Lap Timers

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a lap timer for general trackday use, can anyone explain to me how they work, I have been told that they are triggered by a becon at the track, is this correct and do all tracks have a becon?
I've seen one in HPS for £116 does anyone know any cheeper options?

Cheers

Laptiming is forbidden on most trackdays!!

Rollcenter laptimers are the most popular beacon fired laptimers, but like I said, they wont let you use any laptiming equipmenton a trackday!

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That said

I made a thumb operated laptimer using the horn switch as the trigger

Donor laptimer from Maplin for £6.99:- http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...timer&doy=30m7

After taking apart and soldering some wires to the button terminals so I can connect a remote button … and we end up with this …



Ready to connect the other end of the wires to the horn button

Yeah my bike has one built in with the LCD display and its own little button but I can't see how you can press it that accurately when tucked down going over the line at such speed? I mean you can easily be a second or more out?

[northwind]

The "no laptimers" thing annoys me. You can still ride across the start/finish line at full chat one-handed operating your stopwatch, or you can use a clock and just add it up (as I used to do), and it's all distractions- better, surely, to just admit that people are bound to do it and let them do it as easily and safely as possible? At the end of the day, you could have a mate on the pit wall with a stopwatch, they can't stop that...

Veypor's got a laptimer, and they sell a remote button kit which mounts on the handlebars, making it possible to hit next lap without taking your hands off the bars. Very good idea that. But I would say that, since it was mine Should really get one, nearly got them to give me one till they worked out how expensive it'd be It's just a toy, the Veypor, but it's a good toy.

Any form of timing is not allowed on (most) trackdays, mate in pit, finger/hand operated onboard, whatever, its all bad!! If they catch you with a timer they will ask you to take it of or even stop you from going out!!!

I think it is more the ‘it’s a trackday not race practice’ thing than distraction thing … I can see the logic behind it.

Its also true, if I am timing myself, I do push harder and more likely to carve someone up to keep my momentum.

Oh and the horn switch works a treat, it is perfectly placed

As for accuracy, I doubt there is more than a few 10ths in it …besides even if you are not that good on the trigger, on a trackday knowing your times down to a resolution of ~1s is ample anyway!!! You at least know ‘balpark’.

As Toypop said, what happens if your bike has it built into it ?? it has a start/stop and lap function....

[northwind]

I understand the reasoning, it just doesn't work. Since all the ways around it are worse than just allowing laptimers, and people are going to find some way to time themselves regardless, what's the point? And since so many bikes have clocks fitted, or laptimers as stock, they can hardly stop that (what trackday's going to stop me going out, just because I have a Motrax clock on the dash?)

Don’t shoot the messenger!!!

And no, short of getting you to put tape over it, there isn’t much they can do about bikes that have them integrated as standard, that doesn’t change the fact that they make a big point about saying no lap timing of any sort in the briefing!!!!

… having a beacon triggered laptimer is asking for trouble … they stick out like a sore thumb!!

But if you do go for a beacon timer I got a T200 and can recommend it, its a great bit of kit and you can even download the times to a computer Suppose you could hide it away and then look at your times after the event? But its nicest to know when you are riding

[northwind]

Nah, I'll just use my Veypor in logger mode, once I get the button set... Works a charm that.

I think that the 'no lap timing' thing is all pushed by the companies that insure the tracks so they have to enforce it rigorously... That said at the last trackday at Knockhill I was timing everyone without a problem.