When i first started rc car racing i went to a track up near Sugarloaf Parkway north of Atlanta. I think it was called Sugarloaf Raceway. They had a timing system that had small rechargeable transponders that clipped to the body of your car identical to a clip used on a body post. I think the tranponder rental was included in your track fee, or was a small addition to it if you didn't have your own transponder. Everytime we crossed the line, we heard an audible beep from a loudspeaker, and we could go to the "starter" booth after the race and get a printout of our lap times and stuff like that. All the lap counter systems i see now have transponders that plug in to your receiver. Does anyone know what kind of timing system Sugarloaf Raceway used to have? Is the "plug into your receiver" type of transponder standard now? Seems like that would be a step backward from a rechargeable transponder that just clips to your car...

We are trying to save up enough money for our newly created club to buy a computer lap counter system so i'm doing so reasearch to see what is out there.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a timing system for a small dirt track that would need maybe 10 cars at the same time on the track?

Same system. The clip on transponders still work with it and some tracks still have it. Tracks have gone to using personal transponders for several reasons. No waiting to have transponders returned. No having to send in transponders for repair when they stopped charging(Mylaps I believe no longer services them). It gives means less headaches for the track. Also at least in onroad racers used dummy transponders when setting up their cars. This way the added weight would not change the handling. Now with personal transponders the transponder is always there.

I think i just realized that it was teh SugarBowl R/C Speedway, not Sugarloaf.

So do racers typically just use one transponder and move it to their different cars, or do they have multiple transponders? Or do most people only bring one car to the raceway and i'm just the odd ball who brings three?

Are most of the transponders Infrared or RF? Seems like i-Lap is IR, but won't that get hard to detect with the possibility of dirt covering up the transponders? How does an IR transponder installed under a body get a signal to the lap counter?

I currently use the Ilap system on a outdoor off road track.The pt will see through some painted bodies ,or through a clear spot in the body.Most of my racers either have a small hole in the body above the pt or the place it on the outside of the body in a protected area.If you can mounted on the outside ,that has the least amount of chance of missing a lap.
Track mate and Ilap are IF based system.AMB/MYLAP and i think KO system are RF.There are rumors that a major timing/watch company has been working on a RF lap counting system,but no further details.Also a Chinese made system has been rumored in the works for a while ,but again no further information at this time.AMB/MYLAPS have a monopoly on the RF based system and charge a lot of money for it.Also there PT's are around $100 each.A new AMB/MYLAPS system starts at over $3300 for just the decoder and loop ,No Pt's at that price .A IF system like Ilap will start about $500 and up.mine was $750 with a track set of pt's.So the cost difference is big and thats why you are seeing more IF system at tracks

There are also several different software's available. The software is usually separate from the hardware. Ilaps gives out a copy of lapsfree. Take the time to look at all the features of each manufacturers software. Find the one that fits you best.

rc scoring pro
Alycat
j-lap
laps free
bbk software

few others I cant remember.

+1 for iLaps

Extremely affordable. Works perfectly. Easy to setup. Great for handout transponders as mounting is a breeze.

I use this for my club and for $600 (six transponders) you can't go wrong. Individual transponders are about 45$.

Props to Craig for making a great product.

The track I run at uses Ilaps. Great product with great support.

2 things to keep in mind about Ilaps:
1: The transponders have to be plugged in properly.
2: The scoring bridge needs to stay dry, so move it before rain or watering the track.