It’s nearly SUMMER!! With the USGA US Open in town, the Mariners playing below average baseball, and the Seahawks’ mini camp wrapping up, there is certainly lots to see in the Pacific Northwest. So what’s so great about coming to the track on a Friday night? Why should you spend $5 on admission? Besides the fastest racing around? Well… let’s take a look!
The Food (and beer (and wine (and cider!!)))
$5 gets you in the door on a Friday Night to see all the great racing, but what would great racing be without some good refreshments? The Velodrome provides access to some fantastic food and beverage to keep your evening enjoyable and well stocked. From Spicy Papaya to our newest beverage sponsor Locust Cider, you can’t go wrong visiting the Velodrome on a Friday night. Let’s take a look at all the great goodies on offer.
Food Trucks – Spicy Papaya and Kirkland Tacos
We rotate between our excellent food trucks on a weekly basis to keep things interesting! The fantastic food on offer is some of the best you can find out the side window of a moving vehicle. Count on either of our sponsors being there for every Friday night!
Beverage Sponsors – Mac & Jack’s Brewery, OS Winery and Locust Cider
The beverage garden also serves as an excellent location to spectate racing throughout the evening, especially if you enjoy hanging with the athletes after the last race of the night. Besides, the people that hang out there have a bit of a noisy and rambunctious reputation to maintain, so join in on the fun!
A look at the basic race types
The average night at the Velodrome can get a bit confusing. That’s before you even consider that each race usually has a different set of rules! Let’s take a quick look at the most commonly used race formats at the Velodrome!
Quick Note: Most of our race formats can be setup as “Unknown”, meaning the number of laps is unknown to riders and spectators at the start of the race. This is an interesting variety on the standard race that certainly rewards a bit of luck and chance over pure strategy. We often give spectators who win our raffle the power to determine the number of laps on these races, and in general these variants are quite enjoyable!
Position Races – Where you finish is how you place!
THE Scratch Race – This is the grandaddy of all race types – old fashioned, simple, well loved. All riders start from the rail and race for a set number of laps. A bell rings with one lap to go, after which the first rider across the line wins. The race is run from a “scratch” starting point, and no one is handicapped with a longer distance start position. Besides the simple race tactics, this is the most common race on the track by far and also provides TONS of opportunity for variety and tactics.
Keirin – The championship of speed, this one is! The Keirin is a 5 lap race with 6-8 riders starting from a standing start. The riders draft behind a motor-pacer for the first 3.5 laps with the motorcycle gradually accelerating up to 30 mph before it departs from the track. As the race starts, racers will jockey for position behind the moto, which can lead to some very interesting “drama”! Once the motor pulls off, with 1 and a half laps to go, it is an all-out sprint for the finish line, and boy is it high speed or what! The event is a popular para-mutual gambling event in Japan, much like horse or greyhound racing found in the USA.
Points Races – Tally up points to determine the winner! Riders with the most win, and ties are broken by the final sprint.
Points Race – A points race is a mixture of sprinting and fast endurance racing. A predetermined number of sprints occur at set intervals. For example, a 6×5 points race will have 6 sprints every 5 laps. A bell rings with one lap to go before each sprint. Points are awarded to the top 4 riders across the line for each sprint (5,3,2,1). Riders are awarded 20 points if they lap the field – or conversely have 20 points subtracted if they lose a lap to the main field.
Point-a-Lap – A Point-a-Lap is a mass start race run over a set distance with all riders starting from the rail. After a neutral lap, the first rider across the line earns a point, and that’s it! (So it doesn’t pay to be drafting) Final sprint awards 3,2,1 points to the first 3 riders.
Tempo – a tempo is run just like a Point-a-Lap, but with 2 and 1 points going to the first and second riders across the line each lap. The final lap is also worth 2 and 1 points (no bonus for the last sprint).
Snowball – A Snowball is a mass start race run over a set distance. The first rider across the line at the end of the first lap earns one points. The first rider across the line at the end of the second lap earns 2 points, etc., with the number of points for the first rider across the line for each lap “snowballing” until the end of the race. Points are only awarded to the first rider to cross the line.
Madison – The Madison is a high speed, two person points race relay. One partner from each team starts the race from the rail while the “resting” partner pedals slowly along the top of the track. Partners exchange positions by pulling even with each other and then relaying or “slinging” the incoming partner into the race. Like a points race, sprints occurs at pre-determined intervals (typically every 8-10 laps) during the race. Unlike the Points Race, the Madison scores teams on laps taken over points earned.
Elimination Race – Riders are removed from the race, either for crossing the line last (bad!) or first (good job!)
Win-n-Out – A type of race that is a massed start race over a set distance, commonly 12 laps. A bell rings with 5 laps to go in the race. The first rider across the line on the next lap takes 1st place. The first place rider in the next lap takes 2nd, etc. This is a difficult race, if you spend all your effort and come up short, you must summon another all out sprint the next lap and so on to fill the places.
Belgian Win-n-Out – Similar to the Win-n-Out, this is another mass start race run over a set distance(12 laps). A bell rings with 5 to go in the race. The first rider across the line on the next lap takes fifth place. The first rider in the next lap takes third place, etc. It ends up with the final lap for the first rider to cross taking the win with the second rider earning 6th place. Being greedy my not pay! A bit of a gamble to wait for the win and not get it.
Miss-n-Out – This is another mass start race with all riders starting from the rail. After a neutral lap, the last wheel to cross the finish line is pulled from the race and eliminated. This is repeated until there are usually 3 to 5 riders remaining. This leaves two laps remaining, with the last lap an all out sprint for the finish line!
The REAL Fan-Favorite…
Marymoor Crawl (The Original Longest Lap!) – An event typically open to all racers on that evening. It is a timed track stand (balancing) contest rolled into a chariot race. Riders stage in turn 4 of the Velodrome and roll off once the race is on. They may not cross the start line until an unknown timed bell is rung, indicating a 1 lap sprint. During the time prior to the bell, riders may not roll backwards per Sprint Rules; may not touch another rider; may not touch the rail; must stay on the track surface; may not put a foot down on the track surface. And no squirt guns, dirty jokes and other pranks are allowed. This is the ULTIMATE fan event – you’d not think it was so fun to watch our athletes practically stand still, but the event always draws a great crowd reaction!
And Kiddie Kilo!
This is the hidden gem of track racing in the PNW. On the first and third Fridays of every month, the MVA invites 2 to 12 year old riders to take a trip (partially) around the track of champions! Registration is free – just bring the bike/push-bike/tricyle and a helment and sign-up for the fun! Photo opportunities galore!!
A guide-book to cheering
Finally, we move from how to enjoy the Velodrome to how to give back to the racers! Cheering and supporting our athletes is a huge part of what makes the Velodrome a special place to race. But the track is often a confusing place for new spectators, and getting used to the etiquette of the track can be a steep learning curve. I’m here to save you the pain and get you started on your track (hah!) to being a pro spectator!
Where to sit?
Let’s be real – the beverage garden is probably the prime spot on the track for viewing the action. First of all, the finish line is close so many riders will be going by you in a sprint. Second, you’re surrounded by people who have “imbibed” in the nectar that is our beverage sponsors, so it’s sure to be exciting. Thirdly, you’re probably going to get in a post-race conversation with the athletes if you stick around long enough. This spot is AWESOME for enjoying the racing! Just go inside of the orange fencing and take a seat in the grand stands.
But what if that’s not your cup of tea (or wine)? I see tons of families bringing in their lawn chairs and posting up in the corners for a good view of the racing. Why is the corner the place to be? You’re elevated, so you get the best possible view of the track. Also, you get to participate in the ever-running “Who is the rowdiest corner” competition! If your corner cheers the loudest, Bilko (the awesome announcer) is SURE to give you a shout-out. It’s really that easy to be famous for a night. What corner should you sit in though?
- For the noisy crowd, you definitely want to be in corner 1, near the announcer stand and the entrance. This group is prone to giving out lots of support for the riders as they go by.
- Want to be cool but not “too cool”? Look no further than corner 2. The second corner is still in the action but has a bit more peace and quiet.
- Want to be a social recluse with no connection to the outside world? Corner 3 is waiting for it’s first spectator since 1998! … If it’s worth anything, there are some really cool osprey perched up above in the lights over there.
- Want to look the part of smart and sophisticated but still enjoying the track? Corner 4 has a great view of the finishing straight and also can get a good view of the sprints as they form in the final turn, so that’s cool. You’ll still be a bit on an island, but that may not be a bad thing! Get close enough and you might even feel like you’re part of the beverage garden.
Ok, but that’s not even all of the spots you can sit. What about the good ‘ole, standard variety grand stands? These are a GREAT spot if you are new to track racing, as you get the best seat for hearing the announcer and viewing the exciting finishes. With the excellent ramblings of your local announcer (explaining the race formats and giving you updates on the point totals/position/exciting race info), the sound of the music bumping, and the perfect view to the finish line, there’s really not much you can say is wrong with the grandstands along the front.
Heck, if you feel like getting away from it all, sit on the grandstands on the back side of the track. It’s nice and secluded there! We’ll all think you’re a little weird, but that’s ok. Just cheer really loud and we’ll forgive you.
So with that… see you at the track!
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