Setting up Timing Points

Enduros use a lot of timing points. Because each segment has a start and finish, and most enduros have between 4 and 6 segments, to time one you’ll need anywhere between 8 and 12 timing points, and possibly more!

It is super important to make sure your timing points are functioning. If the Hardware is not installed or setup correctly there’s not much we can do to fix it. Always err on the side of collecting too much data rather than not enough. You can be a wiz at our timing software, but you can’t timing a race without data!

Chip Timing

Chip Timing is very useful for Enduros. The start and finishes are often on narrow single track where it’s hard to have a lot of people or equipment.  A pair of well fastened wires however, have little chance of interference.

Location

There are a couple of important things to remember when setting up the loops. The first is location.

Because there is often a line of racers waiting to start the segment, and racers must stop before starting their run, we cannot place the wires directly at the start. It is best to place the wires two or three meters down the trail to be sure there are no accidental reads. It’s best to try and find a relatively smooth part of the trail, and ideally where the rider is not accelerating or braking hard. Similarly for the finish, choose a location that is far enough from the end of the chute so that riders waiting at the bottom are not in the field, and on a gentle run out so the riders are not braking hard. Skidding tires can pull at the wires and damage or pull them up.

Width

A wider loop means a wider field for the chips to sense, and this means it’s more likely to get a good read when racers are moving faster. Because most enduros take place on single track, we can set up the loop so that is it wider than it is long. For an enduro we would recommend a width of 1.5 to 2 meters to create a large enough field.

Securing the Loop

It’s always important to secure the loop so that it doesn’t imped the racers. Enduros can be a challenge for this, as the terrain is usually rough and unsuited to placing a timing loop. However, there are some steps to take to help minimize the chances of the loop coming out.

First study the terrain. Try to find an area without lots of roots or rocks. Sometimes these can be used to help protect the wire, but you should take care not to stretch the wire across exposed surfaces like this. Next, place your clips. We don’t want the clips to be in places where they are likely to be run over, as this could damage the rider’s tires. That said, the more clips you use the more secure the wire will be. As always you’ll need one in each corner, but try and place at least two more on the parts of the loop that cross the trail. If you can use the terrain to your advantage do so! If there is a root that crosses the trail, or stable rocks these can be used to help shield the wire and the clips from the bikes.

You can also consider burying the wire. This depends a lot on where you are, some places are two rocky or hard or sandy to get away with it, but if you can, dig a trench and pack the dirt over the wire. If the bike tires don’t contact the wire directly they are much less likely to disturb it.

Manual Timing

Manual Timing is any form of timing where data is generated by human input. This can be a stop watch, and order of finish form, or entering data into a timing device by hand.

If you are short on equipment you can use the keypads on the phone App to run the race instead of chips. You can also use them for backup, which we will talk about later in the course