League Information

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HALESOWEN FRIDAY RACE NIGHTS 2024

Dates & Times

In 2024 Halesowen Friday Race Nights will take place from May 3 starting at 7pm. Sign-on will close at 6.45pm. Track will be open for riders to warm-up from 6.45pm.

Track location: off Manor Way, which is the A456 between M5 motorway and Halesowen, postcode B62 8RW
Categories of racing and eligibility:
• Freewheelers - road bikes under 12
• Youth 2 - generally under 12, but exceptions made based on ability
• Youth 1 - generally under 14, but exceptions made based on ability
• Cat B - mid-range riders (can be youth, senior, veteran). As a general rule, B category should include novice senior, junior and masters riders, male and female; for more experienced 3rd category seniors and masters, male and female, and junior and under-16 women - particularly those who are not racing regularly at regional level - the choice should be open to the individual as to whether they opt for A or B category.
• Cat A - fastest riders (can be youth, senior or veteran). As a general rule, A category should include elite, first, second category seniors and masters, male and female, plus second and third category juniors and third category seniors who are racing regularly at regional level. For under-16 male and female, and 3rd-category masters, male and female who are racing at national and regional level, the choice should be open.
• At initial registration, senior riders and under-16s can request a category to race in - B or A - depending on their personal assessment of their ability bearing the above guidelines in mind. However, the organisers reserve the right to suggest to riders that they change category if their ability does not seem appropriate for the category they have chosen. This applies particularly to the B league, which is expected to serve as an introductory path for newcomers and talented youth riders. As a general rule the first rider in each year’s B category league will be expected to register for the A league in the following season.
Under-16 males will be expected to race the A league as per BC rules; for under-16 women, the decision should be open.
“Racing up”
Second-year under-14s will be permitted to “race up” in the B league, on request. However, if they “move up” during the season, having done so they will not be permitted to revert to the Youth League, and the points they have scored in the Youth League will not be transferred to their standings in the B league. Those who make the choice to “race up” should be aware that they are not permitted to race against Elite category riders, hence if A and B events are combined their participation will be at the discretion of the individual commissaire who is officiating on that evening and they should be prepared to accept the commissaire’s ruling on this. Under-14s will not be permitted to “race up” with the A league.

Women’s standings
Within the A and B categories and the Youth A and B, the standings for the first three women or girls in each event will be taken; these will count towards an overall standing which will carry prize money and trophies at the end of the season.

Gear restrictions
Adult riders will be subject to a 51x15 gear restriction for all FNTL evenings

Riders must race within the British Cycling gear restrictions for their AGE, irrespective of which category they are racing in. (e.g. if you are an under 10, but racing with the under 12’s in youth 2, you must use an under 10 gear). No exceptions. Gear checks will be carried out before each night’s racing; to ensure fair competition for all riders those who are not within the gear restriction for their age will be refused entry.
The gear limits for each age group are as follows:
under 10 (Youth D) 5.4m
under 12 (Youth C) 6.05m
Under 14 (Youth B) 6.45m
Under 16 (Youth A) 6.93m

ALL YOUTH RIDERS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO CHECK THEIR GEAR SIZE BEFORE RACING FOR THE FIRST TIME TO AVOID STRESS ON THE NIGHT

There are no restrictions on junior riders’ gears in track events.

Accreditation
For safety reasons, riders are only permitted to race Halesowen track league if they have been accredited for track riding (ie approved as competent and capable to race) by British Cycling registered coaches. BC members whose licence carries the words “UK track accreditation” - i.e. they have been cleared to race at one of the country’s indoor velodromes - are eligible automatically, as are all those who are previous Halesowen track league participants.

Riders who do not have “UK track accreditation” on their racing licences but who have accreditation at a UK track or who have raced in other UK track leagues should advise the organiser of this via email at registration, giving as many details as possible so that background checks can be carried out where applicable. Riders who do not meet these criteria should arrange to attend a Halesowen track accreditation session before registering for the League. Accreditation sessions are held through late March/April. Novices may need to attend more than one session.

Registration/Entry

To be eligible for the league’s overall standings, riders must be registered individually before they can be permitted to race. Registration needs to be done once for the league.

Entry for the 2024 Race Nights will be on the night only, with cash or credit card accepted. Entry fees are significantly lower for registered riders. Your race licence will be required on the night and will be kept by officials until the end of the races.

Please note, riders without “UK track accreditation” on their BC licence, or who have not participated previously in Halesowen Track League, who turn up to race without pre-registering or without making their accreditation status clear, may be refused entry, on safety grounds, at the commissaire’s discretion. If they are permitted to start but the commissaire feels they do not meet the required standard, they may be asked to withdraw and their entry fee refunded.

Overall standings structure:
Every night’s racing counts towards the overall standings. Where an evening’s racing is interrupted, all races completed on that evening will count towards the overall standings.

Cat B and Cat A will have minimum of 3 races in their programme each evening. These will be open to all riders from the relevant category and will count towards the overall track league standings for that category. A fourth race will count towards one of two supplementary leagues: the women and vets’ league, and the sprinters league.

The ‘Women & Vets league’ is open to riders from Cat B and Cat A who are either female or a veteran (ie over 40) and is a separate competition for the rider who can amass the most points from ‘Women & Vets League’ events over the course of the summer. Points won in these events ONLY will count towards the rider’s ‘women & Vets league’ total. They do not count towards the rider’s general total for Cat B or Cat A. The format for these events will be predominantly endurance (scratch, points, devil, unknown distance) with some shorter sprint-type events.

Riders in League A and B who do not qualify for the “Women and Vets League” will be invited to participate in the ‘Sprinters League’ for each category. As the name suggests, these are sprint specific events (dash, handicap); there is a separate competition for the rider who can amass the most points from the ‘sprinter’s league’ events over the course of the track league. Depending on rider numbers, time constraints and the organisers’ discretion, these events may be run either on a handicap basis or in heats or combined as a single event. Points won in these events are NOT added to a rider’s general total for Cat B or Cat A, but count only for the sprinters’ league in the relevant category. Vet and women riders will not be permitted to ride sprinters’ league events under normal circumstances. However, in exceptional circumstances - for example if they are a sprint specialist racing at national or international level - on application to the organiser or commissaire they may be permitted to ride.

Youth 2 and Youth 1 may race separately or in a combined race. If they are racing together then the track league points are awarded to the first 5 Youth 2 riders and to the first five Youth 1 riders.

Likewise Cat B and Cat A may compete in a combined race with the first five from each category being awarded the appropriate track league points. Barring exceptional circumstances, it is not anticipated that this will happen on “Premier” nights.

The program of events is subject to alteration on the night based on factors such as rider numbers, delays due to unforeseen events e.g. crashes, weather conditions, etc.

Overall series Scoring.
The first 5 riders in each event will score points with 5 points to the winner, down to 1 point for 5th place.
In events with prime laps, the rider(s) who win each prime lap will get one extra track league point for each prime lap that they win.
Points races are scored in the traditional fashion with each sprint earning points for the top 4 riders (5 for first place, 3 for second, 2 for third and 1 for fourth). The rider who amasses the most points in the event will be the winner and will be awarded 5 track league points. In the event of a tie on points (which may include riders with zero points) then the order across the line on the final sprint is the deciding factor. The second placed rider will earn 4 track league points, third place will get 3 track league points, fourth place will get 2 track league points and fifth place 1 track league point.

Further rider information
Race numbers should be worn as per instructions on the sign on sheet so that numbers are clearly visible to the judges - it is the rider’s responsibility to ensure this is the case.
* to enable more equal competition, disc wheels are not permitted and for senior riders there is a gear restriction of 51x15, which will be policed by commissaires on a "light touch" basis: no formal inspections but observation of the races. Exceptions to this may be made on an informal basis depending on riders' age and ability.

Riders are invited to warm-up on the track from 6.40pm to 6.55pm after which the track will be cleared for racing. For safety reasons, during warm-up fixed-wheel riders must stay on the blue line or above it; freewheelers must remain below the blue line. Given the disparity in speeds and sizes of riders on the track during warm-up, extra care should be taken when entering and leaving the track and when overtaking slower riders.

Halesowen is an outdoor track with relatively shallow bankings, open to the weather, and riders should be aware that slightly different equipment may be needed compared to an indoor velodrome. We recommend a slightly lower gear (90 or 91.4in for seniors), spoked wheels, and standard weight tubular tyres e.g. Continental Sprinters. To ensure equality of competition, and safety during racing in windy conditions, disc wheels are not permitted.

To assist with time keeping, riders should assemble for their race during the previous event when requested to do so by the announcer, and should exit the track after one warm-down lap at most. Track league has to be run to a tight schedule; unfortunately we are unable to delay races to wait for riders who are late for their event due to technical incident or poor time-keeping.

Riders and their helpers should take care when crossing the track during the evening’s racing and should be prepared to obey the gate marshal for safety reasons.

The bar will be open; if you bring your own food and drink please dispose of the litter with care.

As Halesowen is an outdoor track, for safety reasons racing cannot happen if there is heavy or continuous rain. On days when the weather is uncertain, a final call is usually made on the condition of the track at about 530pm. If you are travelling from any distance, please keep an eye on the Twitter feeds @halesowencycle and @haccfntl as this is where a cancellation notice will appear.

If the evening’s programme of racing is partially completed and is subsequently interrupted by rain or incident, entry fees may not be refunded. If rain intervenes after riders sign-on and before racing begins, entry fees will be refunded.

HA&CC would like to express our gratitude to all those who make track league possible: our many unpaid volunteers and officials. It would be appreciated if riders could have a thought for those who make their racing happen by behaving courteously and with consideration. In similar vein, any queries over placings or points are best made in writing to the organiser rather than to officials on the night.

Contact

League contact: Mr William Fotheringham
Postcode: B62 8RW

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