diff --git a/src/main/java/seng302/Controllers/StartController.java b/src/main/java/seng302/Controllers/StartController.java
index 6fd543f2..91452a85 100644
--- a/src/main/java/seng302/Controllers/StartController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/seng302/Controllers/StartController.java
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package seng302.Controllers;
 
+import javafx.animation.AnimationTimer;
+import javafx.application.Platform;
 import javafx.collections.FXCollections;
 import javafx.collections.ObservableList;
 import javafx.fxml.FXML;
@@ -11,7 +13,6 @@ import javafx.scene.layout.AnchorPane;
 import javafx.scene.layout.GridPane;
 import org.xml.sax.SAXException;
 import seng302.Model.BoatInRace;
-import seng302.Model.Race;
 import seng302.Model.RaceClock;
 import seng302.RaceXMLReader;
 
@@ -32,6 +33,8 @@ public class StartController extends Controller {
     @FXML private TableColumn<BoatInRace, String> boatNameColumn;
     @FXML private TableColumn<BoatInRace, String> boatCodeColumn;
     @FXML private Label timeZoneTime;
+    @FXML private Label timer;
+    @FXML private int PRERACE_TIME = 15000;
 
     private RaceClock raceClock;
 
@@ -56,10 +59,8 @@ public class StartController extends Controller {
         startRace(1);
     }
 
-    private void startRace(Integer raceScale){
-        start.setVisible(false);
-
-        parent.beginRace(raceScale);
+    private void startRace(int raceScale){
+        countdownTimer(raceScale);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -95,7 +96,54 @@ public class StartController extends Controller {
         raceClock = new RaceClock(raceXMLReader.getMark());
         timeZoneTime.textProperty().bind(raceClock.timeProperty());
 
+    }
+
 
+    /**
+     * Updates the calculated time to the timer label
+     *
+     * @param time The calculated time from calcTimer() method
+     */
+    protected void updateTime(String time) {
+        Platform.runLater(() -> {
+            timer.setText(time);
+        });
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Countdown timer until race starts. Use PRERACE_TIME to set countdown duration.
+     */
+    protected void countdownTimer(int scaleFactor) {
+        new AnimationTimer() {
+            long currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+            long startTime = currentTime + (PRERACE_TIME/scaleFactor);
+            long minutes;
+            long currentTimeInSeconds;
+            long remainingSeconds;
+            long hours;
+            long timeLeft;
+
+            @Override
+            public void handle(long arg0) {
+                timeLeft = startTime - currentTime;
+                if (timeLeft <= 0) {
+                    updateTime("Race is starting...");
+                    stop();
+                    parent.beginRace(scaleFactor);
+                    startWrapper.setVisible(false);
+
+                } else {
+                    currentTimeInSeconds = (timeLeft*scaleFactor) / 1000;
+                    minutes = currentTimeInSeconds / 60;
+                    remainingSeconds = currentTimeInSeconds % 60;
+                    hours = minutes / 60;
+                    minutes = minutes % 60;
+                    updateTime(String.format("Race Clock: -%02d:%02d:%02d", hours, minutes, remainingSeconds));
+
+                }
+                currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+            }
+        }.start();
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/main/resources/scenes/start.fxml b/src/main/resources/scenes/start.fxml
index 677fc861..c0ae7e9e 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/scenes/start.fxml
+++ b/src/main/resources/scenes/start.fxml
@@ -1,23 +1,18 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 
-<?import java.lang.*?>
-<?import javafx.geometry.*?>
-<?import javafx.scene.control.*?>
-<?import javafx.scene.layout.*?>
-<?import javafx.scene.text.*?>
 <?import javafx.geometry.Insets?>
 <?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
 <?import javafx.scene.control.Label?>
 <?import javafx.scene.control.TableColumn?>
 <?import javafx.scene.control.TableView?>
+<?import javafx.scene.layout.AnchorPane?>
 <?import javafx.scene.layout.ColumnConstraints?>
 <?import javafx.scene.layout.GridPane?>
 <?import javafx.scene.layout.RowConstraints?>
 <?import javafx.scene.text.Font?>
 <?import javafx.scene.text.Text?>
 
-
-<AnchorPane fx:id="startWrapper" maxHeight="1.7976931348623157E308" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1" fx:controller="seng302.Controllers.StartController">
+<AnchorPane fx:id="startWrapper" maxHeight="1.7976931348623157E308" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8.0.112" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1" fx:controller="seng302.Controllers.StartController">
    <children>
       <GridPane fx:id="start" prefHeight="600.0" prefWidth="780.0" AnchorPane.bottomAnchor="0.0" AnchorPane.leftAnchor="0.0" AnchorPane.rightAnchor="0.0" AnchorPane.topAnchor="0.0">
           <columnConstraints>
@@ -56,6 +51,7 @@
               </columns>
             </TableView>
             <Label fx:id="timeZoneTime" contentDisplay="CENTER" text="timeZoneTime" GridPane.columnIndex="2" GridPane.halignment="CENTER" GridPane.rowIndex="2" GridPane.valignment="CENTER" />
+            <Label fx:id="timer" text=" " GridPane.columnIndex="2" GridPane.halignment="CENTER" GridPane.rowIndex="5" />
           </children>
       </GridPane>
    </children>