Rules about finishing a race

I always thought the rule was, if you dnf'd then you went behind the last person to be lapped. So in Cairoli's case he would go back to 10th because all the riders that have been lapped, their race is finished so cannot unlap themselves.

I dnf'd a local race on the last lap but the organisers put me as stone last & not behind the last person not to be lapped. I may be completely wrong & hopefully someone will have an definitive answer.

Placed behind the last guy on the lead lap.

Hmm, hard to believe you can finish ahead of anyone, when you don't finish! Finishing 12 laps is more than 'almost finishing 13', isn't it? I mean, the checkers flies, you come across, get scored. If you don't come across, then no score for no finish. So say 10 dudes don't finish last lap, how you score them?

loftyair wrote:

Hmm, hard to believe you can finish ahead of anyone, when you don't finish! Finishing 12 laps is more than 'almost finishing 13', isn't it? I mean, the checkers flies, you come across, get scored. If you don't come across, then no score for no finish. So say 10 dudes don't finish last lap, how you score them?

Then if no one finishes the race it would go back to the lap before.

loftyair wrote:

Hmm, hard to believe you can finish ahead of anyone, when you don't finish! Finishing 12 laps is more than 'almost finishing 13', isn't it? I mean, the checkers flies, you come across, get scored. If you don't come across, then no score for no finish. So say 10 dudes don't finish last lap, how you score them?

Well if you almost finished 13 than means you finished 12, and if you finished them faster than anyone else that finished 12, why shouldn't you be scored in front of them?

Happened to Reed at Daytona when his bike blew up while leading in the crazy mud race. I'm sure someone will come along with the exact date and place he ended.

Berm wrote:

Happened to Reed at Daytona when his bike blew up while leading in the crazy mud race. I'm sure someone will come along with the exact date and place he ended.

7th

Berm wrote:

Happened to Reed at Daytona when his bike blew up while leading in the crazy mud race. I'm sure someone will come along with the exact date and place he ended.

March 7th, Daytona 2008 Reed finished 7th.

loftyair wrote:

Hmm, hard to believe you can finish ahead of anyone, when you don't finish! Finishing 12 laps is more than 'almost finishing 13', isn't it? I mean, the checkers flies, you come across, get scored. If you don't come across, then no score for no finish. So say 10 dudes don't finish last lap, how you score them?

Racing (and not just motocross) is about who covers the most distance and always has been.

So I lap you and then don't finish, you finish, a lap down, I win! But, I didn't even finish! Race is only over for those that finish, otherwise it is a dnf. Which is worse than a person who does 1 lap, but finishes. The person who does more, but doesn't finish. So a guy breaks leg doesn't finish, says he beat you in a race, that you finished? The checkers is the end, if you dont see checkers, you end up somewhere behind everyone who did see checkers.

A DNF is last place plus a certain number depending upon the number of racers. Not taking the checkers is a DNF.

August 28th, 2010. Southwick. Brett metcalfes bike runs out of gas in the last lap while leading. He did not finish. He was scored 14th because they lapped 15th place. If you don't finish due to a mechanical on the last lap or you crash, you're scored 1 spot ahead of whoever is one lap down.

Meister wrote:

A DNF is last place plus a certain number depending upon the number of racers. Not taking the checkers is a DNF.

If you're a lap down on a 15 lap race and get the checkers on lap 14, you technically DNF as well. You finished the same 14 laps the guy who had a bike blow up.
The checkers for you is just telling you to get off the track, the race is over now, loser.

The pro scoring is different than amateur. In amateur if you don't cross the line you don't get scored.
This years ago when Chad Reed won the sx by a few points over Windham because he was scored at a certain place finish after his bike blew up in the muddy Daytona race. I thought Windham got robbed of the title that year because of this...

I can tell you at a particular regional race in the 80's I personally passed a large group of riders "waiting for the checker flag. I made another 2/3's of a lap. then drowned out, busted my ass to push the motorcycle to the finish line, up a hill etc.
when I got there they told me "sorry the race was over and I didn't finish" (we were the last moto of the day)

so. not sure that applies to your question, but you must take the checker flag to receive a finish, even if it's a little late.

Happened to Justin Barcia this year at soutchwick I believe. Was in 3rd until he ran out of gas on the last lap and was credited with 12th.

Most Amateur racing uses Trackside software that has a built in DNF moto finish (I think it's 88) and a DNS moto finish (I think 89) and depending on how the person who tallies the lap sheet tallies their lap count scoring you ahead of those that completed less laps slower, or only takes the last lap after confirming the amount of laps completed they can score you as a DNF if you don't cross the finish line.

MotoGP road racing is based on a DNF equals a zero points finish no matter if you would have finished in the points or not.

Seeing as how Cairoli finished second it's not where he was but where Herlings lapped up to surely???

Amateur rules for AMA:

A rider who completed fewer than half the number of laps of the winning rider, or didn’t take the checkered flag receives points corresponding to the total number of riders entered in the class with a minimum of 20 points. This will be shown on the score sheet as DNF. A rider who didn't complete one lap will receive a score equal to the total number of riders plus 30 points. This will be shown on the score sheet as a DNS. No riders will be allowed to make up lost laps after the checkered flag. 8