Looking for feedback from those that utilize digital safety flags at their tracks. We are discussing using these at our club, as it is getting increasingly difficult to find on-track workers. Our goal is to use them for the basic green at go, yellow in specific corners, and red for full-course stop, and checkers for the end.
We race in daylight, so I’m curious of visibility vs a flag.
We have a majority of “club-only racers”, how long does it take the kids to look for the lights vs a flag/track worker?
What is the quality and life expectancy of the batteries?
What is the quality of the wireless communication to the lights.
Looking to get as much info, as this would be a large purchase for our club.
The Stars Championship Series uses THIS system, and from a racer’s perspective it is extremely visible. I’m sure it’s still subject to some operator error, but it’s a pleasant system to “work with” as a driver.
Motorsports Country Club has also adopted the same system, so you may reach out to them to discuss questions/concerns from a user’s perspective.
I would imagine these things rock. I noticed at amp recently that I was having trouble seeing flagging where the flagged wasn’t in a fixed position.
I do like the idea of the board with the yellow/green/red panels like in sim. It’s great there, at least. It’s nice being able to look up and see status of track like that.
I believe we are looking at Race America, as they have been around for a while and would likely provide support down the line if needed. We prefer to purchase directly, vs utilizing a reseller that may not fully support the product in the future.
Evan is spot on. I believe WRP is in the process of adopting the same system. We used them a few times last year as trial runs and I found them more useful than flaggers. More consistent in their location, immediate response. Easy to see. I would rather have them than people any day of the week.
Like, track worker running out infront of you so you go behind a corner to clear the worker and get a 2 position penalty when leading the race? … cause that has never happened! sorry buddy
Our track started using these last season. I don’t know the specific brand but they are very visible, I would say more so than flags. The downside is in their operation. If the same person that is running timing and scoring is going to be managing the lights it is too much. The lights need their own dedicated person, especially if you are using them in place of corner workers.
My experience at MCC as a driver is that they’re easily visible even on the brightest days and it’s helpful they’re always in the same place so a quick glance ahead makes them easy to check. I am surprised how often people newer to the track are completely oblivious to them though.
Also as noted they’re still user operated, so sometimes it can take one person scanning the whole track longer to pick up on an incident than it would for a corner worked to see what’s right in front of them.
sorry buddy