Electronic finish lines, derby management software – all the latest technology for your race, right? Yet, the start of the race is still a manual operation. Now there is an engineered solution, designed for ease of operation to alleviate many of the issues associated with a manually operated starting gate. A simple press of a button and the cars are on their way, and after a programmed time, the gate will reset, ready for more action. The dual solenoid design provides enough hold to keep 5 oz. cars at a 45° inclination and assures a snappy release when the race is started. The rugged aluminum construction should provide years of trouble free operation. The control of the gate is designed to trigger the finish line when the button is pressed, and only then, eliminating false starts.

Design Features:

• Operating Range. between 15° and 45° inclination at the starting line with 5 oz. cars..

• Pushbutton operation. A simple button press starts the race and also triggers the finish line. After a defined period of time, the gate will reset, ready for the next race.

• Flat Posts. Rounded noses on the cars is no longer a problem

• Track thicknesses up to one inch..

• 12V DC operation. A wall adapter is included.

• Integrates with finish line. I know it will work with The Judge timer – that's what my pack's track uses The timer is triggered by the button press so false starts should be a thing of the past.

See the gate in operation

I've purchased enough material to make 10 gates, which makes nine available (my pack gets one!).  These units are designed to a 4-lane track with 3.5" lanes. If your track was made by these plans, you shouldn't have any problems. I'd like to make more, and expand to any number of lanes, if the demand is there. If you might be interested in getting one for your unit, please contact me using this form.