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Racing Etiquette

1. Repeated poor driving standards will not be tolerated. Racing accidents can and will happen, it is aggressive driving incidents which can be avoided that will be penalised. The final decision is up to the moderator of each division.

2. All drivers are expected to familiarise themselves with the GPLAC Recommended Driver Behaviour.

3. When starting, each driver must make sure they keep their car straight and fully in control.

4. Drivers must remember that their tyres are cold on lap 1. They should not attempt any overtaking moves unless they are sure it is safe to do so.

5. Blocking is not allowed, but defensive driving is allowed. If a driver moves off the racing line before the car behind attempts to overtake, this is defensive driving. If they move off the racing line after the car behind has started to move across to overtake, this is blocking. If a driver is driving defensively they may move off the line and back onto it only once per straight/section.

6. If an overtaking driver has any part of their car beside another as they enter a corner (known as overlap), the driver being overtaken should not move across; they should give the overtaking car room and go through the corner side by side, or let them through into the corner and try to re-take them at the exit. Drivers must learn to judge overlap without being able to actually see the opposition, this requires an understanding of the limited visibility provided by the mirrors. As described here.

7. If a driver is following a slower car, they should remember that they will brake earlier than the faster car.

8. Any driver who, by not complying with the above rules, causes another car to crash or take severe avoiding action may be penalised.

9. Persistent driving down the centreline of the track in order to make passing difficult is not acceptable. The moderators will take a sensible approach in enforcing this; the idea is to stop blatant centre line driving, not penalise every possible case. For most drivers this rule should make racing safer as well as more fun.

10. Sometimes GPL will mistakenly show a driver a black flag. For example, a warp may cause the server to believe that the driver has cut the course. A driver being shown a black flag by mistake is permitted to do one of two things:
    • Take the stop and go penalty.
    • Carry on racing. The server will mark the driver as disqualified. The driver should then contact their divisional moderator after the race, who will examine the replay and reinstate the driver in their correct finishing place.

11. Riding the kerbs is permitted but there must always be at least two wheels within the track boundary at any one time. If three or four wheels have been placed outside the track boundary then a driver is deemed to have left the track and will subsequently have to perform a rejoin with the necessary caution this dictates.
    • If you have knowingly overdone the kerb riding or left the track for any other reason in qualifying, please abort the lap in order to not post an illegal lap time.
    • In general the boundary of a track is defined by white lines, this means if the kerbs are outside the white lines they are outside the track boundary. There are tracks, like Mexico, which are exceptions. Where the moderator's have agreed that the surface outside the white lines is within the track boundary, a notice to that effect will be published in the race announcement. The race announcement will define the track boundary. In the case of Mexico, the edge of the grass will be declared to be the track boundary. So unless instructed otherwise, drivers should always assume the white lines, where present, define the track boundary.

1. If a driver is involved in an incident with another car, they must report the incident to the division moderator; failure to do so will leave the driver with no appeal against any penalty assessed. The driver should try to save a replay of the incident if possible, as this will help their case. The other moderators will then hold a "stewards enquiry" and decide on any penalties that may be applicable.

2. If a driver takes a place unfairly by causing an incident, they may decide to give the place back. This must be done in a manner which does not hinder the rest of the field. The perpetrator should find a safe place to move off the racing line in order for the victim to regain their position. The incident may still be investigated after the race.

1. Shift-R is allowed only in a race, not in practice.

   This rule may be relaxed at certain tracks (usually only the Nurburgring). If the rule is to be relaxed the drivers will be notified in the race post.

2. Any Shift-R must be followed by a Stop and Go ("S&G") in the pits. Any Stop and Go must be taken within 2 laps of the Shift-R. The guidance on how to perform a Stop & Go is here.

3. Drivers should take every precaution to make sure they rejoin the race without interfering with any other drivers. This means waiting until there is a sufficient gap in the traffic before using Shift-R. On lap 1 this may even mean waiting until the whole field has passed before using Shift-R.

   Any driver who, due to inappropriate use of Shift-R, causes another car to crash or take severe avoiding action will be penalised.

1. It is the responsibility of any driver who is returning to the track to make sure they do not interfere with other drivers.

   Rejoining drivers should stay off the racing line and give way to faster cars until they are fully up to speed. Rejoining drivers should not attempt to keep anyone behind them until they are fully up to speed. Any driver who rejoins a race and, owing to negligence, causes another car to crash or take severe avoiding action, will be penalised.

1. Any driver who is about to be lapped may not deliberately block or race the lapping driver, and must allow the lapping driver to pass at the first safe opportunity.

2. Any driver intending to lap another car must allow for warping, the difference in speed (especially under braking), and must execute any pass safely and without contact.

3. Any driver appearing not to be making adequate use of his rear view mirrors, or driving in a manner which even unintentionally appears to hinder or discourage a driver seeking to move one or more laps ahead may be penalised.

4. Any driver not showing adequate care when following or passing a slower car they intend to lap may be penalised.

Advice for the lapped driver

Deciding on whether a car is lapping you or racing for position

During the race, a blue flag in GPL indicates that the driver behind is about to lap you. The blue flags are usually reliable when shown and therefore should be obeyed unless you have good reason to believe they are wrong. Blue flags do not always appear however; thus, any driver has the responsibility to be aware of the status of a following car regardless of flag signals. There are plenty of indications as to whether the following driver is racing for position or is lapping. Ignorance is no justification for unnecessarily holding up a lapping driver.

Helpful indications include:

• Pit Board – Time Difference — If the pit board shows the driver in the position below to be 20seconds behind and yet you have a faster car on your tail it is almost certain to be a lapping car Pit Board - Lap Number - If you are only 5 laps into a race and have not spun, the following driver is unlikely to be lapping you. If you are 30 laps into the race and the car behind is closing rapidly, it is most likely about to lap you. Before the race use the speed difference in qualifying to work out roughly when you first expect to be lapped.
• Mirrors – Closing speed — If the following car it is catching you rapidly then it is likely to be lapping you. Use the mirrors as often as possible to stay aware of what is behind, since lapping drivers may close very fast.

How to allow a lapping car to pass cleanly:

• When approached by a faster car, initially just hold your line to prevent any confusion A valid exception to this is where you have spotted the car early enough to move off the racing line before they approach you. Make sure that any such move is made well before the lapping car is close to give them plenty of time to react. If in doubt, it is best to hold your line.
• If the faster driver then moves alongside in an attempt to pass, back off just very slightly to make the pass easier. Be aware in this situation that GPL only shows one following car in your mirrors. If the pass is in a corner, make sure to give as much room as possible to the other driver. Because of warping and your limited peripheral vision, this usually means running right around the outside of a corner.
• If the following car does not pass you almost immediately then try to allow them to pass at a safe part of the circuit as soon as you can.

Suggestion 1 — as you brake for a corner stay well to the outside during the braking stage, then deliberately run right around the outside of the corner allowing the faster driver to pass on the inside line.

Suggestion 2 — as you enter a straight (as long as the following driver is not very close behind) move away from the racing line, then slow slightly to allow the faster driver to pass.

Following these guidelines will allow you let a driver lap you safely, without hindering them or yourself. At some circuits such as Monaco, it may require extra care to make this go smoothly. Ultimately, as long as you have done everything above correctly, any accident where the lapping driver hits the back of you is likely to be their fault.

Advice for the lapping driver

The lapping driver takes the majority of the responsibility to make a clean pass. If you cannot see any guaranteed clean route to pass the driver then be patient and follow them! Do not make a risky move even if it means following them for a long period. Anyone causing an accident through impatience will be penalised severely.

The lapping driver is responsible for following a slower driver at a safe distance. Slow down when approaching a slower car – the speed difference may be much larger than you expect. Their lines and braking points may be totally different to yours and they may be more likely to make mistakes. Warping will also mean that you may need to leave extra room. Lapping drivers showing a lack of care in this situation will be penalised.

Deserved Black Flags

1. A driver being shown the black flag and a "pit in" board for a genuine offence, such as jumping the start, must enter the pits and take the penalty. Failure to do so will result in the disqualification of that driver.

Yellow and Green Flags

1. Drivers have a duty to drive safely and well within their limits when they have passed a yellow flag. Stay on the racing line unless it is blocked. Drivers may not overtake any car they are racing with, until they are sure they have passed a green flag or they are sure they have passed the incident and the green flag has been taken in. (Sometimes a yellow flag is shown when a car loses and then quickly regains control, so the green flag may be gone by the time the driver passes the next marshall).

Red Flag Situations

1. A race may be red flagged on lap one at the moderator's discretion. This could be due to network issues or a mass pile-up, it will be very difficult for the moderator to ascertain at the time. A reduced qualifying period would be needed for the restarted race. If there is not enough time to re-run the race it would have to be rescheduled. The restarted race will not be red flagged on lap one under any circumstances.

2. In the event of a mass disconnection or other server problem occurring after lap one. The moderator may:
   1. Reconstruct the result based on the replay.
   2. Declare the race to be red flagged at the end of the preceding lap and take the final results from that lap.
   3. Declare the race null and void and arrange for it to be run again.