This process requires that your race have both sprint and distance points fields. These are automatically created by running the validation tool on your race registration.
In a Pursuit or Multi-Stage race, there are usually two unique aspects to preparing and timing the race:
- The start list is often ordered by the results of the previous stage(s) sometimes taking into account the total time up to that stage.
- There are usually 2 sets of results produced each day. A stage result, and a combined result tallying up results from all previous stages.
In order to accomplish this result setup, each new race in the series must be created after you have completed the previous race. In this style of race, the flow of data will start out in the registration, then flow from race to race as seen below with each new race being created from the previous race.
When you create a race based on a previous race, it copies the time(s) from the previous race(s) and places it in a special section called “Multi-Stage Times” which you can see in Racer Info. If your previous race was already part of a multi-stage series, then the system will keep on adding Stage 1,2,3 fields as needed with each new race as seen below.
Preparing Previous Stage Results
If the race you are preparing is based on just a single previous stage with no bonus seconds, then you can skip this section. If you are preparing a race that is based on multiple previous stages or a race that includes bonus seconds, then this section is important.
Selecting the Correct Results Set
In the previous stage that you are importing from, you will have at least 2 result sets. You will have a “Stage” result set with times from just that race day, and you will have a “Multi Stage” result set that sums up all the previous stages. When creating the race for each stage after the first one, times will be copied forward from the “Stage” result set.
Bonus Seconds
Bonus seconds are an optional feature that do not affect stage times, but get applied to Multi-Stage results. To enable bonus seconds navigate to the Settings page and turn on the “Enable the Bonus Seconds field” as is shown below.
Now when in the Timing page of any racers “Edit Racer” window, you can enter bonus seconds in the “Bonus” box under Stage Race Times (pictured below). The seconds entered will be deducted from the racers overall multi-stage time.
Remember: Bonus seconds are applied in the race that they were awarded in. For example, if you’re timing a sprint race and awarding bonus seconds based off of that race you would apply the bonus seconds in the sprint days race file before creating the next days race.
Creating the Race
Once you have applied bonus seconds (if applicable) and properly prepared previous stage results you can now move on to creating a new race for your next stage.
Follow the instructions to Create a New Race. When you’re selecting Import Racers make sure to select Get racers from another race. Then select the previous race in the “Race to Import” drop down menu.
Start List Configuration
First navigate to the “Start List” page of your race and create the relevant start groups.
Seeding
For any racer groups in which the seeding is based off of previous stage(s) results, click the text in the Order By column beside the start group:
Then change the sort order to “Use a Preset Seeding Function” and set the Seeding Type to “Pursuit”. Depending on the options you chose when creating the race, this may already be done for you.
When is the seeding based off of the previous stage(s) results?:
- Pursuit Start Races: The seeding for pursuit start races will always be based off of previous stage(s) results.
- Mass Start Races: The seeding for mass start races will usually be based off of previous stage(s) results. This is done so that the top racers from previous day(s) get the best start position on the start grid.
Start Times
For Pursuit Start Races
In the assign start time section, you will enter either the first start or the start gap for each group. the first start time will be the time that the first racer in the group should start. Alternately, you can enter the time gap between the last start time of the previous group, to have the first start time calculated automatically.
The last start time is the mass start time for the race if any racers are goint to be mass started, or the time of the last starter if all racers would be pursuit started. The last start time must be filled in for all racers for pursuit results to be calculated correctly – even if all the racers will start pursuit style and nobody is mass started.
Once start times have been assigned racers scheduled start time will be used as their assigned start times. This is because in pursuit races no start time is recorded for each racer – it is the racers responsibility to start at their scheduled start time. Also, note that start times are truncated down to the second. Racers that finish within the same second on the previous stage will have the same start time.
For Mass Start Races
For Mass Start Races with seeding based off of the previous stage(s) you do not need to enter a last start time – simply enter the scheduled start time for the group in the Start Time column, or use the Gap column to schedule the time between start groups.
For more info on Pursuit Start Races for XC skiing click here.
Results Configuration
When setting up results, you will want to create two sets of results, these are “Stage Results” and “Multi-Stage Results”. The Stage Results Set are racers individual times from a stage calculated as if the race were an individual start race. The Multi-Stage Result Set are the results that take into account all previous stages and is the sum total of all the times added up. Generally speaking in a pursuit race, the first-across-the-line is the winner of the multi-stage results, whereas for the “Stage Results” the top ranked racer could be someone who started further back in the field and completed the course faster then the other racers.
Stage Results
Stage results will be created by default when you create a results set. The time calculation logic used will vary depending on the race template (individual start, mass start) that you have selected. For more info on setting up results sets specific to XC skiing click here. For general info on setting up result sets click here.
Multi-Stage Results
When configuring Multi-Stage Results the key settings are in the Stage Race Options of the Configure Result page. Check “Display Multi-Stage Results” and optionally the “Show individual stage ranks” and “Show bonus seconds separately”.
By default, Multi-Stage results will not show the lap times from the current race. Instead it will show each stage’s individual stage time along with the total multi-stage time as pictured below. Bonus seconds are subtracted from each stage.
