S.A.S.C.
General Topics => Member Discussion (Private) => Topic started by: 94boosted on February 18, 2019, 10:29:47 AM
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VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Similar to last year (http://forums.sascsolo.com/index.php?topic=1095.0) the executive would like to get some more of the SASC Members involved in designing courses for the 2019 season. Designing a course is challenging but rewarding, a good learning experience and of course you have the satisfaction of watching others try to master your vision :D
Schedule for the Season
1. May 11 Saturday - Airdrie Airpark - SASC Points Event #1 - Ryan C
2. May 26 Sunday – Fort Macleod - SASC Points Event #2 - Tom G
3. June 8 Saturday – Fort Macleod - SASC Points Event #3 - Recycled 2016 FM Course Map
4. June 15 Saturday - Westerner - SASC Points Event #4 - Recycled Course Map
5. June 22 Saturday - Fort Macleod – SASC Points Event #5 - Adam S
6. June 27 Thursday – Airdrie Airpark – SASC Members Only Practice
7. July 6 Saturday – Airdrie Airpark - SASC Points Event #6 - Stephen H
8. July 26, 27, 28 - Fort Macleod - Canadian Nationals Richard B (Day 1) & Tom G (Day 2)
9. August 3 Saturday - Westerner - SASC Points Event #7
10. August 10 Saturday – Fort Macleod - SASC Points Event #8
11. August 15 Thursday – Airdrie Airpark – SASC Members Only Practice
12. August 25 Sunday – Airdrie Airpark - SASC Points Event #9 - Ryan C
13. September 15 Sunday - Fort Macleod – SASC Points Event #10 - Adam S
14. September 22 Sunday - Fort Macleod - SASC Points Event #11 - Reijo S
15. September 29 Sunday – Airdrie Airpark #12 - Stephen H
16. October 6 Sunday - Fort Macleod – SASC Points Event #13 - Gabe N
Updated: May 17, 2019
Things to Consider
- If you've never designed a course before be aware that it takes time, more time than you think. Between reading some of the relevant material on course design (below), sketching out your original idea, refining it, checking to make sure it's safe and then physically setting up the course can easily take 5 hours.
- If you agree to do a course design you must also be willing & able to help set up the course, this is usually done the day before for YYC events or the morning of for FM & Westerner events.
- Your course design will need to be reviewed & approved by our safety steward (James) and/or one of the club executives (or designate) 2 weeks prior to the event to make sure it's first & foremost safe but also to make sure it follows some of the basic rules (minimum spacing, laydown cones, etc.). A course that's approved on paper can also need final tweaks once actually laid out.
- Only 2019 SASC Members can design courses, yet another perk of being a member, if you don't have yours yet click here: http://forums.sascsolo.com/index.php?topic=1309.0
Course Design Basics
I would strongly recommend that you read the following guide from Roger Johnson, it's a very comprehensive and well put together guide on some of the do's & don'ts of autocross course design:
https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AEIkG1f04t5JU60&cid=F14DBDD81716A051&id=F14DBDD81716A051%21100426&parId=F14DBDD81716A051%2196160&o=OneUp
Also our very own Stephen H has put together the following guide which is very helpful. You can find it at the google drive below along with a folder containing some previous course designs to help put future maps in perspective.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlGgFhfYvU3xhe8gQiQbV_Ti3klTrQ
If you're interested in designing a course please post in this thread and let us know which event you'd like to design a course for, we'll get some blank course maps sent to you.
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A separate post for 2019 event chairs will be created next month some time
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We got a big dump of old course maps from the CSCC, which I've copied into the folder linked at the end of Tom's post above: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlGgFhfYvU3xhe8gQiQbV_Ti3klTrQ
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Bump, any takers. If nobody else steps up I'll put my name in the hat for designing the first event in FM.
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Stephen H has volunteered to design the course for the June 2 event
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I'll do some random ones if you like.
I am also gathering past course designs to post for reference. I believe I have most of the FM and YYC course designs since 2009.
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I'll do some random ones if you like.
I am also gathering past course designs to post for reference. I believe I have most of the FM and YYC course designs since 2009.
Sounds good, just let me know which date.
If you have past course designs you're willing to share please email them to Stephen so he can get them up on the Google Drive.
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Course design for the first event is done, now with safety steward for review.
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Schedule updated to reflect the latest
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Updated the course map template to add Westerner, and changed the scale since this year's sites are smaller. Location is still the same: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlGgFhfYvU3xhe8gQiQbV_Ti3klTrQ.
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Added a template for Airdrie in a separate document, since Airdrie's so much bigger than Westerner that there isn't one scale that works well for both.
Also tweaked the look of the Fort Macleod template, although now that I'm done I don't think it was an improvement. :|
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Updated
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Updated
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Put me down for June 8.
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Done
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Put me down for June 8.
Actually I may not make it to that event. Better put me down for June 22 instead.
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Done
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Bump
Updated to reflect latest schedule, could really use some additional course designers.
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Roger Johnson released an updated version of his course design manual, which I've put in the online folder with the course map templates (https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlGgFhfYvU3xhe8gQiQbV_Ti3klTrQ).
Changes from the previous (2016) version:
- An entire new section devoted to keeping speeds reasonable -- Slides 124-132
- Explanation of how to estimate how quickly cars will traverse different parts of the course -- Slides 107-108, 110-116
- Additional examples of how to build courses on small or oddly shaped lots - Slides 93-96
- Additional explanation of "cone hell" (visually confusing cone placements) -- Slides 49-55
- Guidelines for how to place worker stations -- Slide 72
- Guidelines for how to make 180-degree turns less painful (very relevant to our sites) -- Slide 35
- Guidelines for how to judge the success of your courses -- Slide 12
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Updated the course design templates. Changes include:
- Removed the safety margins from the runway edges at Fort Macleod and Airdrie. The 25' margins that were shown are for solid objects, which grass isn't. Course designers should use their judgement when deciding how close to the runway edges courses should go -- high-speed transitions should have more safety margins than lower-speed elements, straights, and straight braking areas.
- Added runway lights, posts, manholes, and the gate, with the safety margins when appropriate, to the Fort Macleod template.
- Added detailed notes on pavement condition to the Westerner/Red Deer template.
- Clarified where cables, runway lights, and runway markings are at Airdrie, and how each should be treated.
I've put the new templates in the aforementioned online folder. Anyone who was using the old templates should update to the new ones. Thanks!
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As there were no volunteers for course design for the next event (June 8 - FM) we will be recycling an old 2016 Course Map that I found
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Bump, updated.
Once again I'd like to encourage people to volunteer to design a course.
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Bump.
Updates made.
Need a designer for August 3 & 10th, looking for volunteers.
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Bump, looking for designers for the last four events of the year.
Also something interesting I read on RRAX today vs cones on the outside of a turn:
"Laydown cones look different from different angles and are typically most clear only when you're perpendicular to them. A wall of laydowns can be visually tricky if you are sweeping past it with your angle of attack changing through the corner.
Also laydown cones can do more damage to a car if you hit them. The bases of the cones is where most of the mass is and if you hit them at speed (especially when the temps are low and cones are hard) they don't bend easily and can tear stuff up. I always try to put laydown walls in a place where nobody will ever hit them whereas standing walls, while still painful, I'm more comfortable putting in the line of fire and therefor controlling the boundary of the course better."
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I will take care of September 15.
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I'll take October 6th.
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I’ll take Sept 29 unless someone else really wants it
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I can volunteer for Sept 22 - should design at least one this year! However if someone would like it, I'm ok with that.
Reijo
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Thanks all for stepping up, course designers are set for the rest of the season.
I’ll take Sept 29 unless someone else really wants it
Stephen messaged me at 9:55am therefore the spot is his.
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Note to future course designer for Airdrie.
The layout used for this past event (Aug 25th) worked quite well in my opinion except for one large issue. The main runway area in the 'heel' is flanked by two really large immovable objects. As a result, what could be a less painful (than FMC) pin turn nearly anywhere on else on the runway...well, wasn't. This is a shame with the wider runway. Given this, consider a different and straighter entry into the turn (so we can safely widen the radius) if this layout is every attempted again...or just design using our more traditional path?
Another thing to note, avoid designing easy to hit cones, easy to spin maneuvers, and shared gates in the transition area. This event went very quickly because there were little reruns required as a result of following the previous two principles.
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FYI, I just put a copy of the course design slide deck that Vivek Goel presented at the 2019 SCCA national convention in the same folder as the course map templates: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlGgFhfYvU3xhe8gQiQbV_Ti3klTrQ.