🚀 go-pugleaf

My dad used the PC-based package called Racing Manager, this weekend in
our pack
derby. I was not there for the race with 80+ cubs  (thank God :-) ),
but he said it worked out real well.  they started racing around 9:00am
and was
done around 12:00-12:30pm.  I did set up and test program the night
before
since they ran it on my computer.   The basic jist of the program is
that you
type all the reacers into the programs database.  It then races every
one in
the database, one time down the track, starting with the first name in
the
database.  It then groups the cars by time, and races slower cars with
slower
cars and faster cars with faster cars.  It races the slower cars first
and keeps
track of changing lanes for each cars.  In all, the number of cars that
you have
racing equals the total number of races that you do. I.e.  you have 80
cars, then
you have 80 races down the track, then you are done.  The winner is
based on the
avg time it took to go down all the different tracks.  In my case, we
have a 
four lane track, so the winner was the one with the fastest avg time for
the four
tracks.  This is a whole lot faster then the old double elmination
bracket 
method, but you must inform the audience that, just becuase a particular
car
never 'loses' a heat, it's not nescessarily going to win it all.  Dad
said he 
posted a list of times for all the parents and cubs to see and had no
complaints.
If I remember correct, I think the top 4 finishers were within .005 secs
of each
other.  Try calling that by eye!  All in all, I like the program,
however, I do
think author could improve the finish line contacts.  Right now he uses
metalic
hinges in the track.  When I car comes down the track, it hits the
hinge, closing
the contact, and stopping the timer.  We had to bend our hinges back
pretty far 
to prevent other cars in neighboring lanes from blowing them over.  The
hinges
also seemed to chip the fronts of the cars.  The Program is not
shareware.  Its
pretty expensive, from what my dad said.  ($40-$50)  It comes with a
card to fit
in any ibm pc compatible, (no ps models), the hinges to put on the track
and the
starting piece which attaches to the relase handle.  I'm going home this
weekend
and I can find out how much he paid exactly and where he got it, if
anyone is 
interested, just email me, and I'll reply back sometime sunday. 

Drew Hartman
drh@mosaic.uncc.edu

I hate this dang computer, I wish that they would sell it!
It never does just what I mean, But always what I tell it! 8-)