Information about the finish line truss arch required for RaceReady finish line fixtures.
RaceReady live timing systems have antennas which must be positioned over the finish line during races. Without such positioning, the system won't properly detect the riders.
RaceReady partners must use an approved truss system to do this. You can purchase an approved truss system, but many RaceReady contracts include a truss system.
An approved finish line truss looks like this:
RaceReady preferred trussing consists of aluminum square or triangular trussing and can be either the 9-inch wide or the 12-inch wide version. As track finish lines can vary in width, we recommend obtaining segments that will allow you to leave 2 feet of clearance on each side of the finish line.
The following illustration shows a configuration for a finish line up to 22' wide:
The vertical sections must each be affixed to a stabilizing base plate (not shown in the illustration above), mounted parallel to the track. The preferred minimum dimensions for the steel base plate are 1' X 4'.
BASE PLATES ALONE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO STABILIZE THE STRUCTURE. The assembled structure needs the base plates to be secured to the ground however is appropriate in your circumstances—whether through burying them, stacking weighted barrels on them, stacking sand bags, or staking them directly to the ground or into buried railroad ties. Driving stakes through them is the preferred method, so long as the stakes are sufficiently long.
PLEASE NOTE THAT USING ANY KIND OF CORD OR ROPE TO SECURE THE TRUSS IS NOT RECOMMENDED, DUE TO THE HAZARD IT CREATES. RACEREADY DOESN'T OWN ANY TRUSSING SYSTEMS USED BY ITS CLIENTS, AND ITS CLIENTS INDEMNIFY RACEREADY AGAINST ANY LIABILITY IT CREATES.
This article shows how to set up the truss gantry, and how to affix RFID antennas to it.