Race Club UK Season 12 Rules
Everyone is welcome in Race Club UK and primarily the aim of the group is to have fun and enjoy the racing. These rules have been put together to enhance the aim of the group, many of them are common sense and general decency.
It is also worth noting that any times mentioned within this document are based on British GMT and our international drivers would need to make allowance for any time zone differences themselves.
1. Minimum expectations
Drivers are expected to be familiar with the tracks they are racing including the positioning of the entry and exit of the pit lane, including pit boxes.
While it is not expected for everyone to be on the ultimate pace and not everyone will be competing for pole position, generally, any drivers who are not within 10 seconds of the qualifying pole position may be invited to participate the next event ‘under observation’ whereby a reasonable expectation would be that they are able to get within 10 seconds of the pole time there. If the driver is unable to post a time within 10 seconds of the pole time The Stewards may decide that, at the next event this driver should spend time enhancing their performance so as not to be a danger to others rather than racing – to date no requests of this nature have been made.
Drivers are expected to be courteous to others and to race respectfully. These events are meant to be fun so please make sure you keep it that way. This also includes the chat group ‘banter’ on both Facebook and Discord. There is an incident reporting system in place to allow the question of who is to blame for what to be taken out of your hands and to help prevent arguments between members.
DRIVERS ARE EXPECTED TO MANAGE THEIR RACING/WITHDRAW STATUS FOR EACH ROUND
If a driver registers for a race, does not compete but fails to sign out they will receive a set number of penalty points for missing the round and should they reach the maximum penalty points they will be removed from the championship.
Please see the penalty section below for further details.
All drivers are expected to a) records/stream their live races via YouTube/Twitch or another platform and b) to map the replay button to an easy to use button. An incident cannot be reported without the appropriate video evidence. The minimum evidence requirements are covered further in this document.
2. Funding
This season we are requesting an entry fee via Sim Grid. The funds from this are all put back into running the group. Unfortunately refunds cannot be given once the entry has been paid, nor can it be pro-rata'd for the season. The fee is set at 12$ US Dollars which is the currency Simgrid defaults to, this equals £10 GBP or 11.70Euros.
3. Car Choice
Drivers will be locked with their car selection for the full 12 round season from the Sunday evening preceding the qualifying round of the championship. You can choose any of the GT3 cars within the game.
4. General Rules
A lot of these rules are what you would call common sense, for example no weaving in the braking zone, a single change of direction on the straight is permitted, and contact should be avoided.
Should you inadvertently cause an accident, and you understand that you are at fault you should allow the affected driver to repass you even if this means you lose more than just the place you are giving back.
Incidents can be reported for the stewards to review via the incident reporting option on Sim Grid.
SPECIAL QUALIFYING RULES
"ONE Lap MAGIC"
For any meetings with a very short qualifying session of 5 minutes Drivers will post a single hot lap and then return to the garage, either by driving or returning to garage having pulled over in a safe area.
The process is 1 x outlap, 1 x fast lap and return to garage - this can be by driving back the garage taking care not to impede other cars or to park up in a safe place and return to garage.
Any drivers found to be posting multiple times in the session will be DSQ from that particular meeting in its entirety, however if they have raced and been responsible for any incidents, they may still receive penalty points as detailed further in this rule set.
NEW FOR SEASON 12
We are introducing a new format for selected rounds of Season 12.
In Rounds 2 and 9 - Silverstone and Donington - will feature SPRINT RACE QUALIFYING. The format of these race meetings will be as follows.
1 x 60 minute practice session
1 x 5 minute 'One Lap Magic' single shot qualifying session as detailed above
1 x 15 minute 'Sprint' Race
***AFTER THE SPRINT RACE THERE WILL BE A SERVER RESET***
1 x 5 minute practice session
1 x 45 minute 'Main Event' Race with starting positions taken from the finishing positions of the 'Sprint' race.
There will be no points awarded for the finishing positions nor fastest lap during the 'Sprint' Race however any penalties incurred during the 'Sprint' Race will be applied to the final result of the 'Main Event' Race. Full Endurance Points will be awarded for the final result of the 'Main Event' Race.
There will be a server reset shortly after the end of the 'Sprint' Race to enable to finishing positions to be magically transformed into starting positions for the 'Main Event' Race. Drivers are able to enter the track during the short practice session before the 'Main Event' Race but the main purpose of this session is to allow all drivers to rejoin the server. The Password for the server will remain unchanged and once drivers have been disconnected from the server they will be free to rejoin immediately.
5. Championship Rounds
For Season 12 we are retaining the driver class system we first implemented in Season 11. Drivers are free to register for which ever class they feel they fit into, however for Season 12 there will be a special qualifying evening on Tuesday 8th October 2024. This will feature 3 x 15 minute qualifying sessions where drivers will post their fastest times.
*PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE A SERVER RESET AFTER EACH QUALIFYING SESSION TO ALLOW THE TRACK TO BE CHANGED*
There are no limits on the number of laps a driver can complete during the time. These times will be uploaded to SimGrid and driver classes may be altered at this point by the Race Club Stewards to ensure close racing within each class. In the event of a driver not posting a valid lap or being unavailable for the qualifying evening Race Club Stewards will make a decision based on available data, including but not limited to previous seasons performances, SimGrid rating data and results within other series where the results are easily accessible. The driver number plate will be matched with the classes as per the registration meaning you will see easily who is in which class during a race.
The classes available are:
Pro - Platinum - Black Number on a white background
Pro-Am - Silver - White number on a dark grey background
AM - Bronze - Black number on a red background
The season will be made up of 12 rounds, with the above mentioned qualifying evening taking place the week before the first race..
Following feedback from the group the split of races is as follows:
2 rounds featuring the new Sprint Qualifying Format 1 x 15-minute 'Sprint' Race and 1 x 45-minute 'Main Event' Race
4 rounds featuring 2 x 35-minute races.
2 rounds featuring 1 x 80-minute race.
2 rounds featuring 1 x 90-minute race.
1 round featuring 1 x 100-minute race - this is the season mid point at Spa
1 round featuring 1 x 120-minute season finale.
Championship rounds along with the race format for those particular rounds can be found under the event menu on Sim Grid together with dates for each round.
Drivers are expected to withdraw from races they are unable to compete in, failure to do so will result in DNS penalty of 15 penalty points being awarded to the offending driver.
The points scoring breakdown can be found under the scoring menu in Sim Grid.
Each meeting is worth a maximum of 300 points with the exception of the 2 hour Season Finale which is worth a maximum of 600 points.
These are broken down and distributed depending on the race format for that particular event. E.g. In the 2 x 35 minute races, each winner will receive 150 points.
There will be 2 bonus points for the fastest lap in each race.
Points are distributed up to and including 15th position in each class and are substantially enhanced for the endurance races to encourage maximum participation.
To be eligible for points the driver must complete 60% + 1lap of the winner driver’s overall race distance in Sprint Races, and 70% +1 lap for longer races where there is a single race per evening. Drivers below this will be marked as DNF and will score 0 points, but may still be eligible for penalty points if they are adjudged to be responsible for incidents.
Stewards may review this and increase the window for points scoring depending on the circumstances (e.g. serious adverse weather conditions).
6. Driver Briefing
At 19:20 GMT every Tuesday there is a driver briefing which is hosted via Discord and we would like all drivers to attend. This is the drivers’ chance to ask any questions they may have about the event and to have input into the race meeting. The group server will be reset at 19:15 GMT with a new password. This password will be shared with members in the briefing and will be posted in Facebook and Discord only when the briefing has concluded.
The exception to these timings are for the Special Qualifying Evening. For this event a larger driver briefing will take place at 20:00GMT with on track action starting at 20:30GMT. This briefing will provide a welcome and introduction to the season with a few 'House Rules' and any special mentions for the events ahead.
ALL DRIVERS MUST MAKE AN EFFORT TO ATTEND THIS BRIEFING PLEASE.
7. Teams/Manufacturer Championship
There is also the team championship running.
Two drivers per team. There is no requirement for both drivers to be in the same car, however liveries should be as closely matched as possible in terms of colours and design to make identifying teammates easier – Should two teams have very similar colours one team may be requested the make an alteration to their livery to make it more distinguishable.
TEAM MANAGERS ARE REQUESTED TO KEEP TEAM NAMES 'CLEAN' AND IN GOOD TASTE. If the Admin Team consider a team name to inappropriate the team will be required to change their name.
Points scoring for the teams will be the same as the drivers’ championship points above.
There is no restriction on the class registration of the drivers, e.g. it is possible to have 2 x Pro drivers, 1 x Pro and 1 AM etc.
Team orders are permitted provided it does not result in dangerous/unfair driving tactics.
Season 12 will also feature a Manufacturer Championship - while no prizes are awarded for this championship the top 2 finishes from each Marque will be eligible to score points in this category.
8. Incident reporting to the Stewards
The Stewards Panel is made up of a number of individuals who will remain anonymous to protect against any possible conflict of interest. If the incident in question involves one or more of these individuals, then they will refrain from offering an opinion on the incident in a stewards capacity.
This is the same process as has been used for the previous three seasons.
To submit an incident for review please use the incident reporting facility on Sim Grid.
Please note you have 24 hours from the start of the race to upload any incidents which you feel require review.
The incident being reported must be supported by video footage containing the following:
1) at least one external view of the incident
2) both drivers onboard showing steering wheel
If your footage does not contain these two requirements the incident report will not be upheld or considered further.
ACC allows you to map a button to save replays and it may be advisable to record the race using the share button on your PS5. This can be uploaded to YouTube/Twitch or the capture gallery on PS5, or other video sharing web site. You can send the link to this recording with a time for the stewards to look at.
Stewards will only review the time specified
Some penalties may be dealt with in game – track limits, pitlane speeding etc these penalties will apply, however, some other incidents may require review. These will generally be Racing Incidents and Dangerous Driving.
Racing Incidents – if you feel another driver has caused an issue – forced you off the track, hitting your car or generally driving extremely aggressively then you should report it to the stewards for consideration.
Dangerous Driving – if a driver rejoins in an unsafe or dangerous manner or drives in a way that is a danger to other cars, you should report it to the stewards.
You should only report incidents you are involved in and not on behalf of someone else.
You may report incidents from Practice and Qualifying should you wish but again must be supported with video evidence and a brief commentary of why it is being reported together with details of when the event took place – race number and lap.
PLEASE ALSO REMEMBER THAT THE STEWARDS WILL NOT WATCH YOUR STREAM BACK FOR INCIDENTS. IF YOU FEEL AN INCIDENT REQUIRES REVIEW IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO REPORT IT.
PLEASE DO NOT MOAN ABOUT DRIVING STANDARDS IF YOU DO NOT REPORT INCIDENTS.
Mechanical/technical failures will not be reviewed by the stewards. If your wheelbase turns off, your pedals fail, or you lose internet connection because your wife is microwaving her dinner then while this is unfortunate and while it may result in divorce, the stewards do not have the discretion to intervene nor act as a marriage counsellor. Mechanical failures happen in the real world.
9. Possible penalties
Stewards have the discretion to award a penalty as deemed appropriate. There may also be points added to a drivers license – these do not make prizes, but may lead to further sanctions applied in the future should a certain number of points be accrued.
Example penalties could be as follows however are not limited to:
Time penalties added to overall race time.
Qualifying Ban – meaning the driver will have to start from the back of the grid for a race.
First lap drive through penalty.
Pit Lane start for next race meeting (if the race meeting has multiple then the first race of that meeting will be started from the pit lane)
One Race Ban
Multiple Race Ban
Immediate and permanent exclusion from the championship.
10. Penalty Points
The penalty points system is a way of keeping track of a drivers record of breaking the rules of clean racing. The more severe the endorsement, the more severe the points awarded, and also ensures repeat offenders are noted and punished. The Stewards reserved the right to award penalty points alongside or instead of the Standard Penalties noted above.
Typically these would be:
5 points – driving in a dangerous or unsporting manner (including but not limited to unsafe rejoins).
5 points – causing a minor avoidable collision.
10 points – causing a moderate avoidable collision.
10 points – failure to provide streamed footage when requested by the stewards
15 points – causing a major avoidable collision.
15 points – failure to race without withdrawing from the round on Sim Grid
There is no requirement to wait for a car in the event of an incident. The Stewards will review any footage supplied and determine any applicable penalties.
CAR CHANGE PENALTY - while it is possible to change car during the season drivers should be aware this will come with a point deduction of 600 points from the season total.
THESE PENALTY POINTS ARE TAKEN FROM YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS TOTAL.
10. Sanctions for point accumulation
There is a maximum penalty points before a driver is disqualified from the Championship is 65 points. Should any driver receive this many penalty points they will automatically be disqualified from the championship.
All DSQ’s will be manually reviewed by the Stewards and a driver may still be allowed to compete ‘under review’ whereby the stewards will review the behaviour of the driver at the next race meeting. This is purely at the Stewards discretion.
11. Be respectful of the Stewards
No-one likes a Karen Horner! The Stewards give up their time to investigate and review incidents which are reported to them. They make judgement calls based on the evidence provided to them.
They remain as impartial as possible and nearly all the decisions made in the past by The Stewards collective have been unanimous.
Stewards may also contact drivers to offer feedback on incidents which have been reported but ultimately deemed to be a racing incident. This is designed to enhance a driver’s experience and to help develop them as a driver and should not be taken a criticism.
We understand you may not always agree with the decisions, the stewards ask for detailed video evidence as detailed above which enables them to make a judgement call. In the event that they do not feel they have enough evidence they will request more from either driver. You may not be asked for your view as it would already have been provided.
Stewards will consider an appeal provided it is made respectfully and new evidence is provided.
12. MOst Importantly - Have fun
Race Club UK has been set up to enable like-minded people to have fun with clean fair and firm racing.
While this rule list exists, it is hoped that the majority of it is never used and the standards for the whole group have been of a high standard. This rule set is designed to complement this rather than stifle it.
