Timing and Scoring

The Timing Function Panel is Finish-Time’s Timing and Scoring interface. Here you stage and penalize drivers and manage all timing aspects of the event. At the top is the Stage/Start table, including a searchable Stage Driver field. The driver at the top of the Stage/Start list is the next to finish. Newly staged drivers appear below the previously staged driver.

Below Stage/Start is the Finish table. As cars pass through the finish they appear at the top of this table. Cars listed here can be staged again, penalized, or flagged for a rerun. When you stage a car that has already run, it is removed from the Finish table. Penalties applied to a driver in Finish affect only that driver’s last run.

Staging

Before sending the first car, perform a preflight check of all hardware. Confirm that the start and finish photo heads are aligned and that the serial-port cable is firmly attached to the timing computer. Finally, test communication between the timer and the computer.

To Stage a Driver

The order of cars staged in Finish-Time should match the physical order at the start so you follow the First In, First Out model. Several staging methods are available, along with tools to reorder or remove cars from the list.

The simplest method is to enter the driver’s CarID in the Stage field and press Enter. The driver appears in the Stage/Start table on the Timing tab, below the previously staged driver. You may stage as many drivers or groups of drivers as needed.

Alternative Staging Methods

Enter the driver’s CarID in the Stage Driver field in the Stage/Start list and press Enter. The field is searchable by first name, last name, car make, and model.
Double-click a driver in the Drivers List.
Drag one or more drivers from the Drivers List to Stage/Start.
Right-click a driver in the Drivers List and choose Stage.
Right-click a driver at Finish and choose Stage.
Scan the driver’s barcode on the vehicle or helmet.

Newly staged drivers appear below the previously staged driver. You may stage as many drivers or groups as needed.

Re-ordering Staged Cars

Cars in Stage/Start can be reordered by dragging them to a new position in the table. This is especially useful when staging several cars at once.

Insert Staging

To insert a car between drivers already in Stage/Start, select the car in the Drivers List, right-click the desired position in Stage/Start, and choose Insert.

Scratching Staged Cars

To scratch a car from Stage/Start, select it and click the Scratch toolbar button. Cars in the Finish list cannot be scratched.

Note: Scratching a car from Stage/Start does not delete the driver or any run times from the database.

Barcode Staging

If you have not yet configured your barcode reader, follow the configuration instructions first.

With the many barcode printers available we cannot cover every model. Most printers include the drivers needed for your computer.

To configure a second printer for barcodes, choose View > Report Setup, then click the Barcode Label button in the report viewer. The page defaults to letter size; click Page Setup and select the label size you are using. On Windows you may need to experiment with margins for the best fit.

With the label printer connected, print a test label to confirm layout and fit. If you update each driver’s helmet certification and date during registration, that information also prints on the label. The barcode label can therefore double as a helmet-inspection sticker.

When a barcode is scanned, Finish-Time sends one of two responses to the scanner. A single beep confirms that the driver was found and staged. A rapid series of beeps indicates that the driver was not found or is not registered. Most scanners already beep once when the scan completes; listen for Finish-Time’s echo beep as confirmation.

Note: The timing operator must confirm that the physical cars at the start match the cars listed in Stage/Start. One missed barcode will put finishing drivers out of sequence.

Note: TCP scanners on the local Wi-Fi may show a short delay in response; this is normal latency.

Penalizing Drivers

Drivers listed in Stage/Start and Finish can be penalized during an active run heat.

Applying a Penalty

Click the driver in the Stage/Start or Finished list.
The O/C and DNF toolbar buttons act as on/off switches—click once to apply, click again to clear. The Pylon button increments the pylon count by one. The number shown is the quantity of pylons, not the penalty time.

Note: You can also right-click a driver in Stage/Start or Finished and choose the penalty from the context menu.

Clearing a Penalty

Click the driver in the Stage/Start or Finished list.
Click the None toolbar button to remove all penalties for that run.

Note: You can also right-click the driver in Stage/Start or Finished and choose Clear Penalty.

Penalty Function Keys

F2 Off Course
F3 Did Not Finish (DNF)
F4 Add Pylon Penalty
F5 Clear Penalty

Reruns

When the event chair declares a rerun, you can flag any driver listed in Finish. The next time that driver runs, the new time replaces the current one. Like the penalty buttons, the Rerun toolbar button acts as an on/off switch.

Flagging a Rerun

Select the driver in the Finished list.
Click the Rerun toolbar button. “RERUN” appears in the Penalty field.

Note: You can also right-click the driver at Finish and choose Edit > Re-run, or press the F6 function key.

Driver Finished, with no cars staged

Occasionally one or more drivers finish without having been staged. These orphaned runs appear in the Finish list highlighted in red.

Assign a driver to an Orphaned Finish

Select the driver in the Drivers List.
Drag the driver onto the orphaned run in the Finish list and drop it in place.

Note: If the finish was false, right-click the orphaned run and choose Remove from Finish.

ETA Calculator

After the first seven finishes, Finish-Time estimates when the last car will leave the course. The ETA appears at the bottom of the window and updates throughout the day based on the rate of finishes. After a worker change-over the estimate may be off by several minutes; this is normal and corrects itself after a few more runs.

Editing the Results

The Results Function Panel serves two purposes: it is the only place to edit driver times and penalties, and it displays the Comparison Table showing each driver’s position in class and the time difference to competitors. The same table appears on the Announcer Screen. Raw times may be edited at any time, even during a timed heat.

To edit a driver’s Raw Time

Select View > Results, or click the Results tab if it is already open.
Use the Back and Next toolbar buttons to move through the driver list, or drag a driver from the Drivers List onto the Results panel.
Change the time, or use the Penalty menu to change the driver’s penalty.

TIP: Right-click a driver in the Comparison Table for actions such as Edit, Registration, and Delete.

Note: The driver’s best run is always highlighted in light green. Only raw times and penalties can be changed in the Results panel.

Season Points

The Season Points tab manages the accumulation of season event points. Event points are calculated from each driver’s class placing according to the Points System you configured. With the optional Club Points module enabled, meeting and chairmanship points are also entered here.

Options

The Options toolbar button opens a menu of sort and view choices:

All Drivers
Members Only
Active Drivers
Inactive Drivers
Sort by Points
Sort by Last Name

These options apply to the Season Points table, CSV export, and HTML export.

Export

The Export toolbar button opens a menu for exporting Season Points.

Merge

If a driver has been registered under two different profiles, their event points are split and season totals are broken. The Merge toolbar button combines the two entries into one.

Locate the two profiles, click the first, hold the Control key, and click the second.
Click the Merge toolbar button.
Choose which profile to keep by selecting the Preserve switch next to it.
Click OK to complete the merge.

Note: The two profiles must not both be registered for the same event; otherwise Finish-Time will not allow the merge.

For clubs that track meeting points or other non-competition points (event chair, etc.), update them here by clicking the check boxes in the Months columns. Enter other optional point values directly in the appropriate columns.