The penalty catalog of the Next Neo-n Endurance Championship encompasses any kind of possible incidents before, during, or after an event and serves as a benchmark for the stewards when distributing penalties.
Offenses committed during an event are divided by stewards into the following categories according to severity and penalized as follows:
- Minor Offense: Warning
- Mild Offense: 5 – 10 seconds
- Moderate Offense: 10 – 15 seconds
- Serious Offense: DT or SGO
- Severely unsporting behavior: SGO or DSQ
Guidelines for Offenses:
- Minor Offense: Race accidents with clear blame
- Mild Offense: Avoidable incidents with clear blame, causing, for example, time/position loss
- Moderate Offense: Negligent incidents with clear blame, causing, for example, significant time/position loss
- Serious Offense: Grossly negligent incidents with clear blame, causing, for example, significant time/position loss or DNF (Did Not Finish)
- Severely unsporting behavior: Intentional incidents with clear blame, causing, for example, significant time/position loss or DNF
Depending on the driver's behavior, penalties not falling into the corresponding category may also be applied. In cases of repeated offenses, harsher penalties may be imposed. Offenses committed before or after an event (e.g., unreliability, insults, etc.) are punished with a warning or a disqualification depending on severity.
Submitting Penalty Requests
If an incident occurs before, during, or after an event, all participants, as well as commentators and other league members, have the opportunity to submit a penalty request via the Discord ticket system!
Incidents that occur during an event are evaluated live by the live race control. All penalties awarded by the live race control and served by the player cannot be contested after or during the race. If a penalty hasn't yet been served by a player the team has the oppertunity to contest these penalties once.
If a driver wishes to inquire about a penalty awarded by the live race race control, they can open a ticket via the Discord ticket system. Likewise, reports can be submitted via the ticket system up to 12 hours after the event.
Penalties in Qualifying
Offenses committed during qualifying are divided into the categories described above and penalized accordingly:
- Cutting during Outlap/Inlap: Intentionally exceeding track limits to gain a time advantage
- Blocking another driver: Negatively affecting another driver's lap time while not on a fast lap
- Removing markers/signs: Intentionally running over markers and signs such as pit and distance indicators
Penalties during the Race
Offenses committed during the race are divided into the categories described above and penalized accordingly:
- Avoidable contact/collision: Contact between two cars that could have been avoided
- Blocking/multiple changes of line: Multiple line changes to defend a position hindering another driver's overtaking attempt
- "Moving under Braking": Changing lanes in the braking zone to prevent a clear overtaking maneuver without leaving room for the opponent
- Collisions due to lagging: Collisions caused by a driver's poor internet connection, making them unpredictable for others involved. The blame is solely on the driver with internet problems
- Ignoring blue flags: Unnecessarily impeding or blocking a driver attempting to lap the car. Typically, the lapping process should be facilitated within one sector
- Dangerous rejoining: Returning to the track in a manner causing a collision or forcing other drivers to react quickly to avoid a collision
- Dangerous Driving: Maneuvers that lie far below what is expected of a competent and cautious driver, endangering or hindering other race participants. Example: Failing to brake after a spin, causing the car to roll uncontrollably on the track
- Intentional DNF on the track/Intentional destruction of the car: Parking or intentionally destroying the car on the track, affecting other drivers
This list of punishable offenses is not exhaustive, and the race management reserves the right to penalize participants for any misconduct, on and off the track, not listed here.
Guidelines for Overtaking
The following guidelines for overtaking are provided:
During an overtaking maneuver, the driver ahead determines the racing line
The competitors provide at least one car width of space at all times
If a collision or other advantage occurs for the attacker during the overtaking maneuver, it is recommended that the position is voluntarily given back. The collision itself is investigated by the race management and, if necessary, penalized.
