Orbits -- Points Races

Setting up and using Orbits for Points races

Create a race run. (See new runs.)

While the riders are going up to the rail, hit the purple flag.

When the whistle goes to start the race, hit the green flag. At the same time, make a note of the bib number or name of the first rider to cross the line at the start of the first lap.

If necessary, go to the passings window (the middle one) and click on and drag on the green flag so that it is positioned just before the name/number of the first rider to cross the line. This is important if everyone’s laps are to be counted correctly. Positioning the green after the first rider will mean that rider doesn’t have a lap counted. Positioning the green flag before a rider who crossed the line ahead of the whistle will mean that rider is credited with an extra lap. Move the flag to the right position!

As each sprint for points occurs, drop the checkered flag just before the leader of the pack crosses the line. Check to ensure that the flag is in the right position. If riders have lapped the field, or the leader of the pack was lapped earlier, Orbits will not consider the leader of the pack to be the winner of the sprint. You want the flag just before the name of the actual leader of the pack, not the person Orbits considers to be the winner. Click and drag it to the correct position if necessary. In case of a close finish, the rank order of names in the middle passings screen (not the right hand, results screen) and the time of day column will tell you which rider in the group passed the line first.

Once you have the finish flag correctly positioned, right click on it and delete it. The deleted flag remains on the screen as a marker, showing where the intermediate sprint finish occurred.

On the last lap, just before the lead rider crosses the finish line to end the race, click on the checkered flag. Do not click on the stop sign! If you end up putting the checkered flag in the wrong place you can always click and drag it to where it belongs. If you click on the stop sign, no subsequent passings will be registered and you won’t get a complete list of results or be able to move the flag lower down if necessary.

Adjust the checkered flag if necessary. In case of a close finish, the rank order of names in the middle passings screen (not the right hand, results screen) and the time of day column will tell you which rider in the group passed the line first.

Well after the race has ended, click the stop sign. Click Yes to confirm that you want to end the run. Orbits will not give you accurate results at this point, except in the case where no riders lapped the field.

Either after the race is over or as it is in progress (if you have time), make a written record of points gained on each sprint. Begin by looking at the placings on the middle (timing) screen just after the first deleted checkered flag you put down. Award 1^st – 5 points; 2^nd – 3 points, 3^rd – 2 points, 4^th – 1 point. In making these awards, do not consider who is laps up or down. It is only position in the pack that counts. Do also look at the lap count for riders as of the end of each intermediate sprint. Some riders may have gained laps on the field; others may have lost laps on the field. Orbits only reports how many laps a rider may have lost on the winner of the sprint, not on the field. It is a commissaire’s decision where the field is and who is laps up or laps down on the field. For this reason, it is good to make notes as the race progresses on who has been declared laps up or down. In the absence of declarations, the timer must make this decision. Riders who are laps up as of the end of an intermediate sprint are awarded 20 points for each lap up; riders who are laps down are deducted 20 points. Now go to the marker for the next intermediate sprint and repeat this process. Be careful not to penalize or award riders a second time for laps they may have already been rewarded or penalized for gaining or loosing. A good way to prevent yourself from doing this is to delete all the passings from the green flag down to the marker for the previous sprint. This has the effect of treating everyone as being on even laps as of the end of the previous sprint, so you can easily see who may have gained or lost new laps between one sprint and the next one.

Once you have calculated and totalled points, check whether a points column is present in the right hand, results box. If it isn’t right click anywhere in the box, highlight and click on choose columns, and put a checkmark beside points, which you find in the competitor list. Click close. A points column will be added. (You may need to use the lower scroll bar to see it.).

Starting from the top of the results list in the right hand box, right click on each rider’s name. Mouse down to highlight corrections and penalties and then click on edit selected. Enter points in the box that comes up. For each lap a rider gained on the field, assign a 1 lap penalty (-1) in the laps box and a 20 point award (+20) in the points box. For each lap a rider lost a lap on the field, assign a 1 lap bonus (+1) and a 20 point penalty (-20). Manually add points earned by each rider in their points sprints (1^st-5; 2^nd-3; 3^rd-2; 4^th-1). Once you have done this for each rider, you should have a correct results list on the results screen.

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