Should World Cup Downhill Racers Have Permanent Numbers Assigned?

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UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Downhill
bulletbass man 7/17/2022 1:45pm
7/17/2022 1:45pm
Primoz wrote:
Last years numbers had to be a thing in the Sam Hill Specialized era, as he ran #1 on the back of his jersey while Brendan...
Last years numbers had to be a thing in the Sam Hill Specialized era, as he ran #1 on the back of his jersey while Brendan ran #8. Unless the plate on the bike changed with every race then, but that just makes it weird.

With a field that's as big and as fluid as DH WC I don't think permanent numbers are the right solution. How many riders are there in MX?

F1 used to do it 1-21 (skipping 13) for 20 cars, but a few years back changed to permanent numbers. That's a bit easier as there are only 20 cars and the field is not as fluid as DH is (the season's roster is mostly set, barring COVID and the like).

Last years finishing position would make sense as the riders could run that number on the jerseys and, like mentioned, would make them more recognisable over the season. And last years champ can run the #1 plate. Currently the series leader does that, but with numbers set for the season, the season leader can run a yellow plate to distinguish her/him from the field.
You can still wear a number corresponding to your last years position. Troy almost always wears a number regardless of his plate. Gwin wore 1 most jerseys when he was champ. Fearon wore a number when he was top 10.

I think it’s a good choice for most riders. But at the same time a number is pretty ugly on a jersey so if your kit is fly enough and individualized (Troy uses the number to distinguish himself from his teammates) it can be worthwhile not using on your Jersey.

Agreed if plates were to be set for a season the best method is using your number from the previous season.
bizutch
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bizutch 7/17/2022 7:20pm
7/17/2022 7:20pm
If only @captain23 would chime in here like he does on Pinky. Maybe Spomer could reach out to him ?
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Primoz
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Primoz 7/17/2022 10:29pm
7/17/2022 10:29pm
You can and I think once the number allocation through the races changed, Hill and Fairclough also still wore the previous years number through the year. But doing that might make some confusion when looking at the start list.

Forgot to add, the Syndicate kerfuffle was that to be a trade team the team had to wear the same kits. SCS problem was that each rider was sponsored by a separate clothing brand, so they couldn't all be the same even if they tried.
Nzdinosaur 7/18/2022 12:51am
7/18/2022 12:51am
We've only really got numbers for the photographers, and the Commissaires during practice. With timing chips it's a bit redundant.

My vote is plate based on previous years ranking. And if first year it'll be on the order the team was registered for the coming year.
Semi static.

I love the changing gear, it's speeding up progression and designs, gets exciting to see what theme they've pulled out. Like the envy green, butter, bikes matching kit etc.
Nickoli
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Nickoli 7/18/2022 2:06am
7/18/2022 2:06am
sspomer wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2022/07/15/12733/s1200_20220713_UCI_DH_WC_Andorra_H8A7836.jpg[/img] Lots of discussion today about not being able to recognize riders in Vital RAW. When rider kits (and even bike colors) change every world cup...


Lots of discussion today about not being able to recognize riders in Vital RAW. When rider kits (and even bike colors) change every world cup race, it can be tough to identify the racers as they blast by in a dust cloud or when covered in mud.

right now, new number plates are assigned to riders at each race based on their UCI world cup overall ranking. so greg minnaar might have been #6 last week and this week he's #3 because he moved up in points.

what if world cup went the MX route where riders have a permanent racing number assigned to them for the duration of their career (the only exception being #1 plate left open for the currently-ranked number 1 racer in each class).

if you saw the #4 coming down the track, you'd know it was Greg Minnaar. if you saw the 8, you'd know it was laurie greenland (or whatever). like with moto, jerseys/gear etc could embrace the number, market it and their identity as a racer would be solidified (Chad Reed and twotwo 22 for example).

if plate numbers went permanent, is there a lottery or something to determine numbers for the first time (i don't know how it works in moto)?

maybe permanent numbers make race administration too difficult since DH racers drop in a particular order, not all at once?

what do you think? any other suggestions?

Could we have a 4th Option... "Should change each race base on WC rank (current scenario) and Lawlor puts on each riders name of Raw"

Thank you!
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NickoD96
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NickoD96 7/18/2022 10:55am
7/18/2022 10:55am
When I attended the indy 500 in the 90's it was common for drivers to test competitor's cars in practice. The only way to know who was driving was to be able to identify the helmet paint as the car came by at 230mph. Believe it or not it was relatively easy, drivers used the same helmet paint design for years. You could even tell who some of them were by color combo. I can still pick out drivers in matching liveries by their helmets. Maybe something similar could work for UCI rider's helmets? A consistent design or color combo would make riders identifiable as long as they carried it for long enough for people to associate it with them.
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Primoz 7/18/2022 12:12pm
7/18/2022 12:12pm
This worked in F1 in the days before drivers had a special helmet for every race (and before the halo). It got so bad that a 'generally unchanged helmet design' rule came into effect.

And we're talking about separating two drivers between each other. Barrichello and Schumacher even had so similar designs, that Schumacher changed his blue background to red to differentiate himself from Rubens.

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