Preface
To ensure a competitive and enjoyable racing experience for everyone, it is crucial to establish clear guidelines for driving behavior on the track. These standards aim to promote fairness, respect, and safety in all iRacing events organized by iStewards. By adhering to these rules, participants contribute to maintaining the spirit of sportsmanship and the integrity of the competition.
Remember to read through our General Code of Conduct in the General Sporting Regulations.
General Driving Requirements
- Respect Track Limits: Drivers must stay within the designated track boundaries as defined by the iRacing platform. Persistent violations will result in penalties.
- Maintain Control: Always maintain full control of your vehicle. Reckless driving, such as unnecessary weaving, brake checking, or overly aggressive maneuvers, is prohibited.
- Yield When Necessary: If another driver has a clear advantage, yield the position to avoid collisions. Fighting for a position should always be done within safe and fair limits.
- Avoidance of Collisions: Drivers are expected to take reasonable actions to avoid contact with other cars, even if it means conceding a position temporarily.
- Blue Flags: When shown a blue flag, slower cars must allow faster cars to pass safely without blocking.
- Rejoining the Track: When rejoining the track after an off-track excursion, ensure that it is safe to do so without obstructing other cars.
- Voluntary Position Reversal: If a driver gains a position through an incident that is later penalized, voluntarily giving the position back to the affected driver in a meaningful time-span will be considered a mitigating factor in any subsequent stewarding decision. This act of sportsmanship demonstrates awareness and responsibility, and may lead to a reduced penalty.
Overtaking Guideline
A basic distinction is made between in-class overtaking maneuvers and multi-class overtaking maneuvers. The following rules apply to in-class maneuvers.
Significant Overlap Guideline
- Overtaking: A car attempting to overtake must establish significant overlap with the car being overtaken at the turn-in point of the corner.
- Significant overlap: Significant overlap is defined as having at least the front axle of the overtaking car alongside the rear axle of the car being overtaken. As of this moment the inside car has priority use of the inside line, while the outside car has priority use of the outside line.
- Defensive Driving: The defending driver may only change their racing line once per straight. Blocking by weaving or making erratic moves to prevent overtaking is prohibited.
- Right of room: If a significant overlap has been achieved, the driver being overtaken must give the overtaking vehicle enough space to enable an overtaking maneuver. However, this does not mean that the overtaking driver can go as far as he likes and, for example, sends the overtaken driver off the road. It is sufficient if the vehicle being overtaken leaves one vehicle width of space.
- Shared Responsibility: Both drivers share responsibility to avoid contact. While the overtaking driver must attempt a clean and safe move, the defending driver must avoid erratic or overly aggressive reactions.
Multi-Class Rules
In multi-class racing, overtaking dynamics differ significantly from in-class battles. Therefore, the standard rule of significant overlap at turn-in as described above does not fully apply when a faster class car attempts to pass a slower class.
For Multi-Class Overtakes
- If a faster class car clearly signals the intent to overtake early enough for the slower class car to anticipate and react, and the slower class car can do so safely and predictably, for example without putting itself at risk or unnecessarily impeding a third party, then it is expected to facilitate the overtake.
- The overtaking attempt must still be reasonable. This means that the faster car must be significantly alongside or ahead by the apex of the corner, defined as having at least its front axle ahead of the rear axle of the slower car, and the cars being side by side, not merely overlapping.
- However this does not allow the faster class car to dive-bomb and claim for the right of room. The idea of the move being reasonable prevails.
- If the faster car is fully alongside as described above at the apex but then fails to maintain a predictable and appropriate racing line, for example by missing the apex, running wide or deep, or not leaving space for the slower car, the move may be considered unreasonable and could be penalized as a dive-bomb, depending on the circumstances and level of negligence.
Conclusion
Racing is a highly dynamic environment where decisions are made in fractions of a second. It is important to remember that we are all human, and mistakes can happen. Each driver uses different hardware and setups, be it ultra-wide monitors, triple screens, or VR, which can affect their perception of incidents. Situations that may seem clear-cut at first glance can often look very different when viewed from another perspective.
By maintaining mutual respect and understanding, we can ensure that everyone enjoys the racing experience. Let us strive to learn from incidents, communicate constructively, and uphold the spirit of sportsmanship that defines iStewards. Together, we can create a competitive, fair, and inclusive environment for all participants.