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Timer

Electronic Scoring with the Race Timer System
Version 14.3.16 Currently Available
December 2020
(Free upgrades to licensed users)

News Articles Covering the Race Timer System

The Race Timer software was recently discussed in the Texas Instruments monthly e-magazine. Click here to read the announcement by TI.

The Race Timer software has also received international acclaim - click here to view an article written by an Italian reporter (allow time for loading).

The system was also mentioned in another international report - click here to view the complete article, or you can click here to view a translated version of the same report.

The Texas Offroad Racing Organization (TORO) website discusses their scoring system on their website - click here to read the article. I could list more clubs, but with a growing number of organizations using the system, it's easier to contact me and I can provide you as many references as you like.

More details about the best scoring system available.
Detailed description of the Enduro mode	Detailed description of the Hare Scramble Mode.	Detailed description of the Qualifier Mode.
Detailed description of the Re-Start Enduro mode	Detailed description of the Central American Enduro Mode.	Download the help system (approx 5.4 Meg). Once downloaded, the help system can be accessed by double-clicking the file.
Example of how to mount the gate antenna. This was assembled by the folks in the South Texas Motorcycle Assoc (STORM).	The Leaderboard - revolutionizing how we're scoring off-road events, letting promoters track the progress of every rider in every class - in real time.	Information relating to the transponders - including how to mount them.
Video of the system in operation (2.8 meg)	Video of the system in operation (8.2 Meg)	Video showing how to modify data
New in version 13.1.1 was the ability for anyone on the internet to monitor the event in real time.

Screen shot of the stoplight system.

Screen shots of the installation process.

History of the Race Timer system.

The Race Timer system incorporates essentially two types of displays to let the riders know they've been detected at the checkpoint. Although the "Cadillac" solution is the remote LED display, the system also supports a stoplight.

Shown to the left is a stoplight which was customized by one of the users of the Race Timer system. The stoplight is delivered with only the central component - the stand was constructed by the users. As delivered, lenses are visible on all four sides of the stoplight.

The center light is not used - I put a buzzer in the yellow lens. There's also a small switch visible just to the right of the yellow lens, used to turn the buzzer on or off - if you'd prefer to eliminate the extra noise at the checkpoint. In reality everyone leaves the buzzer on, letting the team doing any manual backup know the rider was detected.

The stoplight system uses 12 volts from the power supply used elsewhere in the system for operating the RFID components - and connects to the printer port for the on / off signals from the computer. The black box houses the relays which couple the 12 Volt power supply to the red / green lens.

In normal operation the red light is essentially illuminated constantly. As a rider is detected, the the red light is turned off and the green light is turned on. The green light remains on for 1/3 second, then the system reverts back to a red light. The buzzer sounds for the duration the green light is on.

While it might seem that 1/3 second is not enough for the green light, experience shows that it's more than enough. The optimum is to have a green light on long enough that the rider will detect it, yet not stay on so long that a rider immediately behind him will go through while the green light is still lit. After a fair amount of testing, it seems that 1/3 second is a good mix - enabling adequate signaling for the rider at the checkpoint, yet fast enough to have returned back to red before the next rider passes through.

Race Timer History

What follows is a brief history of the Race Timer system.

The concept of using computers for scoring motorcycle events was first brought to my attention at a meeting of the local motorcycle club - The Tidewater Dirt Riders - (www.tidewaterdirtriders.org), when we were looking for volunteers for the checkpoint at an upcoming event. I thought - hey, here's a perfect application for a computer, so decided to take on the challenge.

That was the beginning of a TON of time spent since then, in the wee hours of the morning, adding features, removing bugs, and trying to make the system the best possible system for scoring motorcycle events.

Version 1 was a very basic scoring system. In version one, a user brought a laptop computer to trackside and manually entered rider numbers as they approached the checkpoint. It worked fine, but relied on accuracy at the checkpoint, and the system was limited by the speed a person could type as rider numbers were called out. I felt accuracy could be increased by eliminating the manual data entry, so decided to pursue scoring by using barcodes on rider helmets.

Version 2 incorporated the use of a scanner and barcodes for capturing the rider data. This dramatically reduced the errors otherwise present when manually entering data...... especially as the number of riders continued to increase, making it more and more difficult for a single person to record rider numbers.

Version 3 first introduced the addition of a remote display, and "real-time" scoring. The system now provided riders with a display of their number, their class, what position they were in, and how far behind they were, to the closest rider in their class.

Version 4 added the ability to score Enduro events with the same software. Now, promoters hosting both hare scramble and enduro events could do all the scoring from a single piece of software.

Version 5 incorporated the use of networking - providing promoters with the ability to maintain multiple scoring stations, with all data directed to a master database for the scoring. This marked a significant improvement, essentially eliminating the problem of a single scoring system not being able to handle an ever increasing number of riders.

Version 6 incorporated use of transponders. This significant enhancement radically changed the face of scoring an event. No longer was it necessary for riders to come to a stop as they passed the checkpoint. In addition, the use of transponders freed up the promoter from being tied to the checkpoint. A promoter can now start a race, walk away, and 2 hours later have all data recorded without having to be present for the entire period.

Version 7 first introduced several key elements of series management - including a full database of contestant information, the ability to email everyone in the database, and the ability to compute the entire series standings. This represents a pretty comprehensive change to the system - further setting the standard as the best scoring system you'll find.

Version 8 introduce some more uses for the database, primarily in being able to print labels directly from the database. This version didn't see much use though - since it also introduced "unicode".

Some background ..... When computers were first being built, founded primarily on the Microsoft implementation of the alphabet, there was no support for the unique alphabets of the arabic, russian, and oriental languages. With a growing need for an international character set, Microsoft implemented "unicode". The problem is that operating systems prior to NT weren't able to support Unicode, so with version 8, I was no longer able to support promoters using 95, 98, or ME. I WAS able though, to create a system specifically modified for the older operating systems, but it was never distributed. At this point I was maintaining software support for 2 operating systems - the older / legacy systems, and the newer operating sytsems. This became cumbersome, so I've since abandoned all support for 95, 98, and ME. From this point onward, I'm only supporting NT, XP, 2000, and newer operating systems. The reason for not supporting the older operating systems is their inability to support Unicode inherent in version 8.

In Version 9, I added the ability to not only calculate the results for specific races, but to also track overall series standings.

Licensing Information

The Best Scoring System You'll Find - at a fraction of the price. Ever since version 6 was released, (a lifetime ago), the Race Timer software has leaped ahead of other scoring systems by being the first to ncorporate transponders for scoring Hare Scramble events, Qualifier events, and Restart Enduro events. No longer is it necessary for riders to come to a stop at a checkpoint - they're able to stay on the gas and blow through the checkpoint without slowing down. The only real reason for slowing the riders is out of any concern for the safety of people and equipment at the checkpoint, not because it's needed by the scoring system.

The Race Timer System began life as an automated way of improving on the old punch card method of scoring events. Since then, it's evolved into the best software available for not only scoring several types of offroad events, but also for series management. It has become the standard against which all other scoring systems are judged. As copyrighted software, it's not free, but an evaluation copy is available by contacting the author or by clicking the "download" icon in the upper left of this screen. The evaluation software is a fully functional version of the licensed version with the exception that it has limited printing functions and limits the number of riders in the database. The ONLY thing necessary to activate all of the system features is to register the software with the developer.

There are four principles I feel are important regarding software -

First - Reliability and Intuitive. I believe that any software worth having must be simple, intuitive, fast, and above all - reliable. I've spent a lot of time to ensure the Race Timer System stands up to each of those principles.

Second - Support - I do not charge for support. Unlike other systems, there is no annual "maintenance" fee. All support is free for as long as you're using the software. If you have a question - call me or send me an email. I can make this offer (free support) because history shows there's essentially no support required. The software is THAT easy to use. Once you're a registered owner - call me anytime - day or night.

Third - Suggestions for Improvements - Once you're a licensed owner, if you see things you'd like added or changed, simply contact me and let me know. If your request is compatible with the goals of the overall system, I implement those suggestions - for free. The Race Timer software has continued to set the standard for offroad scoring systems - largely based on suggestions from the growing number of users.

Fourth - Software Updates - I don't believe in the practice of holding people hostage for updates. Once you're a licensed user, all future updates are free. There's a $10.00 handling / postage fee if you prefer an updated CD, but updates are free if I'm able to forward them to you electronically. I hope people recognize that it's through these free updates, that users are able to benefit from the suggestions of other users.

Flexibility - Although there have been many enhancements to the software, users still have the ability to scale the system to whatever their club can afford - ranging from manual data entry alongside the track, to a fully automated system, using transponders and a remote display showing the riders their current position as they pass the checkpoint. I'm convinced that once you've seen it in operation, users will unanimously agree it's the best software you'll find - at any price. If the remote display is a bit out of the price range - I also have a stoplight which toggles from red to green as each rider passes through the checkpoint.

System Requirements - The system was initially designed to run on any system running 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, or XP. Over the years, the system improvements have made it harder to support the older operating systems, so I have abandoned support for 95, 98 and ME. I recommend it be run on either 2000 or XP. I have also modified the system so it runs on Microsoft Vista, and have users successfully running the software on 2003, and Windows 7. Please contact me if you have any questions about using it on your operating system.

Evaluation version - If you're interested in downloading an evaluation version, continue to the registration page by clicking here. Program installation is very simple, requiring nothing more than to copy the downloaded file into a temporary directory, then execute the setup program. When no longer needed, the system comes complete with the ability to uninstall it as well. Please note that the version available online is the latest version, released 17 January 2010. If you are a current user, the update to the latest version will require a reload of the software, primarily due to the addition of a few more supporting files not present in the earlier version. The current version is available to anyone, running in the evaluation mode until it's registered. Registration is simple - you provide me with a set of key information and I provide you with the matching information that'll unlock every capability.

If you have any questions, please forward them via email. and I'll do my best to get back to you.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email..

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