As everyone knows, Points mean Prizes. In the case of BHPC this translates to the presentation of various trophies at the AGM at the end of the season. Each racing Class has it's own trophy (with a few exceptions), awarded to the rider with the greatest number of points in that Class at the end of the season. To avoid giving those more able to travel an unfair advantage, only points from a certain number of races are counted (usually 2/3 of the total number). As noted above most machines, except for fully-faired two-wheelers, fall into several Classes so...
How does this work?
After a race event, the results of the slower/faster race groups are combined, and each rider is given a position in each Class they are eligible for. So, for example, a woman riding a part-faired lowracer would be eligible for three classes: Part-Faired (P), Women Part-Faired (WP) and Open (O), which includes everyone. Say she finishes 9th overall (O), 3rd among Part-Faired bikes and 1st among Women Part-Faired, she would gain points in all three classes according to these positions:
- 430 points for 9th place in O Class
- 810 points for 3rd in P
- 1000 points for 1st in WP
Ah but....
How are these points calculated?
The points awarded to each position are calculated according to an obscure formula which is revised from time to time. For a stand-alone round, 1st place gets 1000 points, then the points decrease by 10% for each position below 1st, rounded to the nearest whole point. This gives the following allocation for the first 20 places:
Position |
Points |
1 |
1000 |
2 |
900 |
3 |
810 |
4 |
729 |
5 |
656 |
6 |
590 |
7 |
531 |
8 |
478 |
9 |
430 |
10 |
387 |
11 |
349 |
12 |
314 |
13 |
282 |
14 |
254 |
15 |
229 |
16 |
206 |
17 |
185 |
18 |
167 |
19 |
150 |
20 |
135 |
Mathematicians will note that this formula means that all finishers get a minimum of 5 points.
What about non-finishers?
Riders who are signed on to race but don't make it to the start line will have Did Not Start (DNS) status in the race results. DNS riders are not allocated points.
Riders who start the race but withdraw before the final lap will have Did Not Finish (DNF) status in the race results. The BHPC handles DNFs slightly differently from most organisations, and will calculate an average speed for DNF riders using their completed laps and the finish time of the overall last finisher (ie. after the results of the slower/faster racing groups have been combined). This speed is then used for calculating the place order. If a rider starts a race but fails to complete a single lap, they are placed using an average speed of zero. If you do withdraw from a race, it's a good idea to make sure that the timing team know when you've done so, in order that your lap count is correct.
Occasionally a rider may show as Not Placed (NP). This is typically used when there is a known problem with their results, or if we've allowed them to participate in a way that violates BHPC competition rules (for example, we've had pedal car teams who swap riders use our events for practice).
The software also supports Disqualified (DQ). We sincerely hope never to need to use it...
What if there is more than one race at an event?
Most events ('event' just means a day of racing) have more than one 'round', as we call them, for example Round 1 may be a 1-lap time trial and Round 2 a 45-minute race. (Confusingly, each round may be split into more than one race, to limit the speed/experience differential between riders on track at the same time, with the results of the faster and slower races being combined for a given round.) Each round is treated separately for points purposes, as above, but the total number of points available is weighted to account for differences in difficulty.
As of the 2020 season, we've changed the software used for scoring races. The new software allows us to score each round independently, which means we can reflect class changes accurately (see below) and that doing badly in any one round (eg. due to a mechanical problem) won't detract from your performance in other rounds at the same event. Weighting will be achieved by allocating points proportionally to each round, such that the points available for coming 1st in all rounds of an event will add up to 1000.
For example the time-trial may contribute 20% of the total and the longer race 80%. Points would therefore be allocated to finishers accordingly:
Position |
Time trial |
45min race |
Event total |
1st |
200 |
800 |
1000 |
2nd |
180 |
720 |
900 |
3rd |
162 |
648 |
810 |
4th |
146 |
583 |
729 |
5th |
131 |
525 |
656 |
For example, someone who comes 3rd in the time-trial and 5th in the 45-minute race would gain 687 points in total at that event.
How does this affect the 'Worst 4' calculation?
Historically we would only count the points from a rider's best 8 (of 12) events toward the championship total, with the "worst 4" results being disregarded.
As all rounds now stand independently on the points table, this calculation will be based on the total number of rounds in the season (which means the exact number may not be known until the season is over, as the rounds at an event are sometimes changed due to unforeseen circumstances). Normally we intend to count the points from the best 2/3 of the total number of rounds.
What if I change my bike between races?
The new scoring software allows for the correct allocation of points to riders using different classes of machine in different rounds. Unfortunately, this is not (yet!) handled automatically by the sign-on system, and the relevant changes will have to be made manually.
If you intend to race more than one machine at an event, or have to borrow another rider's machine or remove a fairing to complete a race due to unforeseen mechanical problems, please make sure the timing team are aware of the relevant details. At sign-on please provide the details of the machine you intend to use in the first round of the day.