Post by XRF HammerPH on Feb 6, 2019 17:00:10 GMT
IN PROGRESS RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE CRF XBOX F1 LEAGUE
Introduction
In this document you can find the basic rules of the F1 2018 Xbox F1 Championship. Every driver is expected to have read and agreed upon these rules, because they safeguard the quality and driving standard of the competitions which is to everyone’s benefit. We have tried to provide a clear and relatively short set of rules that still cover most of the situations the staff, teams and drivers can get involved in. If a situation is not covered by the championship regulations the organizers and or staff will decide how it must be dealt with. They have the last word in all matters concerning the championship
1. Signup, Starting Time, Car Allocation, Communication
Races are on Sunday Night – no assists – 50% or 100% distance (as per the posted race schedule)
TBC
1.1) Race Signup: Drivers are required to sign up for each race ASAP before race start (the Friday before if possible). If you have not signed up by this time your seat may be handed to a reserve and you will then be a reserve for that race.
1.2) Start Time: Sunday night: drivers are required to be online before the stated race start time. If you believe you may be delayed by not longer than 10 minutes then a message 48 hours before the race should be posted in your group thread for the relevant race so that it gives the host and all players notice. It however is at their discretion whether to wait for the latecomer or not and latest race start in any event will be 15 minutes after the designated race time. If during the lobby time and during the Qualification Session someone disconnects the host will send another Invite to the Person(s) that Disconnected. Provided they can rejoin in time, they will race from the back of the grid. No Qualifying or Race restarts are permitted, unless there is a mass (3+ drivers) disconnect. Please take into account that not every clock shows the exact same time, that is why we introduced the rule that drivers should be in the lobby 15 minutes before the race.
1.3) Car Allocation: Based on the previous season performance and as outlined in the Car and Teammate selection thread here:- consoleracing.boards.net/thread/483/car-selection-team-mates.
1.4) Communication: We require that drivers have headsets and can communicate for important lobby information/briefings, safety/blue flag information etc if required in the race. Be aware that with a possible 22 drivers we will need strong comms discipline. IE no running commentaries or light chat when people are on track. If not in proximity of other drivers you can mute your headset if preferred. Excessive commentary, personal attacks or abuse is not tolerated. If you have been hit and inconvenienced by another driver you can request he allow you to retake position and that is it. If he doesn’t, then deal with it later via a “steward’s inquiry”. For experienced and safe drivers we will allow muting or XBL "team chat".
2. Staff
The group of persons organizing the championship for Console Racing Forums.
Official List of Championship Moderators and Race Stewards
Karl Fuss / niblips2
Peter Hooper / Hammerpgh
3. Orientation
3.1) Forum: The league is run through CRF. The forum is the most important tool of communication between the organizers/staff and the drivers. This is where you keep up to date and sign up each race. Every driver therefore needs to have a forum account on CRF to allow this communication.
The drivers are encouraged to keep themselves updated on the contents of the forum of their specific championship. That forum contains the important information about the championship itself (such as news, the calendar, standings, press releases and conferences, briefings and sign-up instructions).
Talking about the race later is part of the fun! Please participate actively in post race discussions.
Paddock chat is encouraged so please feel free to talk about anything and everything F1 related there.
Please do not start new threads in the championship forums unless you have the permission of the staff to do so!
3.2) Conditions: Sim racing is a challenging sport that requires the preparation and practice of the drivers to perform well. We request of our drivers that they prepare themselves well before a race. This means that the driver has to have enough control over the car to drive a series of clean laps on a reasonable pace without spinning, or crashing. It also means that the driver knows the tracks well enough to cleanly drive the ideal line and to overtake or be overtaken without causing an accident. The driver must adopt a clean driving style, through which he always tries to avoid contact with other drivers and the barriers. Our Championships are meant for clean and competitive races, not for biff and barge style racing.
Every driver that enters a championship for F1 2018 XBOX automatically agrees to respect and keep to the CRF Championship Regulations as written in this document and agrees to respect the authority of the staff.
The staff holds the right to remove or exclude any driver at any time from any championship (at CRF) if they think he does not meet these conditions.
4. Events & Sessions
4.1) League Race Qualification: Will occur on the race night as per the in-game system. With a possible 22 drivers involved take care and plan to find your gap.
4.2) Points distribution: After the race has finished, a screenshot of qualifying and the race results will be posted, the points will be awarded to the drivers (Drivers Championship) and the teams (Constructors Championship), according to the scoring system posted below. If a stewards inquiry results in a change of position after the race the points will be corrected accordingly. To allow for disconnections, bad luck and real world events only your best 17 results out of the 21scheduled races will count. TBC
In the event of a tie in the WDC then a count-back will occur. Firstly counting the number of wins, driver with most wins will prevail. If equal on wins then # of P2s , If equal on P2s then P3s until a driver is found to have a superior result.
4.3) Minimum Grid: Where human driver participation is lower than 12, and the majority of the drivers agree, the grid will be topped up using AI controlled cars. If the total number of human drivers is less than 6 then the committee will decide if the race declared a "non points paying race". Such a declaration to be made before starting.
4.4) Points Allocation:
1st: 25 points
2nd: 18 points
3rd: 15 points
4th: 12 points
5th: 10 points
6th: 8 points
7th: 6 points
8th: 4 points
9th: 2 points
10th: 1 point
5. Rules for driving and behavior
Racing can be unpredictable and difficult situations can arise. Console Racing Forums uses the following rules on driving and behavior.
5.1) The track, corner cutting, and exceeding limits: Racing happens on the track, not off the track. To create a clear picture of what the track is and where to drive a definition is provided here. The track is a strip, usually of tarmac or concrete, edged by clearly defined lines (usually white, sometimes yellow). Everything outside these lines is not part of the track. So curbstones, grass areas, gravel traps, walls and tarmac or concrete outside the lines are not part of the track. Sometimes there are no lines. In that case the track is edged by curbstones, grass areas, gravel traps or walls; whatever is the nearest.
Drivers must always, whilst being in control of the car, remain within the track edges and thus over the track surface with at least two wheels. When a driver intentionally takes a shorter, off-track, route through a corner, the move is considered as cutting. Cutting is forbidden at all times. When a driver is cutting he risks an in-game penalty. When a driver takes a longer, off-track, route, around the corner, it is also considered cutting. We tolerate minor violations of the rules (as does F1 2018) in the case of taking the longer route, however excessive violation will still be penalized.
The adjudication of track limits is game driver, but also at the discretion of the league administrators as to whether there will be post-race checking for cuts, or to rely on reports from other drivers. To be on the safe side, all drivers can approach track limits by weighing up the following scenarios:
Remain within the track limits, and never worry about being penalised.
Exceed track limits and then have to lift off, thus losing an appropriate amount of time.
Lose control of the car and lose a lot of time.
Don't lift off and risk receiving a penalty.
5.2) Flag signals, the Safety car and their meanings: Based on real racing series the games use flag signals as well to communicate. However they might function slightly different here:
A Yellow Flag indicates danger on a specified section of the track. Drivers are to drive cautiously on the scene of an accident. Overtaking is not allowed in this situation.
A Blue Flag indicates a faster driver is closing in. When a driver receives a blue flag signal he must let the faster driver pass at a safe opportunity. The faster driver must cooperate with the slower driver to help provide the opportunity to pass. The faster driver needs to be mindful that F1 2018 cannot determine when a blue flag penalty is appropriate, and that a delicate balance much be negotiated between getting past the slower driver when the opportunity arises versus trying to pass unsafely.
Please also be aware that slower drivers have their own races too and they are no less important for the fact that they are not racing for the win or the podium. Please respect this when lapping and allow the driver the chance to find the best place for both to allow you through.
A Black/White Flag indicates a penalty for the driver receiving the flag. The game usually provides the details of the penalty, which can vary from a drive-through penalty to disqualification.
A Safety Car may come out if there has been a crash theoretically blocking the track. The Safety car stays out for normally 3-4 laps. The Safety Car will pick up the leader so if you approach the Safety Car and the leader isn't there and it is showing green lights on its roof you can go straight past it and possibly un-lap yourself! Please note that you can pit but can’t serve penalties during a Safety Car period.
5.3) Basic rules including Overtaking and Defending
We use some basic rules to improve racing and prevent accidents.
Be friendly on the track and off it.
If you hit another driver during a race and you believe it is your fault, regardless of whether the game issues you with a penalty or not, we expect you to stop and let the other driver regain his position on you. Doing this shows respect to your fellow drivers and will encourage drivers to be more careful. Please use some care when letting the other driver regain position, do not immediately stop your car on the driving line where it can cause further accidents.If you receive a penalty (not a warning) for the incident, then you do not have to stop and let the other driver past, since you have been penalized already.
Follow all safety rules as if you were in a real car on a real track.
If you are involved in an accident, do not intentionally leave your car parked on the driving line where it can cause interference to other drivers, or result in more accidents.
If you spin or crash advise the other drivers and get back on to the track as safely as possible.
If you accidentally leave the track for whatever reason you must wait until there is a clear safe gap before rejoining the track. Upon rejoining the track, get up to speed as quickly as possible without blocking the racing line.
Do not attempt U-turns on the racing line. You will cause an accident.
No purposely crashing into each other.
When defending your position you are allowed one move. If you choose to take the inside line into a corner to defend your position you must keep that line through the corner.
When exiting the pits stay within the white line on the exit or you may be penalized if you impede another driver by cutting the line.
You are not permitted to destroy your car after setting your qualifying lap. You must either drive back to the garage or "retire from session". If stewards feel that a tire wear advantage has been gained by destroying a car they may consider issuing a penalty.
5.4) Further interpretation and elaboration on these rules follows: We ask that you drive your car as if you are paying for the carbon fiber and front wings/repairs and do your very best to avoid contact.
a) Overtaking means going past someone, not through him. Drivers are not allowed to push cars out of the way in order to overtake them. Generally, in F1, passing is done in the DRS zones, unless urgency (not your own) is involved, such as race start, race end, or sudden opportunity.
b) You must find a clean pass through pace, pressure and skill. It is not acceptable to make a move that predictably will result in contact. A driver can only attempt a pass when there is room for it and when the chance is reasonably high that it will work without contact. On road courses this means that the overtaking car must be able to get a significant overlap (1/2 a car's length is a good rule) with the defending car before they get to the turn-in point of a corner. It also means that the overtaking car must be able to make the corner without cutting.
c) The defending driver is allowed to defend his position by moving off his racing line once only. As soon as the overtaking car has moved their front wing up to the mid-point of the car being overtaken, the defending driver can only use the width of the track between the overtaking car on the one side and the track boundary on the other side, unless he is forced to go off track by an improper overtake. Normally, the car being overtaken must provide racing room for a driver who is alongside with significant overlap.
5.5) Chatting: Talking in a race is advised but only for crucial information as it can distract other drivers. To drive a proper race concentration is required and to make sure this concentration is not broken it is advisable not to chat too much during qualification and race sessions. Note: verbalizing a running commentary on your own particular race is not the way to win new friends and berating another driver during a race will not be tolerated.
5.6) The 75% rule: If a driver is still racing when the leader has covered 75% or more of race distance but doesn’t finish the race, they will get half the points of the position that follows the last driver that finished. If there is more than one driver in this situation then points will be allocated in order of the lap the driver DNF’d.
5.7) Etiquette in qualifying and being lapped: We could have up to 22 racers this season. During qualifying if you are not on a hot lap always be aware of the people around you and do not hold up anyone on a fast lap.
Blue Flag: When being lapped in the race, move out of the way of the car lapping you as quickly but as safely as possible. Do not alter your line or braking for a faster car behind you. Unpredictable moves have a way of ending the race for both of you. If possible, communicate with the other driver to let him know you have seen him.
6. Incidents, Appeals & Penalties
6.1) General: We have been blessed in the past season with very clean drivers on the whole and almost no incidents of concern. We hope that continues. It may however happen that rules get violated. In such cases it is up to the drivers to report the violation. The staff encourages this and will only investigate incidents that are reported by drivers. No report = no investigation = no penalty. If a drivers actions have stressed you please allow 24 hours to cool down before making a report of bad driving/rule violation.
A report can be sent to the race organizers who will then ask for witnesses and a response from the offending driver. It must always contain:
* The name of the reported driver (the violator)
* A short objective description of the incident, without rant and detailing the impact on your race.
* A video from yourself or another driver. Recording your race is HIGHLY encouraged, since verbal evidence is the weakest.
You must always send the report with your own forum account. You can only send a report if you were actually in the race. Report from outsiders will be not be considered.
Reports must be sent within 24 hours of the race end. Reports that come in too late might not be considered.
6.2) On Track Protocol: Passing - It is the responsibility of both the overtaking Driver and the Driver being overtaken to assure safe overtaking. Where two Cars are reasonably alongside (½ a car length or more) each other, each must permit the other Racing room. A Car traveling alone may use the full width of the racetrack. Overtaking may be either right or left depending on prevailing conditions.
Blocking - Any Driver who moves in reaction more than once, altering their line based on the actions of pursuing Competitors, or who selects a defensive line and then returns to a racing line between corners or sections of the racetrack may be warned or penalized pursuant to the rules, and such decision shall be Conclusive.
6.3) Incidents: Any Driver who is responsible for an incident where another car is disadvantaged may be warned or penalized pursuant to the rules, and such decision shall be Conclusive.
6.4) Unjustifiable Risk: Any Competitor who engages in any behavior deemed to represent an unjustifiable risk or reckless endangerment may be warned or penalized, and such decision shall be Conclusive.
7. Adjudication
Any driver may request a review of an incident involving himself and another driver(s) and shall not be discriminated against for doing so.
Penalties shall include, but not be limited to private or public reprimand, deduction of points, loss of grid position, if applicable, for the following race or any other race subsequent to the event in question, loss of all points for the race, loss of points in he overall standings, race suspension, and series ban. The last two cannot be imposed without progressive penalties being imposed in prior cases against the same driver. Teams will not be penalized directly.
Each incident for violation of the above, submitted via proper procedure (“start a conversation” with myself and Karl unless one or other is involved) shall be reviewed by the Chief Steward (unless he is involved, then only review by non-involved league staff or non-involved drivers, if all staff is involved or conflicted out due to team pairings) and they will reach a penalty consensus. The Steward may consult other series administrators or drivers during this process. Withing 24 hours of the end of the race in question, any grievance between two or more drivers may be brought to the Stewards as an inquiry by any driver(s) involved in the contact. Once a grievance is filed, it MUST remain private to all parties considering the outcome.
If it appears from the official video recordings or from any other additional evidence alone that there may have been a breach of driving standards or rules, on or off the track, in a manner so that any league staff considers to warranty further inquiry, staff may request that the Chief Steward consider to investigate this matter further. The final decision shall be published in the Steward's Section and shall not disparage any driver, but simply announce the facts and the decision. NOTE: These reviews do not need a driver's report in order to be acted upon, but also should be rare cases, if ever encountered.
8. Appeals
All Appeals should be submitted to the Chief Steward by private message.
Any penalized driver shall have a right to appeal an adverse decision against him. The Chief Steward will assemble the appeals panel unless the Chief Steward is involved in the dispute. In that case, the Chief Steward shall forward the appeal to a non-involved staff member or a non-involved driver if all staff members are party to the dispute. The review panel shall consist of three members, all of which shall not be involved in the dispute. Members are in order as follows: Chief Steward, League Staff, Driver -- until three un-involved parties are present. One panel member must be a driver, and not staff. This body will either uphold the original penalty, vacate the original penalty, or issue a different allowable penalty. NOTE: A unanimous verdict could result in a more sever penalty than a driver received from the first hearing. If there is no majority consensus between the three, then the panel member arguing for the least punitive penalty shall apply. This decision is final.
Introduction
In this document you can find the basic rules of the F1 2018 Xbox F1 Championship. Every driver is expected to have read and agreed upon these rules, because they safeguard the quality and driving standard of the competitions which is to everyone’s benefit. We have tried to provide a clear and relatively short set of rules that still cover most of the situations the staff, teams and drivers can get involved in. If a situation is not covered by the championship regulations the organizers and or staff will decide how it must be dealt with. They have the last word in all matters concerning the championship
1. Signup, Starting Time, Car Allocation, Communication
Races are on Sunday Night – no assists – 50% or 100% distance (as per the posted race schedule)
TBC
1.1) Race Signup: Drivers are required to sign up for each race ASAP before race start (the Friday before if possible). If you have not signed up by this time your seat may be handed to a reserve and you will then be a reserve for that race.
1.2) Start Time: Sunday night: drivers are required to be online before the stated race start time. If you believe you may be delayed by not longer than 10 minutes then a message 48 hours before the race should be posted in your group thread for the relevant race so that it gives the host and all players notice. It however is at their discretion whether to wait for the latecomer or not and latest race start in any event will be 15 minutes after the designated race time. If during the lobby time and during the Qualification Session someone disconnects the host will send another Invite to the Person(s) that Disconnected. Provided they can rejoin in time, they will race from the back of the grid. No Qualifying or Race restarts are permitted, unless there is a mass (3+ drivers) disconnect. Please take into account that not every clock shows the exact same time, that is why we introduced the rule that drivers should be in the lobby 15 minutes before the race.
1.3) Car Allocation: Based on the previous season performance and as outlined in the Car and Teammate selection thread here:- consoleracing.boards.net/thread/483/car-selection-team-mates.
1.4) Communication: We require that drivers have headsets and can communicate for important lobby information/briefings, safety/blue flag information etc if required in the race. Be aware that with a possible 22 drivers we will need strong comms discipline. IE no running commentaries or light chat when people are on track. If not in proximity of other drivers you can mute your headset if preferred. Excessive commentary, personal attacks or abuse is not tolerated. If you have been hit and inconvenienced by another driver you can request he allow you to retake position and that is it. If he doesn’t, then deal with it later via a “steward’s inquiry”. For experienced and safe drivers we will allow muting or XBL "team chat".
2. Staff
The group of persons organizing the championship for Console Racing Forums.
Official List of Championship Moderators and Race Stewards
Karl Fuss / niblips2
Peter Hooper / Hammerpgh
3. Orientation
3.1) Forum: The league is run through CRF. The forum is the most important tool of communication between the organizers/staff and the drivers. This is where you keep up to date and sign up each race. Every driver therefore needs to have a forum account on CRF to allow this communication.
The drivers are encouraged to keep themselves updated on the contents of the forum of their specific championship. That forum contains the important information about the championship itself (such as news, the calendar, standings, press releases and conferences, briefings and sign-up instructions).
Talking about the race later is part of the fun! Please participate actively in post race discussions.
Paddock chat is encouraged so please feel free to talk about anything and everything F1 related there.
Please do not start new threads in the championship forums unless you have the permission of the staff to do so!
3.2) Conditions: Sim racing is a challenging sport that requires the preparation and practice of the drivers to perform well. We request of our drivers that they prepare themselves well before a race. This means that the driver has to have enough control over the car to drive a series of clean laps on a reasonable pace without spinning, or crashing. It also means that the driver knows the tracks well enough to cleanly drive the ideal line and to overtake or be overtaken without causing an accident. The driver must adopt a clean driving style, through which he always tries to avoid contact with other drivers and the barriers. Our Championships are meant for clean and competitive races, not for biff and barge style racing.
Every driver that enters a championship for F1 2018 XBOX automatically agrees to respect and keep to the CRF Championship Regulations as written in this document and agrees to respect the authority of the staff.
The staff holds the right to remove or exclude any driver at any time from any championship (at CRF) if they think he does not meet these conditions.
4. Events & Sessions
4.1) League Race Qualification: Will occur on the race night as per the in-game system. With a possible 22 drivers involved take care and plan to find your gap.
4.2) Points distribution: After the race has finished, a screenshot of qualifying and the race results will be posted, the points will be awarded to the drivers (Drivers Championship) and the teams (Constructors Championship), according to the scoring system posted below. If a stewards inquiry results in a change of position after the race the points will be corrected accordingly. To allow for disconnections, bad luck and real world events only your best 17 results out of the 21scheduled races will count. TBC
In the event of a tie in the WDC then a count-back will occur. Firstly counting the number of wins, driver with most wins will prevail. If equal on wins then # of P2s , If equal on P2s then P3s until a driver is found to have a superior result.
4.3) Minimum Grid: Where human driver participation is lower than 12, and the majority of the drivers agree, the grid will be topped up using AI controlled cars. If the total number of human drivers is less than 6 then the committee will decide if the race declared a "non points paying race". Such a declaration to be made before starting.
4.4) Points Allocation:
1st: 25 points
2nd: 18 points
3rd: 15 points
4th: 12 points
5th: 10 points
6th: 8 points
7th: 6 points
8th: 4 points
9th: 2 points
10th: 1 point
5. Rules for driving and behavior
Racing can be unpredictable and difficult situations can arise. Console Racing Forums uses the following rules on driving and behavior.
5.1) The track, corner cutting, and exceeding limits: Racing happens on the track, not off the track. To create a clear picture of what the track is and where to drive a definition is provided here. The track is a strip, usually of tarmac or concrete, edged by clearly defined lines (usually white, sometimes yellow). Everything outside these lines is not part of the track. So curbstones, grass areas, gravel traps, walls and tarmac or concrete outside the lines are not part of the track. Sometimes there are no lines. In that case the track is edged by curbstones, grass areas, gravel traps or walls; whatever is the nearest.
Drivers must always, whilst being in control of the car, remain within the track edges and thus over the track surface with at least two wheels. When a driver intentionally takes a shorter, off-track, route through a corner, the move is considered as cutting. Cutting is forbidden at all times. When a driver is cutting he risks an in-game penalty. When a driver takes a longer, off-track, route, around the corner, it is also considered cutting. We tolerate minor violations of the rules (as does F1 2018) in the case of taking the longer route, however excessive violation will still be penalized.
The adjudication of track limits is game driver, but also at the discretion of the league administrators as to whether there will be post-race checking for cuts, or to rely on reports from other drivers. To be on the safe side, all drivers can approach track limits by weighing up the following scenarios:
Remain within the track limits, and never worry about being penalised.
Exceed track limits and then have to lift off, thus losing an appropriate amount of time.
Lose control of the car and lose a lot of time.
Don't lift off and risk receiving a penalty.
5.2) Flag signals, the Safety car and their meanings: Based on real racing series the games use flag signals as well to communicate. However they might function slightly different here:
A Yellow Flag indicates danger on a specified section of the track. Drivers are to drive cautiously on the scene of an accident. Overtaking is not allowed in this situation.
A Blue Flag indicates a faster driver is closing in. When a driver receives a blue flag signal he must let the faster driver pass at a safe opportunity. The faster driver must cooperate with the slower driver to help provide the opportunity to pass. The faster driver needs to be mindful that F1 2018 cannot determine when a blue flag penalty is appropriate, and that a delicate balance much be negotiated between getting past the slower driver when the opportunity arises versus trying to pass unsafely.
Please also be aware that slower drivers have their own races too and they are no less important for the fact that they are not racing for the win or the podium. Please respect this when lapping and allow the driver the chance to find the best place for both to allow you through.
A Black/White Flag indicates a penalty for the driver receiving the flag. The game usually provides the details of the penalty, which can vary from a drive-through penalty to disqualification.
A Safety Car may come out if there has been a crash theoretically blocking the track. The Safety car stays out for normally 3-4 laps. The Safety Car will pick up the leader so if you approach the Safety Car and the leader isn't there and it is showing green lights on its roof you can go straight past it and possibly un-lap yourself! Please note that you can pit but can’t serve penalties during a Safety Car period.
5.3) Basic rules including Overtaking and Defending
We use some basic rules to improve racing and prevent accidents.
Be friendly on the track and off it.
If you hit another driver during a race and you believe it is your fault, regardless of whether the game issues you with a penalty or not, we expect you to stop and let the other driver regain his position on you. Doing this shows respect to your fellow drivers and will encourage drivers to be more careful. Please use some care when letting the other driver regain position, do not immediately stop your car on the driving line where it can cause further accidents.If you receive a penalty (not a warning) for the incident, then you do not have to stop and let the other driver past, since you have been penalized already.
Follow all safety rules as if you were in a real car on a real track.
If you are involved in an accident, do not intentionally leave your car parked on the driving line where it can cause interference to other drivers, or result in more accidents.
If you spin or crash advise the other drivers and get back on to the track as safely as possible.
If you accidentally leave the track for whatever reason you must wait until there is a clear safe gap before rejoining the track. Upon rejoining the track, get up to speed as quickly as possible without blocking the racing line.
Do not attempt U-turns on the racing line. You will cause an accident.
No purposely crashing into each other.
When defending your position you are allowed one move. If you choose to take the inside line into a corner to defend your position you must keep that line through the corner.
When exiting the pits stay within the white line on the exit or you may be penalized if you impede another driver by cutting the line.
You are not permitted to destroy your car after setting your qualifying lap. You must either drive back to the garage or "retire from session". If stewards feel that a tire wear advantage has been gained by destroying a car they may consider issuing a penalty.
5.4) Further interpretation and elaboration on these rules follows: We ask that you drive your car as if you are paying for the carbon fiber and front wings/repairs and do your very best to avoid contact.
a) Overtaking means going past someone, not through him. Drivers are not allowed to push cars out of the way in order to overtake them. Generally, in F1, passing is done in the DRS zones, unless urgency (not your own) is involved, such as race start, race end, or sudden opportunity.
b) You must find a clean pass through pace, pressure and skill. It is not acceptable to make a move that predictably will result in contact. A driver can only attempt a pass when there is room for it and when the chance is reasonably high that it will work without contact. On road courses this means that the overtaking car must be able to get a significant overlap (1/2 a car's length is a good rule) with the defending car before they get to the turn-in point of a corner. It also means that the overtaking car must be able to make the corner without cutting.
c) The defending driver is allowed to defend his position by moving off his racing line once only. As soon as the overtaking car has moved their front wing up to the mid-point of the car being overtaken, the defending driver can only use the width of the track between the overtaking car on the one side and the track boundary on the other side, unless he is forced to go off track by an improper overtake. Normally, the car being overtaken must provide racing room for a driver who is alongside with significant overlap.
5.5) Chatting: Talking in a race is advised but only for crucial information as it can distract other drivers. To drive a proper race concentration is required and to make sure this concentration is not broken it is advisable not to chat too much during qualification and race sessions. Note: verbalizing a running commentary on your own particular race is not the way to win new friends and berating another driver during a race will not be tolerated.
5.6) The 75% rule: If a driver is still racing when the leader has covered 75% or more of race distance but doesn’t finish the race, they will get half the points of the position that follows the last driver that finished. If there is more than one driver in this situation then points will be allocated in order of the lap the driver DNF’d.
5.7) Etiquette in qualifying and being lapped: We could have up to 22 racers this season. During qualifying if you are not on a hot lap always be aware of the people around you and do not hold up anyone on a fast lap.
Blue Flag: When being lapped in the race, move out of the way of the car lapping you as quickly but as safely as possible. Do not alter your line or braking for a faster car behind you. Unpredictable moves have a way of ending the race for both of you. If possible, communicate with the other driver to let him know you have seen him.
6. Incidents, Appeals & Penalties
6.1) General: We have been blessed in the past season with very clean drivers on the whole and almost no incidents of concern. We hope that continues. It may however happen that rules get violated. In such cases it is up to the drivers to report the violation. The staff encourages this and will only investigate incidents that are reported by drivers. No report = no investigation = no penalty. If a drivers actions have stressed you please allow 24 hours to cool down before making a report of bad driving/rule violation.
A report can be sent to the race organizers who will then ask for witnesses and a response from the offending driver. It must always contain:
* The name of the reported driver (the violator)
* A short objective description of the incident, without rant and detailing the impact on your race.
* A video from yourself or another driver. Recording your race is HIGHLY encouraged, since verbal evidence is the weakest.
You must always send the report with your own forum account. You can only send a report if you were actually in the race. Report from outsiders will be not be considered.
Reports must be sent within 24 hours of the race end. Reports that come in too late might not be considered.
6.2) On Track Protocol: Passing - It is the responsibility of both the overtaking Driver and the Driver being overtaken to assure safe overtaking. Where two Cars are reasonably alongside (½ a car length or more) each other, each must permit the other Racing room. A Car traveling alone may use the full width of the racetrack. Overtaking may be either right or left depending on prevailing conditions.
Blocking - Any Driver who moves in reaction more than once, altering their line based on the actions of pursuing Competitors, or who selects a defensive line and then returns to a racing line between corners or sections of the racetrack may be warned or penalized pursuant to the rules, and such decision shall be Conclusive.
6.3) Incidents: Any Driver who is responsible for an incident where another car is disadvantaged may be warned or penalized pursuant to the rules, and such decision shall be Conclusive.
6.4) Unjustifiable Risk: Any Competitor who engages in any behavior deemed to represent an unjustifiable risk or reckless endangerment may be warned or penalized, and such decision shall be Conclusive.
7. Adjudication
Any driver may request a review of an incident involving himself and another driver(s) and shall not be discriminated against for doing so.
Penalties shall include, but not be limited to private or public reprimand, deduction of points, loss of grid position, if applicable, for the following race or any other race subsequent to the event in question, loss of all points for the race, loss of points in he overall standings, race suspension, and series ban. The last two cannot be imposed without progressive penalties being imposed in prior cases against the same driver. Teams will not be penalized directly.
Each incident for violation of the above, submitted via proper procedure (“start a conversation” with myself and Karl unless one or other is involved) shall be reviewed by the Chief Steward (unless he is involved, then only review by non-involved league staff or non-involved drivers, if all staff is involved or conflicted out due to team pairings) and they will reach a penalty consensus. The Steward may consult other series administrators or drivers during this process. Withing 24 hours of the end of the race in question, any grievance between two or more drivers may be brought to the Stewards as an inquiry by any driver(s) involved in the contact. Once a grievance is filed, it MUST remain private to all parties considering the outcome.
If it appears from the official video recordings or from any other additional evidence alone that there may have been a breach of driving standards or rules, on or off the track, in a manner so that any league staff considers to warranty further inquiry, staff may request that the Chief Steward consider to investigate this matter further. The final decision shall be published in the Steward's Section and shall not disparage any driver, but simply announce the facts and the decision. NOTE: These reviews do not need a driver's report in order to be acted upon, but also should be rare cases, if ever encountered.
8. Appeals
All Appeals should be submitted to the Chief Steward by private message.
Any penalized driver shall have a right to appeal an adverse decision against him. The Chief Steward will assemble the appeals panel unless the Chief Steward is involved in the dispute. In that case, the Chief Steward shall forward the appeal to a non-involved staff member or a non-involved driver if all staff members are party to the dispute. The review panel shall consist of three members, all of which shall not be involved in the dispute. Members are in order as follows: Chief Steward, League Staff, Driver -- until three un-involved parties are present. One panel member must be a driver, and not staff. This body will either uphold the original penalty, vacate the original penalty, or issue a different allowable penalty. NOTE: A unanimous verdict could result in a more sever penalty than a driver received from the first hearing. If there is no majority consensus between the three, then the panel member arguing for the least punitive penalty shall apply. This decision is final.
