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False dawn

Unfair advantage - starting gates

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Simply question: Is it possible to make all 4 starting gates roughly equivalent?

Those of you who know me well know that I like to gather and analyse meeting statistics. Actually, I'm a bit of a nerd, but you've been too polite to say so thus far.

But stats are just data. Their interpretation is information and information that can be useful.

Take the last 4 years GPs at Krsko for example. Many of you will have noticed that gate 4 on Saturday night was a stinker. It produced 1 race winner (Magic in heat 19) and, in my opinion, more significantly, yielded the fewest points. Now you could propose quite credible reasons for this based on the run to the first corner and the shape of the track. And if we look at last year's stats you will find some support for this conclusion (0 wins and an even lower number of points). But go back to 2016 and the theory breaks down. Gate 4 was the 2nd best gate.

Now all these numbers are well and good. I think the sample is significant enough to draw some conclusions. Certainly riders are generally pretty sure which gate to chose in the semis and the final based on the first 20 heats. My question is more related to track preparation. Is the fact that gate 4 is on the racing line significant? Is there more (or less) loose material out there? Does the rain drain down to the inside? I don't know, but surely the track curator has some ideas. Would you want to prepare a track where riders had very little chance of scoring points from one or more gates? Surely there are ways to even out the surface? Men with rakes around the start, working between every race (not an original idea btw)? A more scientific measure of the surface such as Kelvin's dirtometer (!!!). Whatever method is used, please remove some of these disparities. All too often the last third of a meeting is spoiled, ruined dare I say, due to the unfair advantage offered by a given gate or two.

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Thank the Lord for "nerds" - Truly. Collectors of information on the sport we still are foolishly addicted to, are always of interest. As the start is absolutely vital ( at least in 80% of races ) more should be done to make them much more alike and fairer. Something as simple as suggested - men with rakes should be possible but concrete starting areas would also help ( because there are good gardeners and poor gardeners ). Little is ever done to improve the spectacle of racing including the possibility of passing only faster bikes ( on less adequate tracks in many stadia ). 

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I've often raised this issue with 'fixed' gates which allows an advantage to which ever team when the pre-determined gates don't alternate offering an advantage to those who start the meeting on the inside moving towards the outside gates as the meeting progresses and vice versa as the dirt (remember that?) moved out.

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Maybe if any team is 6 or more behind the team manager can pick the gates he prefers the rider's to be on. No Tac Subs at all.

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11 hours ago, waytogo28 said:

.... but concrete starting areas would also help

I have wondered if this was a possible solution. Although it could cause damage to the tyres and lead to riders wanting a new rear tyre per race. 

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6 hours ago, False dawn said:

I have wondered if this was a possible solution. Although it could cause damage to the tyres and lead to riders wanting a new rear tyre per race. 

...I recall that concrete starts were used once but soon discarded after a couple of years (?)

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1 hour ago, steve roberts said:

...I recall that concrete starts were used once but soon discarded after a couple of years (?)

Think you can still see them at the old California track just off M3 in Surrey

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17 hours ago, Daniel Smith said:

Maybe if any team is 6 or more behind the team manager can pick the gates he prefers the rider's to be on. No Tac Subs at all.

That used to be in the rules alongside the tac subs. I don't know how long ago it was done away with.

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26 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

That used to be in the rules alongside the tac subs. I don't know how long ago it was done away with.

I have a feeling that fixed gates came in during 1987/1988 (?) and for the first season I recall that you were able to choose gates also but that was done away soon after.

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I can see the logic in having a smooth surface for the initial starting position.  I don't think that with shale and the slope of tracks that you'll ever be able to reproduce that currently and the original post rightly gives some reasons.  The biggest influence in this I think is the moisture to surface tension ratio (soft to hard).  Generally the harder the start line the less grip was my experience.

If gates were all made even then wouldn't the racing be even more predictable though because some riders are better than others at starting - at least the variance gives those not so good a chance to get out in front?

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45 minutes ago, cityrebel said:

That used to be in the rules alongside the tac subs. I don't know how long ago it was done away with.

Unaware of that, must have been before I started going. They did have something similar a few of seasons ago when you could choose any gate, having both rider's on 1 & 2 etc. That was soon gotten rid of when teammates were taking each other out on the first turn.

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48 minutes ago, Daniel Smith said:

Unaware of that, must have been before I started going. They did have something similar a few of seasons ago when you could choose any gate, having both rider's on 1 & 2 etc. That was soon gotten rid of when teammates were taking each other out on the first turn.

I remember it being in force in the 1970's and 80's. I've always thought it was a good idea.

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1 hour ago, Daniel Smith said:

Unaware of that, must have been before I started going. They did have something similar a few of seasons ago when you could choose any gate, having both rider's on 1 & 2 etc. That was soon gotten rid of when teammates were taking each other out on the first turn.

Really, I don't remember that and have been going since 1978 - they've always had to alternate gates for each side 1/3 or 2/4?

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20 minutes ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Really, I don't remember that and have been going since 1978 - they've always had to alternate gates for each side 1/3 or 2/4?

...always thought alternate gates were fairer. When the fixed gates came in depending on which team they either had three out of four inside gates or outside gates in succession depending on who won the toss and of course with the dirt moving out as the meeting progressed gave an unfair advantage in my opinion.

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1 hour ago, SPEEDY69 said:

Really, I don't remember that and have been going since 1978 - they've always had to alternate gates for each side 1/3 or 2/4?

Found the info. 2009 Premier League KOC - King's Lynn v Berwick. Topinka & Eklof are KL rider's, Franc & Clews Berwick rider's. Knew I didn't make it up.

Screenshot_20180911-144702_Edge.thumb.jpg.3d3eab18a2faf2696ca923f7ce0082fe.jpg

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