We have a customer who needed a helmet label that hosts an off-road motorcycle-racing event known as a Hare Scramble. Naturally, we thought it referred to some peculiar breed of fox hunting—led by a master of foxhounds in a silly hunt cap chasing a red fox. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s about motorcycles, not horses. It’s about racing, not chasing.
Apparently, a hare scramble can vary in length and time, with the contestants completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged, natural terrain. The natural terrain tests the riders’ abilities to navigate through obstacles, such as creek beds, logs, hills, mud, rocks and ruts. The overall winner is awarded to the contestant who maintains the highest speed throughout the event. Riders race on courses with names like Hazzard Hill and Chigger Run.
So that’s the background. Where—you might ask—do the barcode labels come in? Well, thank goodness we didn’t have to label those silly hunt caps (although we certainly have labels that would work on the felted material). We provide barcode labels for the motorcycle helmets. Riders are required to use the barcode label and the helmet number given to them at sign-up. Riders who fail to use the provided number will not be scored. Riders who use the wrong barcode—or fail to cover a pre-existing barcode label—may be penalized up to disqualification if their incorrect number causes other scoring errors.
The riders are scanned at the finish line and then scored by the Score Machine© barcode scoring system. The final race results are posted—correctly!!—literally seconds after the race is over. The capability to post correct and instantaneous race results gives this company an incredible edge over its competitors. It sets them apart . . . ahem . . . from the pack. It’s an ingenious and effective use of barcoding and scanning technology that is applied to a fun, sporting event. See . . . we knew all along that barcode labels are fun and exciting.
