2019 Season Course Designers

[Cagare]

Put me down for June 8.

Actually I may not make it to that event. Better put me down for June 22 instead.

[94boosted]

Done

[94boosted]

Bump

Updated to reflect latest schedule, could really use some additional course designers.

[PedalFaster]

Roger Johnson released an updated version of his course design manual, which I've put in the online folder with the course map templates.

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

[PedalFaster]

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!

[94boosted]

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

[94boosted]

Bump, updated.

Once again I'd like to encourage people to volunteer to design a course.

[94boosted]

Bump.

Updates made.

Need a designer for August 3 & 10th, looking for volunteers.

[94boosted]

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."

[Cagare]

I will take care of September 15.

[diamondedge]

I'll take October 6th.

[Type_Yarr]

I’ll take Sept 29 unless someone else really wants it

[Reijo]

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

[94boosted]

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.

[Sprockett]

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.