Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

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DerbyNut
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Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by DerbyNut »

I was suggested to use the Perfect-N race for our pinewood derby so i looked to see what DerbyMaster has since we already purchased this software. They only had Standard, Lane Rotation and single/double Elimination. The standard said (Stearns Method) next to it so I looked this up. It sounds like the Perfect-N way unless I am missing something. I think I'm going to get away from using DE so the boys can race more and have more fun.

Thanks!
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Re: Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by gpraceman »

They are not the same. Stearns can give you many more heats than a Perfect-N chart, depending on the number of racers. Perfect-N generally does a better job of identifying trophy order (more of an issue when points scoring). Stearns will not guarantee that racers will run down each lane the same number of times, Perfect-N will.

With Perfect-N, your number of heats will conform to the formula below:

# of Heats = (# of racers) X (# of runs down each lane)

Note, the number of track lanes is not in that formula. This will hold true for any number of track lanes.
Randy Lisano
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Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
DerbyNut
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Re: Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by DerbyNut »

Okay, I thought you want each car to run down each lane of the track. Is that another race method then such as Lane Rotation? So 15 boys in a den running down twice will be 30 minutes, three times will be 45 minutes? How many times do you suggest for Perfect-N method?
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Re: Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by FatSebastian »

Would this topic be more appropriately placed in the Scheduling Methods forum, gpraceman?
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Re: Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by gpraceman »

FatSebastian wrote:Would this topic be more appropriately placed in the Scheduling Methods forum, gpraceman?
Well, it does touch on both a specific software's capability and pros and cons of scheduling methods it supports/doesn't support.
Randy Lisano
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Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
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Re: Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by DerbyNut »

I will have to download the Grand Prix software and take a look at it. I was just entering dummy cars in derby master and selecting different races, etc. to see the schedules. It does not have Perfect-N schedule on it.
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Re: Is Perfect-N same as Stearns Method method?

Post by gpraceman »

DerbyNut wrote:Okay, I thought you want each car to run down each lane of the track. Is that another race method then such as Lane Rotation? So 15 boys in a den running down twice will be 30 minutes, three times will be 45 minutes? How many times do you suggest for Perfect-N method?
Use the formula above to figure out your total heats. I recommend using 90 seconds per heat to budget off of. A good crew can crank out heats much faster, but the 90 seconds is a good figure to start from. If you can squeeze in an extra run per lane down the track for each racer with your time constraints, all the better.
Randy Lisano
Romans 5:8

Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
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