Originally Posted by
carleton
At DLV, we use ATRA Cat A-D (A being highest, D being new racers).
Cat D racers must complete a beginners course. Then they must race in Cat D for AT LEAST 4 complete race days before asking the track director to promote them to C. Even guys are are CAT 1/2 on the road must do this!
We don't have gear restrictions, but the track director won't let the fast guys dust the pack until the final sprint. So even the Cat 1/2 guys MUST stay in the pack for the entire race till the final sprint.
After 4 race days and exhibiting bike handling skill AND the ability to keep up speed with the rest of the group, can a person be promoted out of the Ds into the Cs.
EDIT: Detailed info here:
Racing Categories | The Dick Lane Velodrome
Originally Posted by
carleton
You need to have beginner races with small numbers of other beginners, going at beginner speeds...for several weeks.
Also, the more experienced racers should fight for this. No experienced racer wants newbies in the field.
This is exactly how it should be done. At the old Win-Del track, they used to run a track league every second Saturday, with beginner sessions before the real racing took place. You needed five beginner sessions to race (except for TTs). The beginner sessions would be learn to ride at the start of every session, and then it would move into learn to race for the second half. If there were no first timers, then it moved into learn to race right off the bat. Each session focused on one race (points, devil-take-the-hindmost, F200, TTs, Chariot, etc). Anyone was welcome to ride the beginner sessions, and many guys would use it as a warm up, so people had the ability to ride in a "pack" too. It also meant that there were experienced eyes in the group that could catch things that the instructor couldn't/didn't. Once you graduated to real racing, there was an A and B class, and you needed permission from the officials to race A. Times, experience, and ability were used to promote people.