The big problem is, in the weakest pen especially of Tiny Races, we get at least one racer per zone per week that should not be in the weakest pen even under the current shambolic system.
In zone 2, it’s usually more like ~5 per week.
The 90 day lookback at power ability is not enough and we’ve been writing that for months… It should be ~12 months when a racer has history available!
3 in his race, which he won, but your point re size of field still relevant.
That should have been in action already, but I guess they somehow missed that deadline.
@Nick_ZHQ wrote in November :
’ * Looking further back than 90 days for the seed score (est Jan 2025)’
I didn’t notice until just now, but just spotted the racer who finished 2nd in race two pen E 8th Feb Tiny Races I posted earlier went from 90.7Kg on 14th Dec '24 to suddenly becoming 97.5Kg on 4th Jan '25! 
And it gets better @Eric-Schlange-ZI , he was declared the overall winner for the quartet on 8th Feb.
One of the biggest issues Zwift racing has is that so many things are wrong, not just the result score system itself, including…
The physics
Weight/height changes
Not issuing everyone in a pen the same frame and wheels
Allowing non-subscribers to join almost any race
Allowing people to race without at least showing basic details on zwiftpower and companion app, so we can monitor height/weight changes
etc.
I agree with most of your points, but Zwift enables organizers to force a bike selection, so it’s possible, and otherwise people can choose to ride a bike they would like which I think is fine - it’s not in my top 50 issues with Zwift Racing 
The differences in bike performance are not really that huge (not including the TT, MTB, and Gravel scenarios).
Would get pretty boring if we are all forced on the same frame/wheels.
And we would lose some strategic options we have. So not really a fan of this.
Rather have them fix the power ups lottery in races, so we all get the same powerup.
I think people have lost sight of more than just the racing.
Flagging riders is a lot of steps at the moment, if you are riding quickly then it is difficult.
If race organisers could have a couple of people they nominate to monitor their own races who could monitor the performances of all riders- that might also help to clean things up.
Development would need to be done so they can see easily in real time what everyone is doing.
If this became possible then I’m sure it would be adopted, controversial as it is for some.
I know last time I suggested it one person here doubted my expertise as a real life official running bike races in very rude terms.
Could have been very enthusiastic Christmas celebrations and no riding of any sort.
I’m getting very frustrated with ZRS. As a long standing Cat C rider, I’m tired of getting dropped by riders that are clearly Cat B and potentially Cat A’s. I’m a Platinum rider, but in my last race I went up against several Amethysts and a Sapphire. What gives? ZRS is a joke! It should at least incorporate the data from Zwift Racing Copper to Diamond categories. ZRS is much worse than the old Cat system based on W/kg. Surely, a combination of ZRS, Zwift Racing categories and W/kg would minimize the sandbaggers out there.
I think it’s time to admit ZRS doesn’t work and;
a) host a race that everyone can enter every hour.
AND
b) adopt zwift racing app’s system
OR
c) go back to w/kg because it was less bad.
Though my ideal is (D) engage the community on what Zwift actually thinks the goal is for racing and set product metrics that relate to that goal. If multiple incompatible goals exist then create options.
Nah - w/kg is terrible, speaking as someone who it benefits massively.
If they can’t get the results movements to work properly then just use seed score without it.
100% though, there should be a race every hour that everyone can enter. Whether that’s mass start, or using wider ranges in off peak times while keeping the advanced races in the busy slots.
If everyone can enter a race hourly, the ability to do the same in a TT is a no-brainer and just process the TT results for each pen at the end of the week.
This is lightyears from what I’m intending. I’m talking about riders that are either new with no power data, or are intentionally entering races way below their category, because they can until they are bumped up. If a race group of 50 riders average 2.5w/kg at FTP and a rider who averages 4+w/kg enters and blows the race apart the system is failing.
I’m not talking about small percentage changes in fitness allowing a rider to win or lose etc. I’m talking about riders way out of range. This happened in just my second race. In the other two there were multiple riders also significantly stronger than the range, less glaring but still far from optimal.
If the obvious out of range rider was removed from my second race, it would have been absolutely perfect. A perfect range of fairly similar riders.
It’s so close to being amazing.
We simply need some sort of in race protection.
For example if you are in a 180-350 range race it’s fairly unlikely that a 6w/kg rider should enter. So, have some form of protection. If a rider exceeds a very generous power / w/kg power profile they are simply removed from the race.
Give them positive messaging etc, they’ve been upgraded. Whatever.
Just don’t let them ruin a great race for the majority of customers.
PERFECT 
Yes in your second race there was a rider who had dropped his weight 10kg since his previous race and ride away from the field at above category/pen power limits. His weight change and power improvements could possibly be picked up by Zwift. *1
What I can’t see is that ‘multiple riders’ in your other two races were significantly stronger than the race range. It looks like most were putting out power which they had put out before and relative to their ZRS score. [caveat: their ZRS scores might be more than 15% lower than their 5 min power Seed calculation. IMO that is a Zwift ZRS calculation issue and, most of the time, not the fault of the rider ]
I read above that you have been away from racing for a while. Are you aware that although you have raced three times in second to lowest race category/pen each of those three races had a different strength of pen range.
1st race 180-350
2nd race 160-270
3rd race 210-330
With your ZRS score of 239 it is possibly no wonder you found races 1 & 3 contained racers stronger than you expected.
Edit *1 - the fact this racer saw his ZRS move up so that he can not race in this pen range again is a slight positive. The fact he can still race in either of the other two pen ranges is a shortcoming of the ZRS system. Sometimes it may be necessary to estimate/calculate max 5 min power using other duration power maximums.
Again this is a categorization issue, Zwift need to step up and find a way to get the right people in the correct pen. Flagging someone mid race is just a band-ade.
I was checking to see how long the lunch time races were taking to complete today on the new route.
Winner of one of the races had a slight suspicious look around power and weight… And what do we see, when we look a little closer:
Until Zwift want to fix this stuff racing is not going to improve.
Those of us with data history going back 12 months, use that.
Those without that data history, limit them to specific race events for ~10 events. Make these mass start? All one pen, or separate provisional pens?
Those wanting a downgrade on health or injury grounds, chuck them back with those without data?
Those not registered on zwiftpower, limit them to specific events that aren’t the “big ones,” so excluding Zmonthly and Tiny Races etc.
Those not paying subscribers, limit them to specific low key events
I know a lot of zwifters never race.
And you guys are so right.
It’s a shame really that fit riders who like to do a very occasionally race always bump into this.
I belong to that category and I never was in a race where there were no overpowered flyers. Or disabled people for that matter in a handbike weighting 45kg or something like that and shredding everything.
Ad you said it could be made better, probably never perfect, so easy.
Never mind the silly posters.
I’m currently at my floor score and have been for
weeks. Yet,because of the category I am in, I am always finishing races towards the bottom of the field.No chance of dropping my score to move down a cat, as I’m at my floor. Train harder? I don’t think so,not at my age,60+. So the racing for me has become a lousy experience. Definitely felt things were fairer and more predictable in category enforcement. I’d welcome it back like an old friend to be honest.
