Bigger race numbers!

[FROSTY:Me]

All it would take is ONE protest and you watch competitors suddenly find room on their bikes.
I can see the difficulty nof meeting the regulations with the new R1/gixxer/6/1000 etc with conciderably smaller tail units height wise than a few years back. Maybee its time to go back to having number boards hangin down below the tail to allow full size numbers

[jellywrestler]

AMB timing system hooked up to a wireless network/intranet to supply realtime race times/placings to the pits/spectator screens.

whats the commentator going to talk about then?

[scrivy]

As I said before - look at the piccies from this years WSB!! ....and you can't say they don't give their sponsors enough room!! Who says 'other classes' have to have the numbers on the tailpieces?

Imagine if a flaggie had to report an overtaking under a yellow flag.....
Yes, flaggie Bob here..... er, a red bike just passed another red bike under the yellow flag, don't know what number it was, but it was a very deliberate pass......

Er... ok, thanks for that.......... Bugger, lets take a gamble that it was bike number 87.......

It'll only be a matter of time before the rule will be enforced again.....

My 2c worth.

[malcy25]

Not sure why the MNZ rule book needs two sets of rules to cover one issue....


Plus waht goesa round, comes around....a number of years ago we had a number issue across classes as the size of the tail pieces shrunk again. This rule said said that the side number had to be behind the rider.

...hence the rewrite as per chapter 10 via a remit I put in a number of years ago (probably 8-10 years ago now) which freed the position from being behind the rider to anywhere on each side of the bike, as long as it can be seen with the rider (or passenger for Scrivy) in their usual position.

I saw numbers being compressed onn the rear and plenty of space on the fairing sides not being used.....

I'm with Scrivy - you still need to have accurate and easy to read numbers on the bike so the punters and flaggy's know who's who, irrespective of timing processes.

I remember all the proddy bikes in the 80's with plywood number boards hanging off the back....

[Skunk]

whats the commentator going to talk about then?

Depends if we want to listen to him really...

[WarrenW]

I remember all the proddy bikes in the 80's with plywood number boards hanging off the back....

Damn I used to race one of those, heck I MUST be old!

[quickbuck]

To add my 10 cents here:
Yes, I noticed it had become an issue too... Especially the 600's!
Couldn't tell who was who.... Well, for the most part.

I think the number on the side fairing is a brilliant Idea. After all, it is all about being noticed by the fans, and for them to look up the program, and then see the list of sponsors you have carefully entered into said program beside your name.
They are the ones paying for you to race right? Okay, giving you something!

Also, as Scrivy said, it is getting more difficult for the flaggies to ID particular bikes... It would be a disaster if somebody was accused of passing another rider, when it was actually a rider on a very similar CBRGSXRZX6R6.....


On a similar note, I must get Neils #6 fixed on his postie faring. Looks like a bloody 3, and I have almost missed putting the pit board out!!!
(See, not only for the fans, but your very own team!).

[kittytamer]

I wanted to put numbers on my belly pan as shown in the pics above, so I contacted MNZ directly to see if this would be OK, but they pointed me at the rule (also mensioned above) about it having to be on the tail piece. Although they did think it was a good idea it would not comply to the rules. I don't think it would take much to get this rule updated so numbers could be ANYWHERE on the side of the bike.

[Tony.OK]

I wanted to put numbers on my belly pan as shown in the pics above, so I contacted MNZ directly to see if this would be OK, but they pointed me at the rule (also mensioned above) about it having to be on the tail piece. Although they did think it was a good idea it would not comply to the rules. I don't think it would take much to get this rule updated so numbers could be ANYWHERE on the side of the bike.

There's nothing to say that you couldn't have "extra numbers" though...........still have 1 tail number, but whack a couple more on the sides or belly pan maybe?

[Kickaha]

I wanted to put numbers on my belly pan as shown in the pics above, so I contacted MNZ directly to see if this would be OK, but they pointed me at the rule (also mensioned above) about it having to be on the tail piece. Although they did think it was a good idea it would not comply to the rules. I don't think it would take much to get this rule updated so numbers could be ANYWHERE on the side of the bike.

I would have gone and done it anyway , they couldn't kick your bike out without having to kick out every other bike with numbers that don't comply

[wharfy]

Damn I used to race one of those, heck I MUST be old!

You used to be able to buy plastic ovals to put your numbers on, and the Norton Commando Production Racer had ovals built into the tailpiece (I lusted after one of those...)

[Gremlin]

yeah yeah, think of the marshals for once!! Hard to identify bikes at times, have to visualize the model, not easy with race fairings at race pace. Don't really care about tail, too hard to see. Side fairings and nose would be good

[scrivy]

Holy shit!! This thread has been really constructive!!!

[jellywrestler]

its been a problem for the last few years since transponders. while this has made it easier in many ways the spectaters are not able to find out which bike is which very easily, then they lose interest. We all want our sport to have a better profile yet the numbers like they are these days the profile is getting harder to attain.
maybe its time to have supplementary regs that numbers must be able to be clearly seen?, or improve the rule book so they can go on the side panels.

[quickbuck]

its been a problem for the last few years since transponders. while this has made it easier in many ways the spectaters are not able to find out which bike is which very easily, then they lose interest. .

I think you hit the nail on the head!
And where is that thread about dwindling numbers watching racing???