Rules
Races will be held each Sunday starting at 17:00 GMT. (During the period of British Summer Time - March to October - meetings will be held one hour earlier 16:00 GMT = 17:00 BST).
The race meeting will last a little under 2 hours. The support race called Trans Am 1 will be 15 minutes long. The main event will alternate between the Trans Am 2 and Can Am race. The main event will be 25 minutes long with the support lasting 15 minutes. 5 minutes of practise (approx.) and a 5 minute qualifying session will be held before each race. The grid order will be fastest qualifier first. There will be one race for each championship each Sunday.
Each race will be on Race Hard Tyres with no driving aids except optional ABS (which most drivers set to 1) and optional driving line, edge grip will be real and race starts will have false start check. Penalties weak and damage light, slipstream real, no boost.
Some of us have been racing every Sunday for several years now. All drivers are expected to drive in a considerate, careful and mature manner. All ability levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced.
Drivers will change their car selection after every five meetings as per the car Choice Table.
All Drivers are expected to follow the hosts instructions regarding the race meeting at all times.
The Cars: - NO WINGS, BUT appropriate SPOILERS should be added - please refer to the car photos at start of thread to see which spoilers should be fitted and also the car guidance post (the host will advise if your spoilers are inappropriate so that they can be changed before the next meeting).
Paint should be in age appropriate colours e.g. solid or metallic only, no chrome or polarized finishes.
Wheels should be age appropriate as per the guide in standard size - if wheels or wheel colour are inappropriate the host will request that the driver change them before the next round.
Where possible bumpers should be removed in order to enhance the race look.
Bonnets should be as specified in the car guidance post.
Any tuning is allowed subject to any PP, minimum weight and maximum power limits. I only use tuning limits which are enforceable by the game hence parity is achieved by rotating cars at regular intervals not by the use of different limits on cars.
Corner Cutting
Tyres can go onto the kerb, but not the grass (in real life this would cause the car to lose grip and crash). Deliberate corner cutting will be penalised by the Host and may include removal of points and eventually a ban. Sometimes corner cutting is not deliberate, but is caused by a loss of control or steering error - the driver should ensure that he has not gained an advantage and if he has, give up any place or places gained.
Photographs
Photographs of the race action are encouraged. Race reports and photographs taken by the official race photographer (IfandOr) will be published in this thread.
Signups
Please sign up by sending a message to Sick_Cylinder via your Playstation 3 or via GTPlanet. There will be 16 regular drivers in the championships.
Absence / Unable to attend races
If you know that you will be unable to attend certain rounds please inform the Host. It may then be possible for a reserve driver to fill your slot on the grid. If you no longer wish to participate in the championship the first reserve driver will fill your grid slot and will drive the same type of car.
Reserve Drivers
If the grid is full you can sign up to be a reserve driver. You will be able to race when a regular driver is absent and the grid therefore has a vacant slot. If a regular driver leaves the championship you will be offered that drivers slot and will become a regular driver using the same type of car as the original regular driver was using (or was scheduled to use).
If you have not raced for three consecutive weeks you will be deemed to have become a reserve driver.
Questions
If you have questions regarding the races or comments about quality of driving or other problems etc, please raise these with the Host Sick_Cylinder via your Playstation 3 or via the conversation facility on GTPlanet.
It is best to reserve postings on this thread for race photos, race reports, links to good tunes or other helpful tips on cars in the car list.
Room Etiquette / Voice chat
If drivers speak to each other they should use the PSN name even if they know the drivers real name. All conversations should be in English. Please refrain from talking during races or qualifying as some drivers may find it distracting. Please also refrain from text chat during races or qualifying as this is also distracting.
If voice chat is enabled during races the following will apply, however it should be noted that sometimes we will race with voice chat disabled in order to maximise bandwidth and in an attempt to reduce disconnection problems.
The purpose of the voice chat is to enable the leaders to indicate when they are approaching and about to lap another driver. The horn can also be used by the lead driver when about to lap another driver. No offence should be taken by the use of the horn - in this case it is purely a warning signal. To avoid confusion the horn should not be used at any other time including while stationary on the grid. Some drivers do not have microphones or their spoken English may not be good - this does not matter and they will not be discriminated against - they can use the horn to warn the driver in front that they are about to lap. Use of the horn for any purpose other than that outlined will result in a warning and or penalty.
Voice chat will also enable a driver to indicate if he intends to carry out a pitstop. The procedure will be that at the start of the lap on which he intends to pit, the driver will say his name and that he is pitting at the end of this lap. He will also say that he is about to pit when approaching the pit lane. The driver will also announce when he has left the pits and rejoined the track - while doing so he will endeavour to stay inside the white lines when rejoining.
For example in my case on crossing the start line I would say "Sick pitting on lap ten". On approaching the pits I would say "Sick entering Pits". On rejoining the race I would say "Sick rejoining race". If a driver is about to be lapped, he should hold a steady course and if possible momentarily lift off the throttle so that the faster driver can pass.
Race Room Settings
Start type = Grid start with false start check (this means hold car still with brake until start)
Grid order = Fastest First (this means start in order of practise lap time)
Boost = off
Penalty = Weak (this means avoid crashing or short cutting the track)
Tyre / Fuel depletion = fast (this means try to avoid drifting round corners)
Grip reduction on track edge = real
Minimum number of pit stops = 1
Require tyre type change = off (this means you can stick with race hard tyres)
Race finish delay = 180 seconds (there will be a wide range of abilities of driver)
Visible damage = off (this prevents spoiling the look of photos)
Mechanical damage = Light (if you have a crash the damage will repair itself)
Slipstream strength = Real
Tyre = Racing Hard
Nitrous = Prohibited
Vehicle Tuning = No Limit as this cannot be enforced by the game (but check BHP and weight limits and PP limits)
Skid recovery force = prohibited
Active steering = prohibited
Active stability management = prohibited
Driving line = optional
Traction control = prohibited
ABS = optional
PITSTOPS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION
There will be one compulsory pitstop to change tyres in each race (unless otherwise stated).
If you fail to take a pitstop the game will automatically give you a 50 second penalty.
You can take your pitstop on any lap apart from the last lap.
If you take your pitstop on the last lap the host will give you a 30 second penalty (Unfortunately this is necessary due to an error in GT6 which fails to conduct a proper pitstop on the final lap).
No pit stops will be held if the track does not have pit lane (e.g. London) and tyre wear will be slowed from very fast to fast.
Championship points
We will use the MotoGP points system as we have in previous championships as this awards points down to 15th place and provides an appropriate reward differential as follows:
1st = 25
2nd = 20
3rd = 16
4th = 13
5th = 11
6th = 10
7th = 9
8th = 8
9th = 7
10th = 6
11th = 5
12th = 4
13th = 3
14th = 2
15th = 1
16th = 0
There are three drivers championships running simultaneously, therefore it is possible that one driver could win all three championships. In the event of a points tie the champion will be the driver with the greatest number of 1st place finishes - if this is tied, it will be the driver with the greatest number of second place finishes etc. and so on.
Bad internet connections / PS3 Problems
If the Host is disconnected by an internet or PS3 problem, the Deputy Host (IfAndOr) will Host the meeting. If IfAndOr is also disconnected the second Deputy Host (Lex Lathor) will Host the meeting.
If a driver leaves a race after it has started due to an internet or PS3 problem he or she should send a message to the Host who will award points equivalent to a last place finish in the race.
If a driver has a bad connection such that his or her car is lagging excessively and unpredictably the Host may ask the driver to leave and re-enter the room.
To reduce the risk of bad internet connections all drivers should empty their system cache before the race meeting starts.
Practise - A series of practise races will be held on the Sunday before the championship commences - these are not part of the championship, but are an opportunity to check room settings and test cars. After the championships have been completed another practise / test meeting will be held before the start of the next championship(s).
Last edited: Dec 29, 2014