees the yellow plates and moves over, or vice-versa. Worked good back then. We even had refs that enforced it back then too. I notice the girls mostly have blue plates now. That should be a rule. If I'm out in the +50 class and see #55 with blue plates coming up on me, I'm letting her by, she knows that. I'm not gonna try and hold her back. The Coombs figured this out over 30 years ago. It works
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top