Advanced Race setup

This screen is used to define more detailed options of a race setup. 

 

*  Announce winner.
If you check this option, the winner/second/third and fourth of the race is announced over the loudspeaker at end of the race.
If you use the “Use driver names” together with “Announce winners” from the advanced options, then the winner will be picked from all contestants. Otherwise it will be from the drivers on the track only.

*  Use drivers names.
If you check this option, the program uses the Microsoft speech interface, also known as “Microsoft Sam”, to say the names of the drivers.
However the quality of this synthetic voice is not perfect, it is in English only and has a heavy American accent. If you want to use this is up to you.
If you use the “Use driver names” together with “Announce winners” from the advanced options, then the winner will be picked from all contestants. Otherwise it will be from the drivers on the track only.

*  Display median time.
If you check this option, the system will display median time in place of the best lap.
“Median” is a statistical analysis method. In short it looks at the last 9 valid lap times. The 3 best and 3 worst are discarded, and the median time is the average of the 3 middle times.
It gives a more stable reading than just the best time. It can be very useful while doing car setups, to judge if a change really improves the car in the long term running.

*  Estimate result.
If you check this option, an estimation of the final race result (total laps) will be performed, and used on the scoreboard as the ranking parameter, rather than the point’s score which is the default.

*  (Estimate result) Show on main screen.
Checking this option will show the “Estimated result” on the main screen in place of the “Track records”.
Track records will still be observed, and if a new record is set, the “Estimated result” will temporary be overlaid by the display of the new record.

*  Auto publish.
With this option, LapMaster loads every result and the associated statistics directly to your webpage at end of heat or race automatically. The index page is updated, and the result and stats are available from your “Live Timing” page.
However it does require that you have setup the appropriate FTP access information in the manual “Load to web” functions for results and statistics, so that the auto-feature knows what to do for you.

*  In Race (Auto publish)
This option modifies the “Auto publish” function, and does two things.
1) It publishes additional statistics on each individual heat.
2) It publishes data after each stint. Especially if you are running long distance racing, this might be an advantage as you get information to the website more offend.

*  Big rotation.
Normally you will race Heat=1 before you continue to Heat=2. This has the effect though that it can take a long time before drivers in Heat=2 gets to drive, especially if your stint time is of appreciative length. By clicking the “Big rotation” option, you will race all Stint=1 (from all heats) before going on to race Stint=2. This means that your teams (heats) of drivers get to alternate driving and marshalling. This is perceived by some clubs to be less boring.

 

*  Starters signal.
Before track-power is turned “On”, a starters countdown is usual displayed. With this option you select what audio should accompany this countdown.
You can select between:

Start with voice

The countdown will be announce in the speaker system as “3, 2, 1, Go”.
Starter lights will be displayed on the screen.
The track power will be turned on at the start of the “Go” message at which time the display of start light will also be removed.

Start with buzzer

Same principle as “Start with voice”, however a buzzer will sound rather than the voice.

Start with silence

Same principle as “Start with voice”, however no sound effects will be used.

Fast start

At start of each stint, this is the same as “Start with voice”.
However at the restart after each track-call, only one start light will be displayed, and the message “Ready, Go” will be played. At the end of this message, the track power will be turned on.

Direct start

In this mode there is no display, delay or announcement at all.
The remote control / spacebar or Mouse pointer will act as a simple On/Off switch of track-power.

False start detect

This option adds a “Reaction game” to the first start of the race, or to each stint if you use “Challenge mode”.
It will only work if you use optical sensors, and are able to start the race with the cars right in front of the sensors. The basic setup of “Start with voice” is used. However track power is turned on 2 seconds before the start. The timing for the last “Go” is randomized between 0.5 and 1.5 second.

If you start too soon, your first lap isn’t counted.
If you start too late, the others are cone before you get going.

 

*  Auto rider track call.
If you check this option, an automatically track call is issued if a ‘rider’ is detected over the lap counter. (See also race setup Min Lap Time.)

*  Announce Track records.

If you check this option, any newly recognized track records will be automatically announced over the loudspeaker system.
Track records are by default only acknowledged during real racing. That is, during qualification or some kind of heat racing, but never during practice. (See “Records during practise” below)
(However track records are newer announced in heat=1, stint=1, as this usually leads to “information overload”)
Track identification can be by numbers or colours depending on the preference in the Track Setup.

*  Records during practise.
Default is to only accept new track records during official racing (Qualification, Time trial, and the different variations of “Heat racing”.)
However by checking this option, you can accept new track records at any time on the track, including free, timed and named practise.

*  Separate Qual records.
If you check this option, records during qualification will be handled as a separate entity that records set during racing.
Especially useful if you run on special high voltage “Qualifier voltage”.

 

*  10 sec warning, Race.
If you check this option, a verbal warning will be given 1 minute, 30 sec and 10 sec before end of stint.

*  10 sec warning, Intermission.
If you check this option, a verbal warning will be given 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute 30 seconds, 1 minute, 30 sec and 10 sec before end of intermission.

*  Auto print.
This option will automatically print a race report on the printer for each heat raced. Default printer and printer settings will be used.

*  Auto save.
This option will automatically save a small text file with the result after each stint in the directory “C:\LapMaster\Autosave”. E.g. it can be used for an automated audit trail, like the “Auto print” option, but without using paper.
If you use this option, the directory could eventual become very large, you might want to empty out the statistics from time to time. E.g. once a year.

*  Pling
If you want an audio feedback each time the counter registers a new count, you can set this option to “On every lap. This will play the sound “Pling.wav” (Default: a beep) in your sound library for every parsing of the counter.
If you set this option to “On fast lap”, a sound will be played for each fastest lap on each lane, within each stint.
If you set this option to “Never”, there will be no audio feedback for parsing the counter.

*  Announce lap times.
If you check one or more of these options, all lap times for the selected tracks will be announced over the loudspeakers.
This is a great feature if you practice alone on the track, but it is usually not a good idea to use this option on multiple active tracks at the same time, as it usual will lead to information overflow.
You cannot distinguish times from one driver from the others.

There is a separate checkmark to enable the announcing of times during qualification.

 

OK or CANCEL.
When the OK button is pressed you return to the race setup panel. Note that you changes are not committed until you press ok on the race setup panel.
Pressing cancel on either the advanced settings or the Race setup panel, erases the changes you made on the panel.

 

HELP
Clicking on help will open up the documentation on the relevant page for where you clicked the “Help” button.

 

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