It has never occurred to me to take a fresh rotary engine to a race weekend without knowing the actual ignition
timing. My race engines had crank triggered timing. Later pro built (purchased engines) had the stock distributors with the shafts brazed together for no mechanical advance from the weights possible. So the total timing was dialed in from the standstill. So if the builder wanted 27 degrees, it had 27 degrees static. So long as the throttle is closed during cranking, it will start on a standard starter. In any case I know what the total advance was before it went into the trailer. In my opinion you should know what your total advance is before you fly behind a rotary.
I timed my engines off of painted teeth on the flex plate. The bigger the diameter of the timing disc, the more accurate the data recovered.
Lynn E. Hanover