Mixing Groups

[Andy_Potvin]

We are using GP Race Manager for the second time. We used it last year fairly successfully. The request we have this year is to try and co-mingle the racing for our 2 groups.
The scenario is this:
Group 1 - Kids in 3rd grade (8years) - crafted cars by them selves little direct intervention by adults
Group 2 - Kids younger than 8 years old who constructed their cars with a fair degree of direct adult intervention & adult leader cars

Last year we ran all the heats for group 1 then all the heats for group 2 then finals. The young kids in group 2 were bored waiting to race ... so this year we want to mix up the heats from the two groups so that the kids will hopefully be less likely to be bored waiting till their groups race time. We still want to track the unique groups results so that awards go to like competitors.
I guess we might just jump between schedules but it would be nice to just have one schedule that spaces the groups out evenly.
Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.
I am generating the schedules using Perfect N-Type.

[gpraceman]

Assuming you are using times scoring, then create one group and two subgroups. Everyone will be mixed up on the one schedule, but you will be able to pull up standings for each of the subgroups. One schedule is easier to manage and you don't have groups of kids waiting around until it is their turn to race. The disadvantage is that you will have kids from the two subgroups going head to head. However, with times scoring it really doesn't matter who is in the other lanes.

[Darin McGrew]

I adapted my Perl script to intermingle the races for multiple classes, but it isn't really productized. Actually, we've never used it, because the leader who inherited the software with the fancy display format finally managed to get it working.

Could you write the two schedules to text files, run a simple script to intermingle the races into a single schedule (where cars still race only against others in their own class), and then import the new schedule into your derby software?

[Andy_Potvin]

I am not certain I am going to use timing as the scoring method yet, as I am not completely confident in the electronic finish line yet. We have used finish line judges and scored cars from finish position, which would make the intermingling of the groups impractical. Until I am certain of the accuracy of the timer I will plan on scoring from the finish order. Which brings me to the idea of intermingling two schedules based on perhaps exported schedules which are combined then imported into a new schedule. The pitfall as I see it is that I would lose track of the individual groups standing and thus be challenged to determine finalist conditions.

[gpraceman]

In GPRM, you do not need to run all of the heats of one group before another. You don't even have to run the heats in order. You can always run a heat (or 2 or 3) switch to another group run some heats. Keep switching until all heats are run. It is more work for you and the On Deck listing won't be correct right before a switch, but it will mix things up.