32 = Slalom Scoring

Proposal from

GBR (Andy Phillips)

Proposal title

Slalom Scoring

Existing text

S10 A4 3.C5
PRECISION CIRCUIT IN THE SHORTEST TIME (‘Clover leaf slalom’) 
Scoring

tpen: = t_pil + m * v_pen

Q: = LOG(3 * t_best / (t_pen – t_best + 3))

Where 

tpil = the measured pilots time (seconds) 
m = the number of missed targets 
vpen = the time penalty for each missed target (seconds) 
tpen = the pilots time (after penalties for missed targets) 
tbest = the best time (after penalties for missed targets) 
Q = the task value before normalization 

Note: Spreadsheet formulas: 
tpen: = _t_pil + m * v_pen_ 
Q: = LOG(3 * t_best / (t_pen – t_best – 1)) 

And same in S10 A4 3.C6, S10 A4 3.C7, S10 A4 3.C9, S10 A4 3.C10

New text

Reason

Section 10, 4.29.3 states that 

"Tasks shall, as far as practicable, conform to the following guidelines in standard championships: 
For Paramotor aircraft classes PF and PL:
A) Navigation: 33% of the total value of the tasks flown.
B) Economy: 33% of the total value of the tasks flown.
C) Precision: 33% of the total value of the tasks flown."

This rule is correctly in place to ensure complete fairness to all pilots. 

The current scoring formula for slalom tasks is too complicated and too punitive to all but the top couple of pilots, giving them an unfair advantage in the overall competition rankings. This could be argued to be in direct contravention of the spirit of rule 4.29.3. In order to be consistent in the spread of points we are proposing that the task is scored in fair proportion to the times recorded. If navigation tasks are scored on a linear formula, so should be the slalom tasks.

A number of different formulae have been tested over the last few FAI championships, but none have been ideal, and the current one is directly unfair. We therefore propose to revert to a formula that is demonstrably fair to all pilots.

By way of example, the following graphs show the pilot times and scores from the 8 and the clover leaf tasks at the World Paramotor Championship 2012, directly compared against what the pilots would have scored if our proposed linear formula was used. It can be clearly seen that the linear formula removes the unfair advantage that the top slalom pilots have, whilst still giving them a small bonus for being at the top.