QMA Judging Update
As everybody is aware, QMA has implemented a revised Judging System for the 2010
season, beginning April 1st. Now that the system has been in use for over two months during
local, regional, and States Race events, it is a good time to step back and review the principles of
the new system and how some of the provisions have played out with actual racing.
Up through 2009 we were racing with a system that began many years ago with some
basic judging principles. Each year following that start, a little more verbiage added, ending
with a very wordy system that was difficult to understand. It seemed that each season new
rules or clarifications were added to accommodate one or more injustices or special
circumstances.
Over time, the system became harder and harder to use and more difficult for members to be
proficient with. The QMA membership became increasingly dissatisfied with the old judging
system, and most members felt it was time to overhaul or even get rid of the judging system all
together.
So this spring QMA took a big swing at a new system and basically started over. The
main emphasis of the new system is to let the kids race, let the action on the track decide the
outcome of the races, and not the judges. This is, of course, up until the point of gross driving
infractions.
Under the old system, judges would approach judging with the mindset of making calls
and determining who is at fault for each incident. With the new system, the judges should
pursue the goal of allowing the drivers to determine the outcome of their races unless
intervention is required because of a serious driving infraction. They should now be more like
referees and not manipulators of the race. This philosophy has been working around the
country to teach our drivers that they are responsible for their actions on the track and that
careless or inattentive driving will not be bailed out by a call made on other drivers.
By reducing the available time to make a decision and having all judges watch all parts of
the track the vast majority of incidents should result in all stopped cars going to the back and
receiving a Charged Yellow. No longer can just two judges, or a single judge with a strong
personality, take control of the judges’ stand. To make sure that only the obvious driving
infraction calls are made, our new system requires that a majority of all the judges make the
same decision.
Racing incidents happen all the time. For example, in 80 or 90 percent of all first lap
double file incidents there is no way to blame a single driver for 100 percent responsibility. In
almost all first lap incidents, every car that stops should restart from the back and receive their
first charged yellow of the race.
With the new system, the only exception to every stopped car going to the back (whether
before or after the yellow) should be for one of two reasons:
•First, if a driver truly sees the caution flag, slows down and approaches the incident area
slowly and must stop because there literally is no way around it, they will not go to the back
or receive a charged yellow. This applies only if the car did not hit the stopped cars or join
the incident in any way.
•Secondly, if a driver is found to be 100 % at fault for the incident by the majority of the
judges as the result of violating one of the 5 listed infractions, (charging, chopping, blocking,
racing room, or rough driving) only they will go to the back and receive a charged yellow. All
other drivers will get their spot back.
We are not looking for which driver is most at fault, we are looking to send all the cars
to the back unless a single driver is 100% at fault AND violated one of the five listed
infractions.
This means that even when a single car spins on their own and collects other cars who
also stop, all of the cars that stopped will restart at the back and be assigned a charged yellow.
In no way should this be construed as a recommendation to tell our drivers to plow through any
hazard or pileup to just keep going, instead it should inspire us to teach our drivers to approach
the races with a little more self restraint and awareness. Just because a driver may be innocent
when they stopped does not mean that another driver is 100% at fault. A spin out is not a
driving infraction, it is accidental and therefore a racing incident.
As the drivers realize that each time they stop on the track they are more likely to go to
the back than not, they will learn to make better decisions while racing. No longer will they be
able to just drive into the side of another car, now they would be better off lifting off the
throttle to make sure both cars get through the corner. On starts and restarts, a little self
restraint will help keep all the cars rolling if the drivers know the judges are not likely to pick out
a single car to assign blame to. While drivers must still adhere to the driving rules, this new
system encourages our drivers to be more in charge of the outcome of the race.
The Board and Judging committee urge every club to apply the same standards and
methods of judging to local races as are used at National events in order to provide fair,
consistent competition for our racers. We highly recommend that every handler become
familiar with, and adhere to the new judging principles. Please take the time to teach them to
every driver. As the drivers become more familiar with the new system, we can expect the
quality of our racing to continue to improve.
A big kudos and thank you to all those handlers and other members who have adapted
to QMA’s new approach to judging this season. Our progress so far this season is a big credit to
our membership.
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