The Hatfield Rotary Virtual Balloon Race

Once again we are running a balloon Race starting on 

I December 2023

Click Here to enter

Getting bored, how about joining us in a Virtual Balloon Race being organised by Hatfield Rotary Club in association with Ecoracing

You will be helping us help local charities

Hatfield Rotary ClubTrust Fund is a registered charity no 1030942  

This is a fun event in which everybody can participate, whatever your age.  You only need a computer, tablet or smart phone.

·        Buy your balloon for £3, name it, choose the colour and pattern, inflate it as much as you think will give you the best chance and off you go.

·        No actual balloons take part – it is environmentally friendly

·        The race will start from Harrods in London at 12 noon UK time. The balloons will all be set off at the same time.

·        Their course will be affected by the air currents, winds etc that will actually happen over the next 7 days.  The actual weather data is used.   You can follow the progress of your own balloon on line over the course of the race.

·        The winner will be the balloon that has travelled the furthest at the end of the 7 days of the race.

·      Great prizes – Overall winner £100; 2^nd an Amazon Alexa / Echo Dot 4th Generation.

·      In addition Hatfield Rotary Club will award a £30 prize for the balloon that is racing for Hatfield Rotary Club and goes the furthest and for whoever goes the smallest distance a box of chocolates.

To enter click Here

More details

How to enter the Balloon Race and how to follow your Balloon.

1.       Select  the Race [by clicking Here].  This gets you to the page about the Trust Fund. Scroll down to the blue/green band and select [ buy balloons for you]

2.       Important – You must now register with an e-mail address and a password – This is so that the race organisers can contact you if you win and also so that you can follow the progress of your balloon (s)

3.       Under Buy Balloons for you select  [ Go to cart] – At this stage you decide how many balloons to buy and how to pay for them – quite clear instructions

4.       Once the first bit has been done look for the three yellow buttons across the page.                     [ View/Decorate/Track] – Make sure you choose the Christmas Shopping Race

5.        Choose [Decorate] -   then choose [ Edit this Balloon]    If you have bought more than one balloon (recommended *) simply click on each balloon in turn to decorate them etc.(next item)

6.       The next stages are important for setting up your balloon – study the page carefully

a.       Give your balloon a name

b.       Choose a colour

c.       Choose a pattern

d.       Inflate your balloon – there is a sliding scale – we have found that some people don’t inflate their balloon enough and the balloons fly very poorly but some others over inflate and then the balloon pops at an early stage of the race

e.       Choose the thickness of the material in the balloon – too thin and it will pop easily – too thick and it is too heavy to fly well.

f.        When you have done all these Remember to save all your design and parameter changes [Save Changes]

7.       You now have a balloon(s) in the race

8.       By clicking on the three horizontal white stripes at the top right hand side of the page – on the banner headline) you can ‘customise’ each balloon by changing the various parameters you originally selected  - balloon helium contents; shape; thickness of rubber.  Obviously not possible once the race has started.
Reflecting real life, virtual balloons just like latex ones, can pop if the balloon parameters are not suited to the weather. For example, maximising helium content, having the fastest shape and thinnest rubber during stormy weather is not advisable. So, looking at the predicted weather for your race period prior to customisation helps your chances of winning.

It is recommended * that you buy more than one balloon and set them up differently (amount of gas, thickness of rubber, and a different name)  to give yourself more chances

There is a  Race Guide on the Ecoracing web page which is worth reading as well if this is not clear enough