Race Format Change - For the Future

Track Matching, where variability is minimised between two or multiple lanes is a concern for racing of this nature. Because that value can't be zero with mass produced plastic track, hosts give those extra runs so cars have to take a turn in the "slow lane." Some concessions have to be made at this scale with gravity driven little cars, accepted by fans racers & hosts alike

On the face of it, the idea appears to be a case of "overthinking" but kudos for the passion behind it

Lloyd,   that was exactly my goal with No Time Kings.  One and done.  I made it a 5 Event point series so that everyone who took the time to build a car and send it in would get plenty of race time for their efforts (and cost).   

No 2 lanes will ever be perfectly equal.  They definately are not in real drag racing. It's part of the game.  With a 5 event point series, the cars will eventually end up ranked as they should. But in the mean time, slower cars that draw an equal opponent or better lane have a chance to win a few races along the way. The mystery of "who's gonna win?" will be there for most races.  

With the normal timed drag race format and standard seeding, it's pretty much over with after qualifying. There's very little "on-going excitment". Especially the first round where all the slower cars are eliminated as a matter of procedure.  Don't get me wrong,  I enjoy this format to see how fast the cars can be,  but overall, the excitement level is pretty low after the qualifying is over.

The random opponent and lane choice help keep things a little spicier and undetermined. Hopefully providing both Viewers and Drivers with a lot more excitement that keeps them coming back.  That was my philosophy for developing NTK. 

Chris

I like the concept. 

if you ran a set of races, (say 4) as a season, awarded pts for wins,

it would add an interesting element to it, as the true "racing" aka season points,

would float around,  and with 4 events, even the top seed has to run perfect every time

award a point for top qualify time, and one if it's broken again by someone else

(if a driver set fast, and bests it, the better # stands)

then a season final that sorts out any ties,

That way you know how as a mid pack person you stood up

you as a host can film more races,

and saves on the postage for everyone, too

dr

Keep in mind that your track is extremely short. Cars have very little chance to catch up and pass a slower car, which means that a car that is a "faster" car will potentially lose to a slower car. Like Zamak speed shop stated: there is no on going excitement because after round 1, the rest of races would be fairly predictable if there is no lane changes, then the winner almost always be in  that "fast lane". If you had a 22 foot track, maybe there would still be a chance for a car to warm up and take a win from a car in the fast lane,, but in the small scale track you use, most races would be over before they begin and thats a sure fire way to discourage people from racing there.

Just think, 1 lap down your track is less than 2 seconds. So if your makes it 3 rounds, you get about 6 seconds or less of race time.

With the one and done racing happening at Zamak, its random matchups and random lanes every time, so there is always a chance to take a win, which keeps things fair and interesting. Plus, the track is long enough for someone to make a pass at the finish line.

I  understand what you would like to do and I appreciate the effort put into trying to provide a new racing experience. Racers all want to see the cars they have spent the time, effort, and money to buy and/or modify get an equal opporunity on the tracks they send cars to. Maybe you coud do what you ar talking about as a one off event and see how it goes. Maybe it works out better than anticpated once the racing begins..?