Race Rules

  • January 18, 2017 at 12:44 pm #1003
    RPM_Admin
    Keymaster

    RPM Racing takes racing seriously and our official RPM sessions are not games, they are real sessions with real competitors.

    Respect your fellow drivers and you’ll receive respect in return.

    All racing rules are as per iRacing FIRST official sporting code, unless otherwise stated.

    §1 Principles

    §1.1 Conduct

    §1.1.1 Friendly, obliging and polite manners are to be remained at all times. This includes drivers, volunteers and officials alike. Obscene phrases will lead to exclusion from the event. Further participation in races of Virtual Racing e.V. (VR in short) may be prohibited in severe cases.

    §1.1.2 If a participant is under suspicion that he may have a negative influence on the event and rightly so, administrators do have the right to exclude him in advance to an event.

    §1.2 Dues
    If a driver has aquired an iRacing oval license and has passed the probation period (4 races), the “VR-Unkostenbeitrag” has to be payed.

    §2 Severability clause
    If a rule change during a running series is sensible or even necessary, VR is able to change any of the present rules.

    §3 Participtions in races

    §3.1 License
    For participation in the GNL every driver hast to earn a GNL license. These are awarded during rookie cup races by the administrators.

    §3.2 Participation
    On the first crossing of the finish line during the race session an event is scored as “participated”. “Participated” status cannot be achieved with a short join during practice. Furthermore penalty points are only deducted if a participant drives more then 50% of the race distance.

    §3.3 Join
    Race servers (and official training servers) can be found on the iRacing homepage (“HOSTED” -> “JOIN A RACE”). Servers are allways named “Virtual Racing e.V.” with a fitting description, i.e. “DOM Race #1”.

    §3.4 Setup
    Every driver is responsible for setting up his hard- and software in such a way that a smooth participation in the race is guaranteed. He has to check his input devices and the settings of the iRacing software (i.e. cars shown (recommendation: 43) or other graphic settings), so he can participate without restrictions. If an accident is caused by false or unsufficient measures, the driver is penalized according to the rules.

    §4 Races

    §4.1 Blocking
    Changing away from the normal driving line to hinder an opponent from overtaking is called “blocking”. This will not be tolerated, a penalty or disqualification might be the outcome. However, during the last couple of laps of a race limited blocking on cars in the same lap is permitted.

    §4.2 Defects
    If a car is damaged and off pace, the driver has to keep as high as possible on the track to let faster cars pass. On road courses the racing line has to be left as soon as a faster car approaches!

    §4.3 Race end
    After the checkered flag every driver has to drive back to his own pit.

    §4.4 Driver name
    Every driver has to use the same name used on sign-up to the series.

    §5 Pace laps & (re)starts

    §5.1 Distance
    All cars should remain a gap equal or smaller then 0.2 seconds to the car in front (that includes the pace car). Bigger gaps are considered a jump start. Correct speeds are signalized on the rev counter by green illumination in 3rd gear. On double file restarts this gap has to be kept to the car in front, not to a car in the other line. If an accident is caused by wrong gaps on the (re)start, the according driver is fully responsible.

    §5.2 Speed
    The leader can choose his own speed. However, he is obliged to choose exactly the speed the pace car is driving at. He is not allowed to accelerate in advance of “green”.

    §5.3 Double file restart
    Overtaking of cars in the other line is allowed during double file restarts. This is not true for cars of the own line, the exclusion being another car having a problem. In the GNL restarts are executed “shootout style” (just like real NASCAR), shuffling lapped cars to the back.

    §5.4 Race halt
    The grid administrator has the right to stop a race on his own discretion (i.e. a lot of disconnects).

    §5.5 Halted races
    If a race was halted for any reason, the event is completely cancelled. Only in exceptional cases a replacment race is held.

    §5.6 Restart – Conduct for lapped drivers
    If a lapped driver is running between cars in the lead lap with 2 to go, he has to go down on the apron and let the leaders pass on the high side. The simulation will remind these drivers to let cars past by displaying an according message. This is done to ensure a smooth and fast sorting process in advance of the start. And lapped drivers have an easier pit entrance compared to going high and let the leaders pass on the inside.

    §6 Pitstops

    §6.1 Pit rule
    Drivers may choose pit in on own discretion on ovals. Pit out has to be done on the backstraight, the exception is Bristol. Here the pitroad is twofold. For drivers qualifying from 1st to 22nd pit in is in T3/4 and the pit out in T1/2. All other drivers pit in in T1/2 and pit out in T3/4.
    On road courses pit in and pit out is predetermined by the simulation.

    On full course yellows pit out as described above is NOT mandatory. Use caution obviously!

    §6.2 Pit in
    The outside lane of pitroad has to be used to get to your pit. Do not change lanes before within 2 car lengths of your pit. Then cross sharply over the inner lane into your pit. Deliberatly blocking another driver or halting outside your pit is striclty prohibited. Contrary behaviour is to be prosecuted, especially if an accident happens.

    §6.3 Collision detection on pit road
    At the moment collision detection is switched off on pit road. This is not to be exploited by drivers to gain advantage! While small overlaps may happen, the will of any driver to enter and exit his pit correctly has to be recognizable.

    §6.4 Pit out
    Leaving your pit drive to the outer lane of pit road as soon as possible. Continue to drive to the portion of the track where rejoining the race line is allowed. If there are other cars approaching postpone joining the race line until you have reached racing speed.

    §6.5 Fast tow / repair
    Both options are not used in the GNL.

    §7 Yellow flags

    §7.1 Yellow is out
    If the yellow flag is shown, an accident has happened somewhere on the tracke. Each driver has to drive cautiously, overtaking is strictly prohibited! Furthermore gaps as described in §5.1 are to be established as soon as possible to assist pit stops. Of course dont endanger yourself or others while doing so!

    §7.2 Wave around
    On a caution, if there are lapped drivers in front of the leaders after pit stops, these drivers earn a wave around. These drivers are allowed to pass the pace car the lap before restart and fall in behind the field, gaining a lap. Drivers earning a wave around are not allowed to pit afterwards.

    §8 Chat rules

    §8.1 Chat usage
    Normal chatter is allowed in practice only. During qualify chatting is strictly prohibited. On a race, chatting during yellows is allowed. However, please keep it on topic! On green during a race only phrases according to §8.4 are allowed.

    §8.2 Session start and end
    Qualify starts with enabling qualify and ends when qualifying time has run out. Race starts with enabling joins to the grid and ends when the last driver has crossed the finish line.

    §8.3 Exceptions
    Administrators don’t have to obey above chat rules, if necessary. A list of administrators can be found in the forum.

    §8.4 Preferred race chat messages
    Drivers are encouraged to use only these chat lines during a race (ideally exactly in that notation):
    Pass LEFT
    Pass RIGHT
    Pitting this lap
    Exiting pit
    EOLL
    Damaged and off pace

    If you have questions how to get these into your simulation, go here: forum.virtualracing.org/iracing-oval/75073-autochats.html

    §9 Penalties

    §9.1 Basic rule
    Every driver causing a yellow flag is penalized.

    §9.2 Replays
    Every driver has to keep a replay of the last race. Race comission can demand these replays. If a driver doesn’t oblige or is unable to, race commission will decide against him, if in doubt.

    §9.3 Penalty system
    1. Blocking (on protest) – 3 pts
    2. Chatting (per line) – 1 pts
    3. Accident without contact (UoK)/restart – 3/4 pts
    4. Accident with contact (UmK)/restart – 4/5 pts
    5. Accident under yellow (on protest) – 5 pts
    6. Jumpstart (on protest) – 4 Punkte
    7. Breach of pit rules (on protest) – 1 up to – 4 pts
    8. Accident caused by warp (magnitude considered) 0 up to – 4 pts

    §9.4 Discretionary powers
    Race commission or administrators can penalize other incidents not mentioned above and assign adequate penalty points.

    §9.5 Cheats
    Any form of cheating (manipulation for own advantage) is penalized with immediate exclusion from races of VR.

    §9.6 Debriefing of yellow flags
    After race day a thread is opened in the VR forum listing all yellows and all participants. Now drivers have to find the culprit. This can be done with whatever kind of communication that is avaible, not necessarily in that particular thread. If drivers have reached a conclusion, they have to post an answer in that thread. All drivers listed for a yellow have to post. Deadline for a decision is the following sunday, 12pm (if held on saturday, deadline is postponed to tuesday, 12pm). If there isn’t a conclusion at this time, the race commission takes over and finds the culprit. This driver then earns an additional penalty point for employing the commission. If the race commission finds the culprit not listed in the debriefing, this driver gets no additional penalty point.

    Following incidents are free to be solved among drivers:
    – Accident without contact (1 driver)
    – Accident with contact (normally 2 drivers or more)

    If there was an accident with contact drivers can reach following conclusions:
    – 1 driver is the culprit – he is penalized in full
    – 2 or more drivers are the culprits – all drivers get their equal share of the penalty, whole-numbered and rounded up
    – race incident – no penalties given, see next paragraph

    If drivers decide on race incident, race commission automatically reviews the incident and corrects the decision, if necessary. Reaching the decision all drivers involved have to send their replay to race commission for further investigation. If race commission reaches a different conclusion, every penalized driver gets 1 extra penalty point for employing the comission.

    §9.7 Protests
    Additionally to the debriefing of yellow flags it is possible to file a protest. Protests have to be filed with the according replay using this form. After the protest has reached race commission, drivers protested against can be requested to file in their replays by the commission. In general protests are judged by the race commission. Deadline for filing protest is the saturday following race day, 12pm. On saturday races its monday, 12pm. Protests reaching race commission after that point are neglected.

    §9.8 Unnecessary protests
    If an obviously unnecessary protest (i.e. lacking knowledge of rules) was filed, the protesting driver is penalized with 1 penalty point.

    §9.9 Unsportsmanlike behaviour
    Race commission and administrators alike are instructed to invesitigate unsportsmanlike behaviour and penalize it unasked.

    §10 Impact of penalty points

    §10.1 Penalty points balance
    Each driver has a penalty points account. If there are more then 10 points in this account the according driver is banned from the next race and after the race 10 points are removed from his account. Only in this account penalty points can be removed, all other points standings keep the penalties.

    §10.2 Deleting penalty points
    Each time a driver participates in a race wihtout getting a penalty, 1 point is removed from his penalty points account. This is only true, if the driver drives at least 50% race distance.

    §10.3 Authorisation to participate
    For each driver it is mandatory to regularily check the database if he is allowed to take part in the race. If a driver is seen on the server despite a race ban, he is removed from the server. If for some reason a banned driver manages to take his place on the grid, he is banned from the server and this race is scored as “did not start”. Furthermore he is banned from the next race.

    §10.4 Reevaluation
    If a driver was banned three times during the season because of penalty points, he is required to participate in one rookie cup race before the next GNL race he will be racing. Rookie cup administrators will then decide if the driver is capable to race in the GNL again.

    §10.5 Period of observation / DOM license on probation
    For the first 4 races in the GNL a driver is under close inspection. If a driver gets more then 10 penalty points during his first 4 races due to accidents or blocking (warp, chat or engine penalties do not count, see §9.3) he has to go back to rookie cup.
    On advancing to GNL again the observation period starts anew. A driver can change down form GNL to rookie cup anytime on his own discretion.

    §11 Team creation / standings

    §11.1 Team assembly
    Up to 4 drivers form a GNL team, the minimum team size is 2. Bigger teams have to be split into subteams.

    §11.2 Joining, switching or leaving a team

    §11.2.1 It is possible to join, switch or leave a team midseason.

    §11.2.2 Tactical moves between subteams are prohibited. However, on exceptional cases, administrators can approve a switch among subteams, i.e. longer illness or longer absence of internet connection (weeks).

    §11.2.3 If a driver switches from one team to another, he is not able to score team points in the next event. He is only able to score driver points. Same is true for subteams.

    §11.2.4 Drivers with no team joining one, can score team points immediately.

    §12 Rookies

    §12.1 Definition
    A driver is considered a rookie as long as he never participated in more then 6 races per GNL season before the actual season.

    §13 Points

    §13.1 Driver classification

    §13.1.1 Scratch result
    In each season a driver can use 5 scratch results. Hence the 5 lowest race results (including did not starts) are removed from the overall standings. Race bans are never removed from the total points standings.

    §13.2 Team classification

    §13.2.1 Prerequisite for scoring points as a team
    At least 2 teammembers have to participate in the race to get team points for that event.

    §13.2.2 Points given
    For team classification normal driver points are used. On race day the sum of event points of the best two drivers of a team are halved. These points are then added to the teams total points.

    §13.3 Rookie classification

    §13.3.1 Rookie of the year
    This goes to the rookie (see §12.1) with the most points in the standings at the end of the season.

    §13.4 Subseason

    §13.4.1
    The DOM season with 36 races is equally divided into 2 subseasons. These have their own classification.

    §13.4.2 Scratch results
    Per subseason a driver can use up to 3 scratch results.

    §14 Car design

    More info can be found in our forum!

    • This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by RPM_Admin.
    • This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by RPM_Admin.
    • This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by RPM_Admin.
    • This topic was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by RPM_Admin.
    • This topic was modified 7 years ago by RPM_Admin.

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