SPORTING REGULATIONS
The present regulation is written to point out the basic principles regarding the organization of the championship and conduct on the circuit. Although we do not aspire to a punitive approach, we need to respect and be guided by the same rules for a competition with equal opportunities for all participants. The purpose of this championship is to relax with the hobby called sim racing and create a competitive but friendly atmosphere. Everyone's common sense and fair play remain the most important ingredients for online racing success.
The organizers reserve the right to revise the regulations in line with the accumulated experience. Any unforeseen situation will be dealt with (if arbitration is needed) by the Sporting Commission.
Standard sim racing etiquette applies. Given the experience of the leagues and that of the participating drivers, it is considered that there is no need for a refreshment here. The purpose of this event is to create a competitive but friendly atmosphere. Everyone's common sense and fair play remain the most important ingredients for the success of this GT Challenge :).
Overview
G-1 These regulations must be considered by all registered drivers, as on-track behavior affects not only personal enjoyment, but also the enjoyment of other racers.
G-2 Competitors are obliged to take note of and comply with the instructions of the organizers that may be presented on the official communication channels, at the briefing, through special regulations or through amendments to these regulations.
G-3 No chat during the race. The chat will be reserved for the race management and stewards panel for official communication made to the drivers.
Responsibility
R-1 It is the responsibility of all participants to inform themselves and familiarize themselves with the rules described in this document. Ignorant disregard of them does not absolve anyone of the fault;
R-2 Any driver participating in the competition has a duty to remain informed about the procedures specific to each race. It is the competitor's obligation to attend the briefing before each event and to comply with the instructions and recommendations of the organizers;
R-3 When the events have a limited number of places, the driver who has confirmed his presence in the race cannot be absent without a valid reason. Failure to comply with this rule and blocking a place on the grid may result in suspension from subsequent events. The duration of the suspension will be judged on a case-by-case basis by the organizers;
Conduct
C-1 All participants undertake to display a conduct that reflects positively on the organizers, partners, media channels and other competitors or participants in the competition. This assumes that in any public communication regarding the Balkan GT Challenge and the actions of competitors in the league no other commercial associations occur without prior permission.
C-2 No form of cheating or obtaining an advantage by unfair means is permitted. These include but are not limited to:
Hacking - any modification made to the simulator software by any person, apart from the usual patches and updates from the original developer;
Exploitation of simulator bugs - use of any function of the software that does not work properly;
Impersonation - each competitor must use their personal account, which they cannot borrow or ask others to compete using that account.
Collusion - any agreement between 2 or more competitors for the purpose of affecting the competition, races or results of other competitors.
C-3 Competitors must notify the organizers of any exploit they become aware of. Any competitor determined by the organizers to have benefited from exploits may be penalized and/or disqualified.
C-4 Competitors and persons directly connected with any competitor are prohibited from betting on the events of the competition. Moreover, no competitor may benefit from any form of betting on the competition, be it official sports betting institutions or friendly wagers.
C-5 Contestants must not offer or accept any gift, benefit or material good to/from anyone for services and/or actions relating to the competition.
C-6 Participants undertake to display respectful behavior towards organizers, sponsors, partners or other competitors. Participants are prohibited from using obscene gestures or language, offensive comments, such as:
Inciting speech or discriminatory behavior;
Verbal or physical aggression - abuse of organizers, officials, partners or competitors will not be tolerated;
Harassment of any kind - harassment is defined as a systematic repetition of hostile actions, over a longer period of time, with the intention of isolating, ostracizing and/or affecting the dignity of a person;
Discriminatory words, phrases or gestures; offenses to the dignity or integrity of a person, group of people, team, brand, sponsor or nation through discriminatory or provocative words based on race, ethnicity, nationality, social origin, gender, language, religion or political or other opinions nature, financial status, sexual orientation or any other reason will not be tolerated;
Trolling - any participant who posts inflammatory or off-topic messages in an online community, such as forums, chats or blogs, with the primary intention of provoking an emotional response from readers or interfering with on-topic discussion, may be penalized and/or disqualified. The decision will be made strictly at the discretion of the organizers.
C-7 Competitors or participants who post negative, disruptive and harmful messages on social media channels, including inciting emotional reactions through reacts on Facebook, Discord, etc., regarding the organizers, the competition, the simulator or competition partners may be disqualified from the competition by the decision of the organizers.
C-8 Inciting other drivers to abandon or sabotage the competition is prohibited. Any contestant resorting to such actions will be disqualified from the competition.
C-9 Offensive language, abuse or discrimination against other drivers is not tolerated. These are not allowed either on public or private communication channels. Violation of this fundamental community principle may result in round suspensions or disqualification from all competitions.
C-10 Competitors are prohibited from initiating contact with league(s) partners on their own behalf or for personal benefit.
There are so many entities that can be drawn to sim racing that the unfair practice of targeting already established connections (which the entire community directly or indirectly benefits from) is considered a particularly serious offense.
Similarly, the practice of partnership proposals with former league(s) partners is discouraged as they may be in a conflict of interest with current ones.
Race flags
S-1 The Green Flag signals the start of the race or its resumption after a caution period. Drivers have the right to race and overtake;
S-2 The Yellow Flag signals the presence of a danger in the following circuit sector (an incident has occurred, there is a stopped car on or near the circuit, etc.). The driver who receives the yellow flag signal is obliged to adopt a preventive conduct and avoid the danger on the circuit. If necessary, it is recommended to reduce the speed or even immobilize the car;
S-3 The Blue Flag signals that a faster car is approaching from behind. The driver who receives the blue flag signal has the obligation to facilitate the overtaking, in safe and predictable conditions. The lapped car is not allowed to fight for position with the faster car;
The responsibility for clean overtaking rests with the driver behind (the fast car), but the overtaken must allow it. We do not recommend surprising direction changes or unusual braking; the best way to facilitate overtaking is to lift off on the straight;
You are allowed to unlap yourself if consistently faster than the leader.
S-4 The Black Flag signals the disqualification of the car from the race. The driver has the obligation to return the car to the pits and not to re-enter the race;
S-5 A Black Flag with Orange Circle indicates mechanical problems with the car (lights off at night, steering faults). The driver has the obligation to resolve them in a timely manner, otherwise he may be penalized or even disqualified;
S-6 The Red Flag signals the impossibility of running the race, all cars are obliged to return to the pits and wait for the instructions of the organizers;
S-7 The Checkered flag signals the end of the session, all drivers must retire to the pit lane after performing an in-lap;
On-track behavior
CC-1 Drivers have no right to force other cars off the circuit under any circumstances.
CC-2 Any car that has significant overlap (overlap of at least half the length of the car in front) is entitled to space on the circuit and cars must respect each other's positions. Cars that do not give the necessary space, in case of overlap, will risk being warned or penalized.
CC-3 Competitors are forbidden to change their line excessively on the straights (weaving). A single movement, followed by a return, is allowed, but only in the situation where there is no overlap between the cars, however small.
CC-4 The chasing driver has the responsibility to avoid contact with the car in front. The driver in front must not have to resort to an evasive maneuver. If all other measures fail (braking, choosing an outside line etc.), the car behind may be penalized.
CC-5 Cars at race speed always have priority over slow cars, regardless of why they are slow: serious breakdowns, returning to the circuit after being off-track completely or loss of control, insufficient fuel, technical problems.
CC-6 Drivers must respect circuit limits, set automatically by the simulator. These are monitored by the simulator software and any penalty automatically awarded by the software will be retained. Additionally, if a car creates a lasting advantage by not respecting the circuit limits, additional penalties may be awarded. This will be especially analyzed at the beginning of the flying laps in qualifying.
CC-7 The return to the circuit following an incident or loss of control of the car must be carried out safely, without disrupting the race of other cars, regardless of the reason why the car left the circuit. Failure to comply with this rule may result in a warning or a penalty, depending on the severity.
CC-8 If a car is stopped on the circuit due to an incident, the driver must keep the brake applied, remaining immobilized until he can safely return to the race. It is the driver's responsibility to determine if he can re-enter the race without disrupting the movement of other cars, using the mirrors, radar or relative timing information. For causing other incidents, by not respecting this rule, penalties are severe.
CC-9 Cars caught one or more laps behind will be shown the blue flag, they must be respected and the car caught behind is obliged to facilitate overtaking wherever possible and safe.
CC-10 Moving under braking or braking diagonally are not allowed, when the car is closely followed by another car.
CC-11 Braking or slowing down without reason (unpredictable behavior) are opportunities for collision and should be avoided as much as possible. Brake testing an opponent is a severe offense.
Pit stops
P-1 Use of the pit lane for any reason other than repairs, refueling, tire changes, driver changes or penalty serving is strictly prohibited.
P-2 When exiting the pit lane, the cars must respect the limits imposed by the circuit ( white line). Failure to do so may lead to a warning or penalty for the car. After the white line has ended, normal contest rules apply.
P-3 Drivers must respect the entry/exit markings in the pit area (white lines) as well as the maximum speed imposed. Failure to comply with these restrictions may result in automatic penalties awarded by the simulator.
Disconnect
D-1 Disconnection during qualifying allows participation in races. If the driver has recorded a valid lap, he will start from his rightful position; if not, from the last place (if there are several in the same situation, the order cannot be established manually, same applies for the order of DSQ cars starting from the pit lane).
D-2 Disconnection in the race allows the driver to reconnect, but any time loss caused will be retained and cannot be undone.
D-3 Disconnecting all drivers due to server technical issues will result in a Red Flag situation. The server will be restarted as soon as possible for the remaining duration of the race if no more than 75% of the race time has been completed.
The cars will start after a formation lap, in the order they had before the Red Flag. The cars will be repaired, the driving time will be reset for all competitors and the time differences will disappear after the restart (including lost laps of the lapped cars). The final results will be defined only by the last part of the race.
Penalties
PN-1 Races will be judged in real time by a team of stewards.
PN-2 Any incident can be reported in the dedicated communication channel, up to 15 minutes after the end of the race.
Incidents will be analyzed as quickly as possible;
Decisions will be communicated via in-game chat and will be applied as soon as possible;
All decisions will be saved in a spreadsheet and published after the race;
Stewards can refuse any protest form that does not respect the required format and/or is not complete or justified;
PN-3 The decisions of the stewards are judgments of fact and cannot be appealed under any circumstances.
PN-4 Stewards may tailor penalties on a case-by-case basis, depending on severity, consequences and context.
PN-5 The penalties that can be awarded vary from time penalties, to drive-through and stop&go, to disqualification from the race or competition:
Warning
Time penalty:
Creating a lasting advantage through contact with another car;
Creating a lasting advantage by not respecting the limits of the circuit;
Causing minor contact followed by loss of position for the opponent;
Failure to respect the opponent's route in the turn;
Any type of repeated offense following a previous warning;
Time penalty at the next round, displayed from the start. These will be used for procedural errors such as missed RSVP deadline (30s), livery changes after the deadline (10s), entry list changes after the deadline (15s), other changes requested in the platform database (15s);
Drive-through:
Exclusion from qualifying at the next round, at the discretion of the stewards;
Disqualification from heat or round:
Disqualification from the competition:
PN-6 Penalties can also be given for dangerous driving repeatedly, without incident (examples: divebomb, cutting tracks, brake checks, pushing on the straight line or in turns, dangerous re-entry on the circuit);
PN-7 Creating an advantage in qualifying in the last sector is not allowed (cutting the last corner, extending the straight line outside the limits of the circuit etc.). The Commission will severely penalize such attempts, since we believe that they strongly conflict with the notion of fair play;
PN-8 In the event that the classification in one of the above situations is not clear, the type of penalty is not considered appropriate or there are aggravating circumstances brought to the attention of the organizers, the commission may also grant other penalties, as it deems necessary, depending on the incident caused. Also applies to practice sessions and qualifications;
PN-9 Failure to comply with any obligation, rule or indication from these regulations, the special regulations of the race or communicated by the organizers in advance on the official communication channels (Discord, briefing) may be penalized; the type of penalty will be established by the organizer;
PN-10 Unsportsmanlike gestures (non-limiting example: unjustified stopping on the circuit) will result in exclusion from the competition.
Submission of a protest form
Submission of appeals regarding incidents during the race will be made immediately after the end of the round, maximum 15' from the end of the races, through the form made available by the organizers on the official communication channels (channel: #bgtc-incident-reports on F1A Discord)
Mandatory, each protest form shall state:
Any protest that does not comply with this minimum information may be ignored by the commissioners.
All protests received will begin to be adjudicated in real time, to the extent of the stewards’ capabilities. Any incident under investigation and any decision made by the stewards will be communicated via in-game chat and saved in a spreadsheet.
All penalties and decisions made will be communicated centrally after the end of the round.
The decisions made by the commission through the above process will be announced on the official communication channel within 1 hour after the end of the round, together with the final results.
