TrackMaster Plus Pro (TMP) is a very nice piece of software for displaying, sorting, and filtering their own Plus Pro XML data.

TMP files are zip files, and can be extracted manually as with BRIS or DRF files, but there is no reason to, since the TMP software does it for you very nicely. You would also use TMP software to download race files, as it is directly wired to your account and works seamlessly with it.

As with the other data types, we recommend that you set up a folder in your Documents library, named “TrackMaster Data,” or whatever you like.

To export TMP files from their software, select File > Export and the window below will open. Note the settings in the image below and that the first time, you will need to navigate to the folder you created. Click the Export button.

When you click Export, a standard Windows® Save File window will open as shown below. It should open to the folder you created, but if not you may need to navigate there the first time. Click Save.

In Speed V6, select the TMP data type, then in the File menu, select “Import Race Card.” Navigate to the same folder and select a race file to open. (The Open File window looks almost identical to the Save window above.)

Speed V6 records the file path, so it will automatically open to that location the next time.

Importing the data involves a lot of processing, so it can take up to 30 seconds to load.

Speed V6 saves a copy of the processed data to your Documents\SpeedHandicapperV6 folder as soon as it is imported, and when you close a race card, with all of your work recorded for additional work or review.

Tech Note: TrackMaster Plus Pro XML data format is a major step forward from their own earlier formats (although some are still available for legacy software), and with the exception of PTD, which has always been well-documented, it is a step forward in technical programming usability from all the others, which are poorly documented as to what they contain. XML data, by definition, requires definitions. So you can list the data contents and not have to guess what may be hidden in undocumented fields (e.g. DRF, BRIS, and HDW), because XML requires a schema that names the fields and data types. Good job by TrackMaster.

Tech Note 2: An odd quirk of TMP is that in the workout data, they provide “Days Since WO” but not the date of the workout. Speed V6 calculates the date by subtracting the days from the current date. So, if you handicap around the actual race day, the date will be about right; if you go back and look at a race card six months from now, the WO date will be out of sync. No biggie, but just so you know.