17LikesHelp me come up with fun race formats
02-22-2024, 10:00 AM
#1
Help me come up with fun race formats
Hello, I have been asked by our track owners to come up with some interesting race formats. It is an indoor clay off-road track. Electric only. We, like everyone else runs the 2-3 qualifiers and a main as normal. We would like to do something different on occasion, something fun.
I have one idea, as our track is near Indianapolis, IN, around Memorial day, I am going to run a race where mains are 500 seconds (like the Indy 500, get it) and qualifying will be everyone runs the 1st qualifier. If you are happy with your time, you don't run the 2nd qual, if you run the 2nd qual, you drop your 1st qual time and have to go with whatever you get on the 2nd qual. Its similar to what they do for Indy qualifying.
I have thought of team races where you have a team of each class, so one 2wd buggy, one 4wd buggy, one SCT and one Mini Truggy. We also thought of a relay race where you run until you tag out and someone else starts - but not sure how to do that in our LiveTime software.
Does anyone else have some ideas for a fun race format and how you do it?
TIA!
I have one idea, as our track is near Indianapolis, IN, around Memorial day, I am going to run a race where mains are 500 seconds (like the Indy 500, get it) and qualifying will be everyone runs the 1st qualifier. If you are happy with your time, you don't run the 2nd qual, if you run the 2nd qual, you drop your 1st qual time and have to go with whatever you get on the 2nd qual. Its similar to what they do for Indy qualifying.
I have thought of team races where you have a team of each class, so one 2wd buggy, one 4wd buggy, one SCT and one Mini Truggy. We also thought of a relay race where you run until you tag out and someone else starts - but not sure how to do that in our LiveTime software.
Does anyone else have some ideas for a fun race format and how you do it?
TIA!
02-22-2024, 11:39 AM
#2
black light racing. used to love watching it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fq8OS00o9o
buggy VS stadium truck. i can't remember the class or race/event, but i remember a (full scale) short course race they run 2wd VS 4wd with the 2wd getting a handicap via starting X amount of time before the 4wd's start. make the quicker buggy's chase the trucks. this could also be done with 2wd and 4wd buggies.
some kind of vintage class could be fun. limit entry to cars over 20 years old. you could even take it one step further and designate it by time period. for example 1997 through 2003 vehicles only. or 80's night, could even encourage people to dress the part to earn bonus points that earn them better qualifying positions.
monster trucks. have some kind of 1/10 scale monster truck class.
some kind of endurance race with a 3 person team. an hour long main where all 3 team members have to drive. they'll have to make pit stops cause the battery won't last that long. allow tire changes and chassis repairs as well.
something as simple as a mini race could be fun. running 1/18 scale or whatever on a 1/10 track is actually amusing.
qualify running the track one direction and run the mains the opposite direction.
buggy VS stadium truck. i can't remember the class or race/event, but i remember a (full scale) short course race they run 2wd VS 4wd with the 2wd getting a handicap via starting X amount of time before the 4wd's start. make the quicker buggy's chase the trucks. this could also be done with 2wd and 4wd buggies.
some kind of vintage class could be fun. limit entry to cars over 20 years old. you could even take it one step further and designate it by time period. for example 1997 through 2003 vehicles only. or 80's night, could even encourage people to dress the part to earn bonus points that earn them better qualifying positions.
monster trucks. have some kind of 1/10 scale monster truck class.
some kind of endurance race with a 3 person team. an hour long main where all 3 team members have to drive. they'll have to make pit stops cause the battery won't last that long. allow tire changes and chassis repairs as well.
something as simple as a mini race could be fun. running 1/18 scale or whatever on a 1/10 track is actually amusing.
qualify running the track one direction and run the mains the opposite direction.
02-22-2024, 11:40 AM
#3
Tech Prophet
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Far south suburbs of Chicago area
Posts: 17,642
Trader Rating: 9 (100%+)
Honestly, heads up raced for qualifying were more fun than anything.
02-22-2024, 11:56 AM
#4
2 more ideas.
invert the qualifying order.
motocross style starts.
invert the qualifying order.
motocross style starts.
02-22-2024, 11:59 AM
#5
black light racing. used to love watching it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fq8OS00o9o
buggy VS stadium truck. i can't remember the class or race/event, but i remember a (full scale) short course race they run 2wd VS 4wd with the 2wd getting a handicap via starting X amount of time before the 4wd's start. make the quicker buggy's chase the trucks. this could also be done with 2wd and 4wd buggies.
some kind of vintage class could be fun. limit entry to cars over 20 years old. you could even take it one step further and designate it by time period. for example 1997 through 2003 vehicles only. or 80's night, could even encourage people to dress the part to earn bonus points that earn them better qualifying positions.
monster trucks. have some kind of 1/10 scale monster truck class.
some kind of endurance race with a 3 person team. an hour long main where all 3 team members have to drive. they'll have to make pit stops cause the battery won't last that long. allow tire changes and chassis repairs as well.
something as simple as a mini race could be fun. running 1/18 scale or whatever on a 1/10 track is actually amusing.
qualify running the track one direction and run the mains the opposite direction.
buggy VS stadium truck. i can't remember the class or race/event, but i remember a (full scale) short course race they run 2wd VS 4wd with the 2wd getting a handicap via starting X amount of time before the 4wd's start. make the quicker buggy's chase the trucks. this could also be done with 2wd and 4wd buggies.
some kind of vintage class could be fun. limit entry to cars over 20 years old. you could even take it one step further and designate it by time period. for example 1997 through 2003 vehicles only. or 80's night, could even encourage people to dress the part to earn bonus points that earn them better qualifying positions.
monster trucks. have some kind of 1/10 scale monster truck class.
some kind of endurance race with a 3 person team. an hour long main where all 3 team members have to drive. they'll have to make pit stops cause the battery won't last that long. allow tire changes and chassis repairs as well.
something as simple as a mini race could be fun. running 1/18 scale or whatever on a 1/10 track is actually amusing.
qualify running the track one direction and run the mains the opposite direction.
02-22-2024, 12:01 PM
#6
Tech Apprentice
iTrader: (3)
blacklight/ dark racing is fun, my track does that for a Halloween event, people put glow sticks, LED strips and light bars on the cars, add-in in the smoke machine makes it even more fun as to see the cars come blasting out of fog banks.. racing in costume is encouraged with wacky no costume penalties like facing the wrong way start
we just did a 3h endurance race requiring a driver change at all battery pit stops, there was a "rain storm" in one corner part way thru with a small section of track being wetted during the race as a surprise
currently we have an oval configuration with a "catchall" class allowing basically anything to run and a few people have brought out touring cars
we just did a 3h endurance race requiring a driver change at all battery pit stops, there was a "rain storm" in one corner part way thru with a small section of track being wetted during the race as a surprise
currently we have an oval configuration with a "catchall" class allowing basically anything to run and a few people have brought out touring cars
02-22-2024, 12:33 PM
#8
Tech Prophet
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Far south suburbs of Chicago area
Posts: 17,642
Trader Rating: 9 (100%+)
2 choices with motocross starts. Go as fast as possible. Or wait and let them crash. Inverted starts last only a lap or two. Now if driver 1 is a full lap or more on the field, could do a delayed start. And let chase. We done pit stop for on road. Have to pull in a lane, wait 15-20 seconds. But overall it has zero effect on how races ended up
02-22-2024, 01:05 PM
#9
When you ran the endurance races, did that seem to be hard on the motors? That was one concern expressed to me when I brought that up. That was when we started thinking about relay style where you run different cars but for the same team. I'm just not sure how to do that in LiveTime
02-22-2024, 01:42 PM
#11
Tech Prophet
iTrader: (9)
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Far south suburbs of Chicago area
Posts: 17,642
Trader Rating: 9 (100%+)
Done a few of those. Usually it’s after all the regular races. Actually won one. But man, it’s hard to just watch you vehicle sit upside down knowing that someone is probably gonna hit it at full speed.
02-22-2024, 04:06 PM
#14
The 10 Hour Enduro is teams of 5. Team Captains are appointed, and have a meeting to pick teams once the signup sheet is full. They intentionally make the teams even.
Rules:
1 car, 2wd buggy, 13.5 motor, blinky ESC
pit stops every 15 minutes. it is a called out "pit now" so everyone pits at the same time. you don't have to change the battery, but you do have to take the car off the track (touch the chassis to your assigned spot on the wall.)
every hour drivers and marshals switch
in each 5 hour period you will drive for an hour and marshal for an hour. Rotation is determined prior to the race starting.
you can take your car off at any point for repairs and tire changes, but if your on the track you have to participate in the pit stops
Driver and Marshal have to stay in place for their assigned hour. If the car breaks the other 3 have to fix it.
The things that make it fun and interesting is the 1 car, and the relatively even teams.
Rules:
1 car, 2wd buggy, 13.5 motor, blinky ESC
pit stops every 15 minutes. it is a called out "pit now" so everyone pits at the same time. you don't have to change the battery, but you do have to take the car off the track (touch the chassis to your assigned spot on the wall.)
every hour drivers and marshals switch
in each 5 hour period you will drive for an hour and marshal for an hour. Rotation is determined prior to the race starting.
you can take your car off at any point for repairs and tire changes, but if your on the track you have to participate in the pit stops
Driver and Marshal have to stay in place for their assigned hour. If the car breaks the other 3 have to fix it.
The things that make it fun and interesting is the 1 car, and the relatively even teams.
02-22-2024, 05:07 PM
#15
We’ve done an exhibition race at the end of the club race where you race the course in the reverse orientation, no turn marshals, and you have to marshal your own car. Yes, people are running up and down the drivers stand marshaling their own cars. Super fun to watch and a good fun way to end the day.