Transponders to become a reality at hot products mark hahn 300

MIKE FOLLMER · 02-13-2010, 07:04 PM

February 2010

TRANSPONDERS TO BECOME A REALITY AT HOT PRODUCTS MARK HAHN 300

DSM Events is excited to announce the advent of a new era for the prestigious HOT PRODUCTS MARK HAHN HAVASU MEMORIAL 300 TEAM ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS on February 27, 2010.

Ken Johnson, President of E-Time It and DSM Events Hot Products Mark Hahn Havasu Memorial 300 Race Director, Ross Wallach have extensively tested the transponder scoring system and feel confident in its ability to accurately score the race.

Wallach said “I am happy to see we can give the racers what they have asked for at a reliable and affordable rate.” Each team will register with E-Score and rent a transponder ($30) for the race. All transponders will be placed inside the front compartment of the hull. Each team will be responsible for the safe return of the transponder (if damaged, destroyed or not returned the cost is $250. The transponder scoring system will be the primary system for the race. In the event of catastrophic failure of the system we will revert to a back-up manual system. Having done numerous off-road races Ken Johnson looks to herald a new age of scoring for PWC racing.

Note: Please pre-register if you haven’t already as the addition of transponders makes it imperative we have an accurate entry list count with 2 weeks left until the event!

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For more information please contact: Ken Johnson

Phone: (619) 277-7266

Email: ken.johnson.da@gmail.com

OptimaRacing · 02-13-2010, 08:15 PM

Nice! This has to make the promoters and race staff's lives easier as well! Hope to see them at closed course events soon!

DZRacing1 · 02-13-2010, 11:33 PM

Awsome! But How do you know if a racers misses a Bouy?

momarski · 02-13-2010, 11:49 PM

I imagine the pickup is on one side of the buoy and the other side of the buoy has the negative pickup, and everyone gets a printout, this would work fantastic in phrumph

I know we used cameras at the starting line and everyone either played by the rules or they got docked a lap, no restart, just perfect

rossdbos · 02-13-2010, 11:55 PM

Dave:

For the Hahn, we have scorer's watching on each turn boat (adj. to the buoy) and the scoring program will flag any boat with an anomaly (too short of a lap or too long of a lap, etc.). Ie: So lets say if someone is turning 8 minute laps consistently and then turns a 6 minute lap the transponder scoring program will flag it and then we will also look at the turn boats score sheets.

As for close course, since the course is right in front of the scorers I plan on adding an extra person on the start/finish/scoring boat to work with the transponder scoring tech to also look at the course during racing in addition to what the scoring program will be looking for anomalies. Between the course marshall's, manual scorers and the transponders we should have it pretty well covered. I plan on using it at the APBA National Tour Rounds 1 & 2 in Parker, AZ at the Blue Water Resort & Casino the 1st weekend in May (1 & 2). Hope you can make it!

The bottom line is this is a long time in the making and it is in a direct reponse to what the racers have been asking for.

Ross Wallach, Race Director Mark Hahn Havasu Memorial 300
RPM RACING ENTERPRISES

momarski · 02-13-2010, 11:57 PM

thats gonna be real tough on the closed course side if all your looking for is a large gap like one hundred and twenty seconds,

ross do the sensors get placed on the buoys, and if it does is there two on every buoy to make sure your on the right side of the buoy, please explain how they work on the water

in phrumph they would just count lap times and lap numbers because theres one buoy in phurmph they have dog logs around the whole track, in phumph they would be very easy to setup

Carlos Thomas · 02-14-2010, 03:32 AM

Ross,

You plan on using it for closed course? At 30 dollars a pop, I think that is a cost most closed course racers won't want to pay for. Old school counting works for me.

momarski · 02-14-2010, 11:53 AM

if it could be further explained how it will work it might be really nice, relying on humans to do that thankless job out in the sun all day its not that great, if a computer was reading out that you did everything right and then printed out your results for you it would be pretty cool, again I want to know if every buoy will have two sensors on it to make sure everyone gets scored fair
sensors on the start to bust you if you jump the line and then dock you a lap, sensors on photo finishes

somehow I donot think there will be two sensors on each buoy

this is why dog logs are so much better for the racer, for the transponder and for the spectator, mad dogs idea was revolutionary and should have been picked up everywhere, his kind of racing should have spread through out the world

most tracks are follow the leader these days

John Belton · 02-14-2010, 12:24 PM

M, it's probably going to be the same set up as I have used for many running races. You tie a "chip" to your shoelace and you run over a "board" that catches the chip time at the start and finish line (usually start line / finish line is the same at a running race). the major benefit here at this type of event, MH300, is to record lap times / lap numbers of the boats. If i am incorrect I am sure Ross or Mike F will correct me if they read this. jb

momarski · 02-14-2010, 12:27 PM

I was only asking about closed course, alot of times in closed course you will go to the scoring board only to find out that someone thinks you missed a buoy and you have been docked a lap, , maybe you did, maybe you did not, but with transponders you take human error out of the mix, if there are two sensors on each buoy

that scoring job is a nightmere if you ask me, sitting there all day forced to watch race after race, blah blah blah, sure theres gonna be mistakes and controversy