FJRForum Official 2017 Iron Butt Rally Tracking/Analysis Thread

[Hello Kitty]

Here's a listing of the FJR riders. It's sorted by Year Ascending.

Really awesome. How are those riders who choose the Gen3 doing?

You are so boring

 

[Hello Kitty]

JohnF posted: Does anyone know what the riders are seeing that shows them 1.) what category the bonus location fits under .... <snip>

JohnF, look at the Day 2 summary here. There's an small excerpt from the bonus packet .

The bonus code is "APC", for "Air - Prairie Chicken", most likely. I'll assume other animals have other codes: Air, Land, Water, and Mythical, perhaps.

The excerpt goes on to show that bonus "APC" is located near I-94, exit 38 south, Rothsay, MN, at GPS coordinates 46.4814 / -96.2816. There's also the time window when this bonus can be claimed: 1400 hours, June 26, 2017. Show up 5 minutes late and you'll miss the photo and 1,203 points -- just like the Boge family did.

You can enter those GPS coordinates into Google Maps, hit Street View, and see the World's Largest Prairie Chicken yourself, though not as well as in the Day 2 summary.

My technique is to use shapes/colors to represent point value -- gold stars having the highest values, of course -- but that only works since the Big Money Rally has fixed point values for each category. You plan your route to hit the time-limited spots when they're open (don't leave that to chance) and the daylight ones in the daylight.

Once you start riding, there's not much you can do except ride your plan. Adding bonuses into a well-planned route is a rare occurrence.

<edit 5 mins later> I see Hello Kitty has the same lines of thought. I'm a very amateur rallyer, flattered to be considered a kid, and use Google Maps to plan. The final route can be converted to GPX and stuffed into a Garmin, but I just bring it up on my iPhone (Google Maps App) and follow the blue line across the southeastern US. Since I have to stop at each bonus for a photo, it does just fine for my point-to-point navigation.

FYI...I have ridden in over 45 LD rallies (2-IBR's), so I have a little concept of what goes on. The new twist in this rally is the introduction of a 3rd variable ( category). You and the dear Miss Kitty have both guessed that the first letter might be the code for what category. I had the same thought...but do not KNOW as fact. That might make the laying out a map to lay out a route a little easier. Another variable, is the riders can go to ANY bonus (except maybe a leg specific bonus like the group photo) during any leg. Kicker there is the rider may not know what the point value is for that bonus ( leg one some values given, leg two more bonus site values given, and assuming for the big leg 3 ALL point values will be known. If you are just trying to get some needed bonus capture to bag a super high point bonus for the 3rd in the string, not too big a deal. So I guess the thought process there is, "choose an unknown point value bonus wisely."

Yes, one could use all the icons available on whatever mapping program they use to get a visual. But it would not be "clean/neat" With two variables in my primary method that I use, I know when I look at a map and see a Green Square, it is a High point bonus site available 24hrs. I would have to have a cheat sheet to remember all what icons that I used to cover all the possible type bonus location. That is probably the issue riders are dealing with, most probably had to come up with an entire different way to lay out their planning map. Some see the solution quickly, while others are a little slower to retrain. IF the first letter of the bonus code is the category, the rider then has to have the information box open to see that. A laptop screen with 325 bonus locations showing with the information box open is not very useful. Not much map to see. Obviously many of the World's Toughest Riders are figuring it out.

I think I'll just go for and all day ride tomorrow!

JEF

Me thinks you're over thinking, dear friend. I wouldn't use restriction in this rally. As has been mentioned many times, MOST bonuses are daylight only, so I'd go on that assumpton unless it were EXTREMELY intersting and then maybe have another category - hospital icon - something. Use category and point value. Those are the driving factors here. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dan S]

But aren't there always some sucker bonii?

I can't say for sure since I don't know the points and the bonus details, but competing against and riding in rallies created by Jeff Earls--he's not a sucker bonus kind of guy IMO.

Assuming that though, I can still imagine riders going to bonuses that require more time investment than they guessed (i.e. a hike besides riding to something, a bonus on a dead-end road that they thought had two ways to get to it, etc.) and calling it a sucker bonus after the fact. I guess it could depend on your definition.

To me a sucker bonus is an obvious one like in 2007 or 2009 there was a bonus that instantly grabbed your attention because it was worth a 1,000,000 points to have a picture of something with your motorcycle in it. It's when you see that the location was in Hawaii and anybody that actually start Googling air shipping details....fell for the sucker bonus.

Then again, if we see an icon or two head to the tip of Florida or somewhere in Alaska (particularly on the final leg)....then I could be all wet.

Like the "nut job" in 2013.

 

[PapaUtah]

 

[PapaUtah]

 

[Tyler]

So all the bonii are available for all three legs... if they already got certain bonuses on leg 1, are they off the table for leg 2 (i.e. they can't get them a second time)?

Yes, cutie pants. All the bonuses are available all three legs. You could get the same one each leg. But they don't know the value until THAT leg. Make sense?

It does... thanks, Shnookums! :wub:

 

[PapaUtah]

 

[csi]

Glad my Gen 3 doesn't need those goofy looking hoses.......

 

[PapaUtah]

 

[Bounce]

It truly looks as if Jim O is back in form. Many top dogs near the top, but 3k points are possible to make up with one good leg... yet Jim seems to thrive with complexity.I was looking at the pics of the check point, it brought back some memories. I hated checkpoints! Looking out the window in a motel room and seeing most riders long gone, or even trying desperately to load the points while listening to other riders leaving... I remember leaving CP 2 in '13 just to get out of the stress and pulling of into a parking lot and doing my routing (Choosing my strategy) LOL

I always felt much more comfortable on the road.

Did that leaving Buxton, Maine in 03. There was a bonus in Portsmouth, NH that had to be that day and before the cigar shop closed. No time to plan. Ride like hell to get there before they closed, get the bonuses (a newspaper, a photo, and a massage), head out and stop somewhere else to plan.

Lookie loos were all over the place (the reason bonus locations are no longer given out to the public until after a leg is over). People were talking and asking questions and I was simply chattering something-or-others over my shoulder as I entered and exited the location. I was loading my side bag up with the newspaper and stuff when someone asked me where I was heading next. I stood up, turned around, and a woman with a mic and a nearby cameraman were standing right there in my face. I got on the bike, smiled real big, and told them... "WEST!"

I gnawed on that for the rest of Leg 4; wondering if I might have said something to "the media" before I realized who was behind me.

 

[Bounce]

Does anyone know what the riders are seeing that shows them 1.) what category the bonus location fits under (yes, I know it may seem self-apparent, but there has to be some way to define the category to the rider so there is no question of what category it belongs to) and 2. what they see that shows them how many points? If using similar sorting strategy from other rallies, I see 45 possible categories of bonus locations ( 5 theme categories - low,medium, high point value - daylight only, restricted times, available 24/7 ). To me that is the real headache of the rally, running out of icons to show where each bonus falls (if one uses a system where they can look at an Icon on the map and know what the requirements are by color and shape). Feedback from DaJuice or Iggy on how they would set up a planning map.
JEF

paper map and a pack of kids stickers in assorted shapes.

 

[Bounce]

I believe the bonus list is not revealed until after the rally. It is possible though based on the theme and leg one Spotwalla tracking to figure out where some bonus locations could be.

I already related how things were in Portsmouth.

The ultimate catastrophe that lead to the change in how locations were announced was when so many bystanders laid in wait for riders at a bonus at Dollywood. Early on, riders had no problem. As time went by, security was having to run off more-and-more "civilians" and eventually started chasing (literally) off riders, too.

 

[BwanaDik]

Watch put fpr giant crabs in Rockport!

 

[discochris]

Watch put fpr giant crabs in Rockport!

Might need a prescription for that...

 

[Warchild]

Here are riders 24 hours after departing Checkpoint One.... check out those Key West players!

:

 

[cas42]

Wow, whoever predicted Florida Keys was right! I see a couple spots there now and maybe a few more headed that way...

What did you guess was the bonus/bonii down there?

Lol - posted at the same second as Warchild!

 

[BkerChuck]

Can't wait to see the full bonus list! Even though I may never go out and play at this level it's a lot of fun "armchair" rallying.

 

[RJAMT]

Here's a listing of the FJR riders. It's sorted by Year Ascending.

No surprise to see more of the beautiful gray '15s than the ugly pink '14s.*

* - sorry pants but I know RFH would want me to say it.

 

[Uncle Hud]

RenoJohn posted: Really awesome. How are those riders who choose the Gen3 doing?

How are they doing? They're still running, and it ain't over 'til it's over. Of course, Ms. Crockett's on her Gen1 and she has a lot of potential. Mr. Bracken will finish, but he's a rookie and may not have routing experience to handle all the scoring subtleties within the short time constraints.

Wonder if the BMR will institute combo-bonuses next year?

 

[101stpathfinder]

I mentioned the Florida keys boni awhile back.

There are 2 main ones that I was thinking of. A queen angel fish (Lit up at night) and a huge Florida lobster. Neither is in key west though.