Why is the format being changed
Ever since we partnered with Rockstar Games and expanded into a global championship the demand for starting spots has far outnumbered available race spots. In order to keep the race open to everyone, we introduced qualifying as a way of earning a spot in the final.
Initially, the timed qualifying sessions were fast but not particularly intense. Qualifying lap times were roughly the same or slower than race lap times so any high-level athlete could cruise through conservatively and still start in a decent position. Nearly all experienced cyclists qualified and the up-and-coming riders just needed to improve slightly to make it into the final.
As the competition rapidly evolved so did the intensity of qualifying. The lap times plummeted and margin for error shrunk exponentially. On the exact same circuit, the fastest time in Milano in 2013 was not good enough to make it into the race just three years later. For a rookie qualifying for the RHC had become an almost impossible task.
Athletes began taking increasingly big risks to set a time. For many the difference between making it or not could be the difference between a slight lift in a dangerous corner. The only sure way to set a top time was to join a fast train of riders who were all dangerously committed to that lap. If anyone made a mistake you either didn’t make it in or crashed. After every big crash, a story emerged about how incredible that lap was going to be.
In summary, we felt the current qualifying format had evolved to a point where the edge between success and failure had become too sharp. The RHC has always prided itself on being inclusive of athletes of all abilities, and this door was gradually closing.
Can you explain the new qualifying format?
The new format is simple. Race day will consist of heat races, the Last Chance Race, Super Pole, and Final. To start the day, all registered athletes will compete in a 20-minute heat race.
The men’s field will be limited to 300 athletes. This field will be divided into 5 heats with 60 athletes each. Athletes will be assigned to their heat race randomly, which will eliminate all politics in heat assignment. We will set the starting grid for each heat race based on prior results and educated discretion.
The heat races will be (roughly) 20 minutes in length. In Brooklyn, this amounts to 15 laps. The top 3 finishers of each heat will advance to the “Super Pole” session. Finishers 4th – 18th of each heat race advance directly to the final. The next 15 (positions 19th – 30th) will advance to the Last Chance Race. Everyone outside the top 30 will be eliminated.
The winner of each heat race will score 3 championship points.
What does the new qualifying format accomplish?
We are trying to accomplish three major things
- To make the event safer. In recent years we have had significantly fewer crashes in the races than qualifying. Athletes can only go as fast as the other athletes around them. Instead of railing a corner at 110% effort you will now have to throttle your effort over an entire heat. When there are crashes, the course marshals will have more time to clear the track, which will result in fewer red flags and delays. The change to mass-start qualifiers won’t eliminate all risk, and certainly, there will be a few pile-ups, but we believe overall the safety will increase.
- To make the race more fun for riders of all abilities. As the race becomes more serious, there has been pressure on us to make it more attractive for pros but catering to the other end remains just as important. Realistically making it into the final is not going to be any easier but it should be a lot more fun. I have been humbled by the amount of athletes who, despite never qualifying, travel to every race. The fact that everyone can race will accelerate the skill level in the Fixed Gear Criterium world.
- To make the race more spectator friendly. The current format is exciting if you know what you are watching but for many, it is just twenty minutes of riders going around slowly with a couple of bursts of speed thrown in. The new format will be exciting to watch all day. The dynamics of different top favorites going head-to-head in the heats will certainly help rivalries form. The Super Pole session, with all fifteen riders on track at once, will be spectacular.
What is the Super Pole session? How will you set the starting grid for the final?
Initially, the top finishers of each heat race will be on equal grounds, so we need a way to set the sharp end of the (Yvo) grid. To do this, the top 3 finishers from each heat race will contest a 1 lap Individual Time Trial called the Super Pole. Athletes will be launched a corner before the start/finish line, so it will be a flying lap. The clock will start and stop at the line.
These 15 riders will start in descending order (third place finishers, followed by second, and then first). Riders will start 3-5 seconds apart, so everyone will be on their flying lap at the same time without interfering with each other. In the rare case that someone catches the next rider the rules will state you must pass them immediately to avoid a penalty. Passing immediately will negate any possibility of teammates strategizing to help each other.
The format will be simple and spectacular. The fastest time will start the final in first and so on. As an extra incentive, there will be prize money and championship points awarded to the fastest qualifier.
The men’s Super Pole session will take place right before the women’s final. The women’s Super Pole session will be held directly after the Last Chance Race.
Will the Super Pole session be a disadvantage?
Athletes will have another hard effort in their legs before the final whereas riders who make it directly into the final will have a longer rest.
I believe at this level the more time spent on the track at high speed is an advantage. You will get to experience the circuit at roughly the same lighting as the final, and you can make final tweaks to tire pressure and gear ratios. The additional exposure for teams and sponsors will be important and the glory of setting the fastest time is, of course, invaluable.
That being said technically a rider won’t have to take part or push hard in the “Super Pole” session. The worst they will start the final is the fifteenth position. I would be surprised if many riders take that route.
The same technical rules apply for the Super Pole, so specialized TT equipment won’t be allowed.
How will you grid positions 4 – 18?
Anyone who finishes his heat in 4th – 18th will advance directly to the final. All 4th place finisher will start on the same row, all 5th place finishers on the next row and so on. The rows will be straight, so there will be no advantage for anyone. Aligning 4th – 18th place riders should also make lining up the grid faster.
Any changes to the Last Chance Race?
The 19th – 30th finishers in the heat race you will transfer to the LCR. As established the top 10 finishers will advance to the final. The biggest change this year is that the winner of the LCR will be awarded a starting spot in the top-20 of the final as a reward. A rider can now really save their weekend by winning the LCR.
What are the biggest potential drawbacks of the new format?
One of the advantages of the new format is that all riders now have a more equal chance to make it into the final. This increased equality means that established race favorites will now have to work harder. With the previous format, the groups with the race favorites were so dialed that after a single hot lap everyone had qualified for the final race. I can imagine a nightmare scenario where the championship leader crashes or suffers a mechanical in the heat race.
We do not want these riders to lose their contention in the championship series, so we have built in a rule that allows any rider with points to start the Last Chance Race (LCR) if they cannot finish (DNF) in the heat race. The automatic qualification into the LCR only applies to crashes and mechanical incidents and does NOT cover riders who complete the heat race outside the top 30. This means that any top favorite who fails to advance due to a bad performance is eliminated, but if someone suffers bad luck, they are offered a (tough) path to continue. We will, of course, have checks in place to ensure the legitimacy of “problems” a rider has suffered.
Points Calculations
In Brooklyn, those eligible for automatic qualification into the LCR will be anyone with 2016 championship series points (link to championship series results page on the website). After Brooklyn, automatic qualification for the LCR will be based on current 2017 points.
The women’s field is much smaller than the men’s. How will this format be adjusted for the women?
I’m optimistic we will have close to 100 entries in Brooklyn this year. Our initial plan is to divide the women into two equal heat races, but this can change if we are surprised with even more entries. The top 5 finishers of each heat will advance to the “Super Pole” session that has the same rules as the men. The rest of the heat finishers will advance directly to the final. In the case that we have more than 100 athletes the riders at the tail end of the heats will be eliminated.
Is this qualifying format set for the entire year?
We will test it out in Brooklyn and make tweaks as needed going forward. It is a big change, and there may be dynamics that we don’t understand yet, so we will remain open to improvements after the initial event.
Summary
Heats – Men
- 300 total men
- 5 heats / 60 riders per heat
- Top 3 advance to Super Pole
- Finished positions 4-18 advance directly to final
- Finishing positions 19 – 30 advance to Last Chance Race
- Finishing positions 31 – 60 eliminated
- Winner of each heat scores 3 championship points
- Athletes placed randomly in their heat
- Heat starting grid based on previous RHC results and organizers discretion
- To be a set amount of laps to roughly equal 20 min
- All general race rules from the finals apply
Heats – Women
- 100-120 women predicted field size (no limit)
- 2 heats / 30 – 60 per heat
- Top 5 advance to Super Pole
- Positions 6 – 50 advance to final
- Positions 51 – 60 eliminated
- Winner of each heat scores 3 championship points
- Athletes placed randomly in their heat
- Heat starting grid based on previous RHC results and organizers discretion
- To be a set amount of laps to roughly equal 20 min
- All general race rules from the finals apply
Last Chance Race
- 60 total based on heat finishers 19-30
- Top 10 advance to final
- Winner to start final in the top 20
- To be a set amount of laps to equal roughly 20 minutes
- Only applies to the men’s race
Super Pole
- 15 starters based on heat finishers 1-3
- Athletes to be started 3-5 seconds apart
- Time take from a single flying lap
- Athletes can elect not to start the Super Pole
- Fastest time starts the final in 1st
- The fastest qualifier scores 3 championship points
- All the same technical equipment rules apply
Finals
- 100 men start final
- 100 women start final
- Races to be a set amount of laps to equal roughly 45 minutes