by nhdungeonracer » Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:50 pm
Having done all sorts of different ways to race (from 10 lap sprint races to 24 hour enduros, and everything in between), there are pros and cons on how to run each one.
The simplest way is if (note the "if") the track is easy to marshal and there are enough marshals, is to just race a set # of minutes per lane (usually 3 minutes) and keep track of the laps. Most laps is the winner. But I also feel this is also the most boring way to run a race. For the most part, it lacks side by side racing. Not that it doesn't happen because it does, just not as often as other types of racing. Also, in this type of racing, there seems to be more yelling going on (Marshall!!!, Track!!!, Damn it!!, etc. and my favorite - Hey, what are you doing!!! {right Steve?} :lol: )
Heat or points racing are usually more exciting, and also doesn't have as much effect on how the race turns out when doing track calls. Each heat has all racers lined up on the starting line, and heats are generally 15 to 20 laps. There tends to be more side by side racing. Points are awarded based on how you finish in each heat. One with the most points is the winner.
As far as crash and burn racing, there's a club in Quebec City that do something along that line. Each heat race is a 10 lap sprint, and you get awarded points according to how you finish each heat. But if you crash or deslot before the heat is over, you get zero points for that heat. In order to get points, you must finish the heat. So yeah, you're encouraged to stay on, even if you finish last. And they use track calls to try and limit the damage to cars.
Something else they do is the host has to subtract 10% of his total points for the night. They do this to try and eliminate the home track advantage. Having raced with them a couple times, what they're doing seems to work well.
As for the live marshalling vs. track call "debate", it really depends on the track and if there are enough people. If there's enough people and the track is easily accessible, then live marshalling is generally the best way to do things. However, most tracks I've raced on, this is not the case. Most tracks I race on are home based, and generally have hard to reach spots, so track calls is what we do. Is it fair to the "fast guys"? Who cares? They generally end up winning anyways. So they have to "suffer" through a few track calls. Big deal. What we find is track calls gives us all a chance to laugh and joke about what just happened. We've had times when guys were rolling on the floor because of what just happened on the track, so yes, we like track calls. :D
I just re-read what I wrote before posting this, and I realized something. Racing with live marshalling is usually more "serious" (meaning guys get upset when things happen), whilst racing with track calls seems to be more entertaining and less stressful (ie-more laughter). That's my experience anyways.... :D