What's New with Version 23.0:
GrandPrix Race Manager™ was originally written for use in our Awana Grand Prix races at Gateway Church of El Cajon, CA. Then it was offered as shareware for a couple of years before being rewritten as a commercial grade application and launched as Version 2.0. Each year we continue to improve the software and have used it to run our own Awana and Cub Scout races each year. Countless race coordinators have given their feedback and suggestions over the years, which has helped make GrandPrix Race Manager into a quality race management software package and an outstanding value for the price.
Version 23.0 is part of the fourth generation of this software (V1 Shareware, V2-6, V7-15, V16-?). This generation is a major overhaul of the software to accomplish two main goals. The first is to make the software as user friendly and intuitive as possible. The second is to make the software compatible with both Windows and macOS. This was a major undertaking, as the software had to be written in a different programming language, but we are proud of the results and believe that you will find the software even more useful and easier to use.
- New or Improved Features for All Users
- MacOS Support
- Added support for macOS Sonoma (14.x). Note: If you are running a Mac with the M1 to M3 processor, you do need to have Rosetta 2 installed.
- Main Screen
- Synchronized the selected race group across all tabs (registration, schedules, racing, and standings).
- When deleting a group's records, made sure that that particular group was displayed (rosters, schedules, and results).
- Software Settings
- Added the ability to set the size of the software's toolbar icons (small, medium or large) for better viewing.
- Schedules Tab
- Once a schedule is created, user has the option to automatically create schedules for all the other race groups using those same scheduling options. Makes scheduling faster and more convenient.
- Racing Tab
- Fixed completed heat count when selecting the round level (with master scheduling enabled).
- Added Heat# to the search form, to quickly jump to a specific heat.
- Once a heat is run, in the Racing screen, the Racing tab will display that heat automatically.
- Serial Timers
- Added support for Micro Wizard's new Q model Fast Track timer. Not limited to 9.9999 seconds that other Fast Track timers were, so can be used for races needing a longer time range.
- Awards Entry
- After selecting an award type in the entry screen, the focus will then be set to the Award Name box.
- The priority will be auto set to the next available priority number for the selected Group, Subgroup and Award Type.
- General
- Increased the size of some icons for better viewing.
- Fixed issue where some screens would sometimes hide behind other screens.
- Added a warning if trying to use a Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. folder for data files, images, and reports.
- Updated the software to run on a newer version of Python.
- Updated the software to use the latest version of the user interface framework.
- Several other less notable improvements and fixes were implemented.
- MacOS Support
- New or Improved Features for Pro Users
- Data Files
- Added a new screen when creating new data files. Report Titles 1 & 2 can be conveniently set. Also, Track Record and Top Times files can be changed or new ones created, if desired.
- Software Settings
- Fixed issue with changing the default racer image.
- Advanced Software Settings
- Improved settings import process to work with settings from an older version of the software or from an alternate settings file for that version. Also an easy way to synchronize two computers to use the same settings.
- Registration
- Added a new "Admin" field to the registration process and added to the Roster List report. This field can be used for any administrative purpose, such as tracking who has paid the entry fee. Field label can be customized. Any type of text can be entered (numbers, letters, Yes/No, etc.).
- Made sure that if a racer is excluded that they have also passed inspection.
- When moving racers in bulk, the new group/subgroup will be displayed after the move.
- Schedules
- Manual Schedules - When adding a new heat, automatically sets the focus to the first lane in use. Makes for faster lane assignment.
- Awards Tab
- "Voted On" total, in the Awards Data section, will be hidden if DerbyWeb interface is disabled.
- General
- Added Software Settings option for the size of tool bar icons. User can opt for Small, Medium or Large tool bar icons. Applies to any screen with a tool bar over a data table.
- Several other less notable improvements and fixes were implemented.
- Data Files