Jump to content
British Speedway Forum
Sign in to follow this  
mike1944

The 2 minute Polish system

Recommended Posts

On 8/1/2018 at 10:56 AM, mike1944 said:

Watching Polish speedway on FreeSports I am getting increasingly impressed with their 2 minute timer for the riders to be ready at the tapes. The timer countdown can be seen on screen and the riders always appear to be ready on time. Any restarts get the 2 minutes too. Can we please adopt this Polish timer system as it is annoying to see four riders at the tapes after lots of delay and then one turn round and go back to the fourth bend and returns and then some more shuffling, gardening and clutch adjustments from the others too. Of course this can happen without the countdown clock but at least supporters know that the moment they get the go-ahead to leave the pit gate there is a time they have to adhere to and they have 2 minutes to be ready at the tapes to race.

That's just ridiculous!!! Have you seen the price of clocks these days!!! :rofl:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I watched a Polish meeting last night and the 2 minutes seems to mean ready to race rather than over here which seems to be 2 minutes to get on track then prat about for as long as you want. Seems an easy thing to put right. Polish commentator was awful though. What the he'll does 5 1er and 4 2er etc mean

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/1/2018 at 8:08 PM, New Science said:

I think you can forget all these fancy ideas. The BSPA has shown in recent years that the want to go down the PC route. Only have to be on track within 2 minutes, not ready to start, no crossing of the centre green. They are not going to put the tapes up so you can ride round the wrong way, if you do that now and touch the centre green to get the right side of the tapes you are out. The starting system in the UK will only get slower and more pedantic than slicker and faster, all in the name of PC.

Can't see what all this has to do with PC, he packed up years ago! Mind you, he could still be coming to the tapes when the others had gone, but he could still pass 'em.

There was a time  when refs would give five minutes from the end of one heat to the start of the next. Don't know whether it was ever in the 'rule book', but meetings were completed much quicker than now, and there were at least nineteen races. They also had the two-minutes but refs were much stricter then.

When I was a 'pusher' at Lynn you got the bikes ready at the pit gate for the next heat before the start of the current one. So why can't the 'mechanics' do the same now, bikes haven't changed that much.

PC is correctly blamed for many things, but can't see what it has to do with this; just instruct clerks of the course, team managers and referees to be stricter with time limits, and the Bloody stupid p****s association to back up refs to the hilt

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/1/2018 at 10:56 AM, mike1944 said:

Watching Polish speedway on FreeSports I am getting increasingly impressed with their 2 minute timer for the riders to be ready at the tapes. The timer countdown can be seen on screen and the riders always appear to be ready on time. Any restarts get the 2 minutes too. Can we please adopt this Polish timer system as it is annoying to see four riders at the tapes after lots of delay and then one turn round and go back to the fourth bend and returns and then some more shuffling, gardening and clutch adjustments from the others too. Of course this can happen without the countdown clock but at least supporters know that the moment they get the go-ahead to leave the pit gate there is a time they have to adhere to and they have 2 minutes to be ready at the tapes to race.

 The countdown clock is allowed in British Speedway ( or at least it was in the rules a while back )..... ,however it was not compulsory

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Swindon have one on a knacked old coffee table painted red. From the many positives that could be taken from Poland the only thing the BSPA have ever adopted is numbering the home side 8 to 14 several years Ago. 

The stats that the commutator comes out with like number of race wins and average points scored per race is interesting though. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Interestingly at Poolelast night the countdown clock is by the tapes. Gardening was done, and the usual faffing about, but as the clock got to ten seconds all came to the line and the tapes went up within a couple of seconds of zero.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't understand why after a false start, riders are given another 2 minutes, surely 1 minute should be enough. 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 8:59 PM, Steve Shovlar said:

Interestingly at Poolelast night the countdown clock is by the tapes. Gardening was done, and the usual faffing about, but as the clock got to ten seconds all came to the line and the tapes went up within a couple of seconds of zero.

It happens instinctively I think. they have one at Swindon sometimes and as it gets to 0:00 they are all there and ready to go.

It's Pavlov's dog.

 

Edited by Grachan

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

These are the current rules covering starts.

  1. 15.2.1  In normal circumstances the time from the finish of a heat to the start of the next shall not exceed 4 minutes (including the 2-minute time allowance).

  2. 15.2.2  If there is a Re-run, without disqualification, the 2-minute allowance shall be given immediately and no rider may leave the Track Circuit (i.e. must remain on the track).

  3. 15.2.3  If there is a Re-run, where a disqualification is ordered, the 2-minute allowance shall be given following a 1-minute delay.

  4. 15.2.4  Where there are valid reasons (e.g. track maintenance, interval or a re-run requiring repairs to motorcycles or track, then the Referee shall determine the period before the 2-minute allowance is given: This 2-minute time allowance is signaled by an audible siren and flashing amber lamp and if present (mandatory at a TV Meeting), be shown on a Countdown Clock.

  5. 15.2.5  Riders must at the expiry of this time allowance, be on the track, under power, proceeding without stopping towards the Starting Gate.

  6. 15.2.6  Only if a rider is at the Starting Gate with sufficient time remaining of the 2-minute allowance, be permitted to prepare their Start area, provided they remain in full, personal control of their motorcycle, have the Cut-Out Lanyard attached, and remain astride their motorcycle facing the direction of racing

  7. 15.2.7  Riders must then come under the control of the Start Marshal and be ready to race.

  8. 15.2.8  The Start Marshal, shall bring the riders to the Starting Gate, in the order as determined by their gate position, i.e. a, b, c then d, ensuring all parts of the motorcycle and riders limbs are within the marked Grid (NB: lines are neutral and do not form part of the Grid), and when satisfied the riders are correctly positioned, that their motorcycles are stationary and the rear wheel is in contact with the track surface, s/he shall signal to the Referee to illuminate the Green Start light and walk well clear to the rear of all motorcycles.

  9. 15.2.9  When the Green Start Light is illuminated, no movement of the motorcycle is permitted, nor any additional time allowance or outside assistance can be given.

15.2.9.1 After a pause of not less than 1.5 seconds, sufficient to enable the Riders to spin their engines and focus attention, and provided all riders are stationary the Referee shall release the Tapes to signify the start.

15.3. A Starting Offence is considered to have been committed in the following circumstances: -

Gate Preparation after the expiry of the 2-minute allowance.
When a
rider’s motorcycle or any part of their body or equipment touches or breaks the starting tapes whilst the green starting light is on or prevents the raising of the start gate.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On ‎8‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 10:56 AM, mike1944 said:

Watching Polish speedway on FreeSports I am getting increasingly impressed with their 2 minute timer for the riders to be ready at the tapes. The timer countdown can be seen on screen and the riders always appear to be ready on time. Any restarts get the 2 minutes too. Can we please adopt this Polish timer system as it is annoying to see four riders at the tapes after lots of delay and then one turn round and go back to the fourth bend and returns and then some more shuffling, gardening and clutch adjustments from the others too. Of course this can happen without the countdown clock but at least supporters know that the moment they get the go-ahead to leave the pit gate there is a time they have to adhere to and they have 2 minutes to be ready at the tapes to race.

I am getting increasingy impressed by the polish start girls. nice camera shots to. bring them over here 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/1/2018 at 10:56 AM, mike1944 said:

Watching Polish speedway on FreeSports I am getting increasingly impressed with their 2 minute timer for the riders to be ready at the tapes. The timer countdown can be seen on screen and the riders always appear to be ready on time. Any restarts get the 2 minutes too. Can we please adopt this Polish timer system as it is annoying to see four riders at the tapes after lots of delay and then one turn round and go back to the fourth bend and returns and then some more shuffling, gardening and clutch adjustments from the others too. Of course this can happen without the countdown clock but at least supporters know that the moment they get the go-ahead to leave the pit gate there is a time they have to adhere to and they have 2 minutes to be ready at the tapes to race.

I attended a match in Gdansk a few weeks ago when Rybnik were the visitors. In one of the heats the two minutes were counting down (the ‘grand prix’ style clock was positioned alongside the start line) and, with three riders already at the gate, the fourth rider entered the track from the pits (pits gate on 3rd / 4th turns) with time still remaining. Time expired, though, when he was literally just two or three metres from the tapes. As he then moved right up to the tapes, the red lights came on and he was immediately shown the black exclusion flag and his helmet colour disk. The referee then started the race within a very short space of time with no reserve substitution for the excluded rider.

Also, having been at three Polish matches in the last couple of months, I don’t think the total amount of time spent gardening from all three matches combined would be any longer than we see during one match here in the UK!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Have to agree that 2 minutes should mean up at start and ready to race. Last night at Glasgow with all 4 riders sitting back from the tapes and the clock ticking down to zero, the ref turned of the clock and riders from both sides but mainly Ipswich kept on gardening and in young kemps' case he was even off the bike, much to the annoyance of the crowd. Riders also tended to ignore the start marshall who tried to get them up to the tapes, again young kemp being a culprit. Some seemed to think I'm not going up to the tapes until the rest do! Why the ref didn't phone the team managers and sort it out who knows, maybe he did and still they ignored him?

Having said that it was a great meeting.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The rule should be strengthened. As the clock hits zero, all riders must be ready for the green light. Gardening in any shape or form will result in a disqualification. 

The fans will appreciate this, and the riders will soon get used to it. Gardening delays are one of the banes of the sport.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/1/2018 at 6:15 PM, f-s-p said:

All you currently lack is refs with a backbone to start excluding riders for 2 minute rule violations. When they start doing that, problem solved in a week without any fancy  clocks.

If a referee is going to start excluding those not ready, he'll have to exclude ALL those not ready. So, as per the Tai Woffinden incident in Krsko, what happens when instead of one exclusion, there are 3 or 4, because at the point when Tai was excluded, none of the other riders were ready to race either. Does a race with 4 excluded riders end up with a repeat of Heat 2 with all 4 reserves employed? And in and individual meeting, if 3 or 4 had been excluded, there wouldn't have been enough reserves to fill their places.

Or does the referee, seek to punish everyone by just making an example of the highest profile rider in the race? Or just the one that's not his nationality? Or what?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy