All drivers are expected to familiarise themselves with the GPLAC Recommended Driver Behaviour.
When starting, each driver must make sure they keep their car straight and fully in control.
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.
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.
If an overtaking driver has any part of their car beside another as they enter a corner, 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.
If a driver is following a slower car, they should remember that they will brake earlier than the faster car.
Any driver who, by not complying with the above rules, causes another car to crash or take severe avoiding action may be penalised.
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.
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:
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.
Any driver not showing adequate care when following or passing a slower car they intend to lap may be penalised.
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:
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.
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.
A race will be red flagged by the moderator only if at least half the drivers are disconnected from the server during lap one due to network problems. This may mean the race will have to be rescheduled due to time factors. Start line crashes will not be red flagged, no matter how many cars are involved.
In the event of a mass disconnection or other server problem the moderator may, at their discretion: