www.easternacu.org

The Eastern Centre will be introducing electronic transponder timing and lap scoring from the start of 2012. Most of the Eastern Centre clubs have agreed to use the system from the start of the 2012 season. All Centre Championship rounds, Mid Week Series meetings, and all other motocross meetings run by Chelmsford, Diss, Halstead, Norwich and Woodbridge clubs will be using electronic timing from the start of next season.

Those riders who have ridden at meetings using these systems will tell you of the benefi ts. The Dutch MyLaps company, formerly AMB, are the manufacturers of the equipment and their aim is to give riders a full race result within minutes, whatever the conditions on the day. Other advantages of this electronic wizardry are that the Centre and mid week championships can also be programmed in to give up to date positions of any class; no more waiting for the centre recorder to wade through lap charts to get results. Lap by lap, times are recorded and riders can see at a glance where they might have caught the guy in front or whether they were faster or slower as the race progressed. Also results and lap times will be available on the internet much sooner than at present.

“But I don’t have a transponder, how much is this going to cost me?”

The Centre will have a limited supply of transponders for hire at £10 per meeting. By far the better option if you are intending to enter more than a few meetings per year is to buy your own transponder. Not only will this ensure that you are not disappointed by being unable to get an entry because all of the hire transponders have gone, but it will save you from queuing to collect one on the day. You will also be able to use the transponder in other Centres that use the MyLaps timing system.

Buying a Transponder
MyLaps MX transponders are available in two “flavours”. Until recently the only option was to purchase personal transponder at a cost of well over £200. To help spread the cost of ownership MyLaps have now introduced the Flex Transponder. In use these are identical to the existing units, but have an annual activation fee. Personal Transponders are available from HS Sports at £241.50 inc. delivery. Flex Transponders are £85.50 inc. delivery. After 12 months the transponder will switch itself off. It can then be re-activated each year by paying a fee of 35 Euros + VAT, which includes a continous warranty and insurance.

The closing date for ordering transponders through the Eastern Centre's bulk order scheme has now passed. You will now need to order through HS Sports or direct from MyLaps.

If, for whatever reason, a rider is forced to retire from the sport the personal transponder unit can be sold to another competitor with no problems other than having to tell the coordinator, who will then update the database with the new owner’s details. Of course all number plates will still be expected to conform to current ACU regulations.

Hiring a transponder

The Centre has a limited suply of transponders available for hire at each meeting. While every effort will be made to ensure that a transponder is available to everyone that nneds one, in order to guarantee that a transponder is available for you, you must pre-book one at least 7 days before the event. You can pre-book by post, or online. Full details available here.

“Do I need to modify my bike to fit a transponder?”

The transponder is a totally self-contained unit. You do not need to connect it to the bike’s electrics in any way. The mounting bracket is usually held in place with plastic tie-wraps. (Riders who wish to hire a transponder will need to buy a bracket at a cost of £6 - This is a once only purchase). The transponder is then secured with the supplied “R” clip. The bracket is usually fitted to the top of the fork leg behind the number plate.

“How do I maintain the transponder?”

Apart from charging and discharging the unit, the transponders are pretty-much maintenance free. If you buy your own unit full instructions are included in the kit. We recommend that you follow the guidelines on charging to get the best life from your transponder. The timing software checks the charge condition of transponders crossing the loop, and the timing scheme coordinator will alert you if there appears to be any problem with your unit. If you are hiring one on the day you do not need to do anything, as rental units will be maintained by the coordinator.

“How will this affect me on race day?”

Initially, the main advantage to riders will be that results will be available more quickly. We will also be using timed qualification to seed juniors into the various groups, so no more ending up in the bottom group due to a mechanical failure during your heat. It could also mean no more picking a peg for start line order, again by using qualification times for all classes.

“What happens if I need to borrow a bike?”

No problem. It doesn’t matter if you need to replace your bike for the whole day, or just one race....simply fit your transponder to the borrowed bike.

“Can I use the transponder in other centres?”

Your transponder can be used at any meeting where the organisers are using the MyLaps (AMB) timing system, including the South East Centre and AMCA. Please note that whilst you can use these transponders in AMCA meetings, the reverse is not true. The cheaper transponders supplied by the AMCA are electronically limited to AMCA meetings, and will not work anywhere else.

“Can I sell my transponder if I stop racing?”

Yes. Just let the coordinator know who you have sold it to so that the database can be modified to link the transponder to the new owner.

The majority of the Eastern Centre ACU clubs have agreed to the new venture and there will not be an option of racing without a transponder.