Timing & Scoring:
The Numbers Game

By Anne Kumor

Former Milwaukee Region Chief of Timing and Scoring

This is a brief overview of what Timing and Scoring does and the various jobs available in T&S

Timing: how fast a car goes around the track, used to determine the starting positions for a race (also know as the starting grid).

Scoring: what position each driver finishes in, used to determine the final results of a race.

Timing & Scoring: the road racing specialty that is responsible for determining the final results of a race weekend.

Also known as T&S, we have a small, but precise crew who all have a little different view of an event than the other specialties. We look at the finish line (and sometimes the timing line at corner 14 at Road America) and watch each car as it passes by, determining exactly what car is in what position for each lap. Sounds easy, right? Imagine a pack of 15 Formula Vees that are all within 4 seconds of each other - or maybe there were 16 cars in there.

Just how many *were* next to each other at the line? No time to think, here comes the next pack. So, just turn off your brain, watch the numbers, write them down without thinking about it and keep the pencil (or pen) on the paper. Sometimes it helps to chat with the folks around you to occupy your mind and just keep writing.

Not your idea of having fun? How about trying to *read* the numbers the people wrote down while those packs went by, comparing the different lists that 3 or 5 people wrote down, and see if they agree on what they saw?

No, not for you? There's always just watching the line, making sure that each car records a time as it passes the line and watching out for the times when 2 (or three or more) cars are next to each other and record only one time on the timing lights trying to make sure you know which time it is, or when 4 times are recorded for 5 cars that looked like 1 big group.

Don't have your attention yet? Ever keep a lap chart for 45 cars for a 15 lap race, when various classes are running on 4 or 5 different laps at the same time? In addition to a computer program that we feed the times & car numbers into, we keep a live chart of each race.

Still not for you? Then, there's the mysterious "back room", (insert spooky music here) where all the work that went on during the race is carefully checked, the final grids and race results are compared, penalties are assessed as per the Chief Steward, and the results are finally printed. After posting provisional Grids & results start the 30 minute clock - that's how long before the results can be considered "final".

How about a nice walk through the paddock? T&S can always use 1 or 2 people to make copies and take grids and results to the posting area to distribute to the eagerly waiting drivers. When we are short staffed (usually), we rely on the assistant Race Chairmen to help out with this. Swearing at the jammed copy machine is optional - fixing it is not :-).

Between sessions we chat, munch, bench race, and get ready for the next group. We're usually dry when it rains, and are always ready to welcome new workers, even if it's just for a day to see what we are all about. We can use extra hands before the first session to bring in all of our equipment & set it up, and again after the final checkered flag to pack it all up again.

Stop in at any road race, or call one of the specialty chiefs if you are interested in finding out more.