Ford Taurus Cup - Oval and Road Racing

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The Ford Taurus Cup is a 9 race online series using the Ford Taurus SHO '98. Incorporating elements from other race series, and including a unique sponsorship feature, the Ford Taurus Cup is meant to include both racing and sponsorship elements into an online racing series.

Unlike most online racing leagues, racing in the Ford Taurus Cup depends on sponsorship. Each sponsor has a "prestige" rank that is required in order to sign a deal with that sponsor. If you do not have the required prestige, you cannot sign a deal with that sponsor. Sponsors with higher prestige expect more out of you, so if you stay up front on a consistent basis, that sponsor will give you more prestige points, but if you cannot keep up with that sponsor's goals, you will lose more prestige points than you would with a lower prestige sponsor. Lower prestige sponsors don't ask for much, so it is best to sign a deal with one of these sponsors if you feel you cannot run with the best drivers just yet. You will not gain a lot of prestige given you meet your sponsor's goals, but you will not lose many prestige points given you don't accomplish your goals.

All sponsors have their own requirement for the driver to be given prestige points. Sponsors with a higher prestige level will give you more prestige points for accomplishing goals, but your prestige will lower much more than a lower prestige sponsor given you do not accomplish that/those goals. If you do not accomplish a sponsor's goal for 3 consecutive races, that sponsor will automatically leave, and you will no longer maintain that sponsor. That sponsor will not want to sign with you again for the rest of your career in this series. You may still sign a deal with a new sponsor after your old one leaves you. You may not have more than one sponsor at a time, and sponsors cannot sponsor more than one driver at a time.

Some tracks have their own sponsor that has no requirements in order to sign on. This provides a last-chance opportunity for drivers who have lost all of their prestige. These sponsors will only sponsor a driver once, and usually have a challenging requirement. Accomplishing the goal that a track sponsor gives you will grant you 20 prestige points, and you may be able to sign on with a low prestige sponsor if one is available.

Driver prestige is the most important factor. This is your fame, how sponsors want to sponsor you. Driver prestige is effected in multiple factors. While winning races and accomplishing sponsorship goals increase prestige, being penalized and driving dirty will negatively effect driver prestige. Initially, all drivers begin with 60 prestige. This increases or declines depending on performance throughout the season (as noted multiple times before) and sponsorship satisfaction. If you run out of prestige points, and do not currently have a sponsor, you may not race anymore. Sounds a bit harsh, but that's how it works in real life. No sponsor, no money to spend for equipment to race.

Enough talk about sponsors, let's get to other elements.

Qualifying and practice will be run the day before the race (night races are held on Saturday afternoons, while day races are run on Friday nights). Qualifying sessions will be run following practice. Both sessions will be held in my private lobby at 4:00 PM EST, and will last two hours (4 to 6). Rather than qualifying being run in free run mode, a single lap from a standing start (rolling start on ovals) will be run in race mode to determine the lap time. Any number of drivers may qualify, but only 15 drivers will make the race. I will sit out the race and watch over the drivers, making sure that no drivers break the rules. Given over 15 drivers attempt to qualify, another lobby will be opened if another driver would please do so. All lap times will be written down on paper, and starting positions will be determined accordingly (and posted on the thread). Only 15 drivers may race in an event.

The car can be tuned to your liking, and horsepower is unlimited. The car may be as light or heavy as you want it to be.

All races will be held in a public lobby. The lobby will open at 4:00 PM EST, and the race will begin at 4:30 PM EST. Day and night races will not have different lobby opening and race starting times.

When the race begins, a pace lap will be run. During this pace lap, all drivers will form single file in their respective starting positions. You may not jump positions on the start of the race, or you will be penalized, and lose both championship and prestige points accordingly. Do not dive bomb on the first lap, the race is not won in the first turn.

Please drive clean and respect other drivers. Championship and prestige points may be lost if you act like an ass. As well, I am not responsible for you not showing up on time. If the race begins before you arrive, you will receive last place points and prestige to compensate. Have a problem? Deal with it.

Proposed schedule:

1. Midwest 200: Superspeedway - Indy (80 laps, 200 miles)
2. West Pennsylvania 125k: Autumn Ring (43 laps, 126.8 kilometers)
3. Sunshine State 300: Superspeedway - Daytona (120 laps, 300 miles)
4. GTPlanet 150: High Speed Ring (60 laps, 149.1 miles)
5. Suzuka 100: Suzuka East (80 laps, 100.0 miles)
6. Germany 200k: Nurburgring Nordschliefe (10 laps, 208.31 kilometers, night race)
7. Indiana 100: Superspeedway - Indy (40 laps, 100 miles)
8. Motegi 125: Twin Ring Motegi - Superspeedway (83 laps, 124.5 miles)
9. Le Mans Finale: Circuit de la Sarthe (14 laps, 118.56 miles, night race)
 
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This seems like a really good event, however I'm afraid that the sponsorship thing might make people not want to participate. It's a little confusing and honestly, I'm pretty sure people just want to race. Sponsorship goals could be interesting, but you should list some sample goals for each track so we can get a better idea. The prestige system is quite good without the sponsorship system though.

When do you plan on starting this series?
 
This seems like a really good event, however I'm afraid that the sponsorship thing might make people not want to participate. It's a little confusing and honestly, I'm pretty sure people just want to race. Sponsorship goals could be interesting, but you should list some sample goals for each track so we can get a better idea. The prestige system is quite good without the sponsorship system though.

Thanks for the feedback. Here is an example of the sponsorship concept:

Castrol has a prestige ranking of 73. If you have the same amount or more prestige than the sponsor, you will be allowed to sign on.

Say that Castrol wants you to finish in the top 8, and will give you 3 extra prestige (not including the prestige by your finishing position) by doing so. Finishing in the top 8 will grant you those points. However, it poses a risk in that if you fail to accomplish your goals, you will lose 3 prestige (not including prestige points lost by bad performance or penalties).

If you fail to accomplish that goal for 3 straight races, Castrol will leave as a sponsor, and you will lose 10 prestige points as a result. Look for another sponsor if you have enough prestige points.

You cannot run unsponsored. Someone needs to help pay for the expenses!

When do you plan on starting this series?

Perhaps December or January. January sounds like the best option.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Here is an example of the sponsorship concept:

Castrol has a prestige ranking of 73. If you have the same amount or more prestige than the sponsor, you will be allowed to sign on.

Say that Castrol wants you to finish in the top 8, and will give you 3 extra prestige (not including the prestige by your finishing position) by doing so. Finishing in the top 8 will grant you those points. However, it poses a risk in that if you fail to accomplish your goals, you will lose 3 prestige (not including prestige points lost by bad performance or penalties).

If you fail to accomplish that goal for 3 straight races, Castrol will leave as a sponsor, and you will lose 10 prestige points as a result. Look for another sponsor if you have enough prestige points.

You cannot run unsponsored. Someone needs to help pay for the expenses!

Ok, that makes sense. So the winner at the end of the series is the one with the most prestige obtained via sponsors and race wins? I don't have a Ford Taurus, but I do have a Pace Car. So I'd be willing to run the pace lap for you. I'll be watching this thread for updates.
 
Ok, that makes sense. So the winner at the end of the series is the one with the most prestige obtained via sponsors and race wins? I don't have a Ford Taurus, but I do have a Pace Car. So I'd be willing to run the pace lap for you. I'll be watching this thread for updates.

No, prestige is a factor for you to get sponsors to race and for others to see how you rank among the others when it comes to skill, respect, etc. There is still a points championship to judge the champion at season's end.
 
No, prestige is a factor for you to get sponsors to race and for others to see how you rank among the others when it comes to skill, respect, etc. There is still a points championship to judge the champion at season's end.

If prestige points is only to get a sponsor, to get goals to earn more prestige points to get another sponsor... then what is the point of having a sponsor if there is a points championship?
 
If prestige points is only to get a sponsor, to get goals to earn more prestige points to get another sponsor... then what is the point of having a sponsor if there is a points championship?

Multiple reasons:

- Sponsors are the only way you can race. Ever know why a sponsorless car finish well in a race? That's because they can't afford proper equipment (such as tires and fuel) and have insufficient funds to hire a competitive pit crew, but most importantly cannot afford powerful engines and advanced aerodynamics (to keep up with the major teams).

- Sponsors increase prestige points, hence showing others how a driver can do. Maybe I should add a limit to prestige for lower prestige sponsors so people can tell if the driver can do as good as his/her sponsor wants him/her to do.

- Drivers "retiring". You never see a driver race forever, and perhaps after losing his/her curve in the series they might end up losing loads of prestige points and end up leaving (as they cannot gain any more sponsors).

- Respect. As said, prestige points aren't just gained by pleasing sponsors, but if you drive cleanly and act helpful to other drivers (such as sharing setups), you will gain extra prestige. Driving dirty and being an ass or a whiner will lose you prestige points. If you are angry with another driver, PM me about it and I will solve the problem.
 
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Multiple reasons:

- Sponsors are the only way you can race. Ever know why a sponsorless car finish well in a race? That's because they can't afford proper equipment (such as tires and fuel) and have insufficient funds to hire a competitive pit crew, but most importantly cannot afford powerful engines and advanced aerodynamics (to keep up with the major teams).

- Sponsors increase prestige points, hence showing others how a driver can do. Maybe I should add a limit to prestige for lower prestige sponsors so people can tell if the driver can do as good as his/her sponsor wants him/her to do.

- Drivers "retiring". You never see a driver race forever, and perhaps after losing his/her curve in the series they might end up losing loads of prestige points and end up leaving (as they cannot gain any more sponsors).

- Respect. As said, prestige points aren't just gained by pleasing sponsors, but if you drive cleanly and act helpful to other drivers (such as sharing setups), you will gain extra prestige. Driving dirty and being an ass or a whiner will lose you prestige points. If you are angry with another driver, PM me about it and I will solve the problem.
So basically it's a filter to get rid of the bad drivers. Ok, that makes sense. (It's still a bit much, but if it works for you then great!. You don't want bad drivers after all.)
 
Sorry if I'm "spamming" my own thread, but I've come up with some sponsors that could be included in the Ford Taurus Cup. Here is a list of the companies that I have thought about including as sponsors in this series, as well as their respective colors:

Walmart (Cyan/Cyan)
Miller Lite (Blue/Yellow)
McDonald's (Red/Yellow)
UPS (Brown/White)
Ford Racing (Dark Blue/Red)
FedEx (Black/Purple)
Sony (Black/Silver)
Lowe's (Blue/Silver)
Kmart (Orange/Red)
DuPont (Blue/Red)
Castrol (White/Green)
Aaron's (White/Blue)
Coca-Cola (Red/Black)
Exxon Mobil (White/Red)
Cheerios (Yellow/Blue)
Hitachi (Silver/Black)
Viagra (Black/Blue)
Coors Light (Silver/Red)


Now for a couple of sponsors exclusive to certain tracks:

Bandai (Suzuka East, Suzuka 100 - Red/Red)
Epson (Twin Ring Motegi - Superspeedway, Motegi 125 - Blue/White)

I would appreciate it if somebody comes up with more ideas for sponsors. I'm tired as heck, and need some sleep. :)

EDIT: Woke up a few hours ago and came up with some more sponsors to use.
 
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The first color is the main car color with the second color being the overlay right?

Nextel (Yellow/Black)
Sprint (Black/Yellow)
Office Depot (Orange/Black)
Old Spice (Red/Silver)
Direct TV (Blue/White)
Sunoco (Yellow/Cyan)
Pepsi (Red/Blue)
Goodyear (Yellow/Blue)
Target (Red/White)
Microsoft (Cyan/White)
Gilette (Blue/Black)
Collonelle (White/White)
Tums (Cyan/White)
Energizer (Red/Yellow)
Mtn. Dew (Green/Red)
Amp (Green/Silver)
Kobalt Tools (Blue/White)
Mobil (Cyan/Red)
El Monterey (Red/Gold)
AARP (Red/Red)
Clorox (Cyan/Red)
Aflac (Cyan/Gold)
Kellogg's (Red/Green)
Cheez-it (Red/Gold)
K&N (Gold/Red)
Best Buy (Blue/Yellow)
Motel 8 (Yellow/Red)
FedEx Express (Purple/Orange)
M&M (Brown/Brown)
Home Depot (Orange/White)
GameStop (Black/Red)
Red Bull (Silver/Red)
Gran Turismo 5 (Blue/Red)
Polyphony Digital (Purple/White)
 
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The first color is the main car color with the second color being the overlay right?

The first color is the car's body color, with the second color being the rims. As far as I know, you can change and paint the rims of the Taurus.

Thanks for coming up with some more sponsors, though some of their colors should be changed (for example, Aflac should be Black/Green or Green/Black). Otherwise, it's fine. 👍
 
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Yeah, I picked Cyan/Gold for Aflac because in their logo the letters are cyan and the duck's bill is a goldish yellow. Now that I know that the second color is the rims, I'm going to edit my post a bit.
 
Stormtrooper, I really like the concept of this league. I'm a little confused as to which day and time races will actually take place, though. I don't plan on joining as I prefer shorter races, but it would be cool to see this series get off the ground.
 
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