07: Corner Rights:
D:
The turn in point is the point at which the leading car begins their turn into the corner–this may vary from the point at which you turn into the corner.
E:
If an ahead driver has clearly made an error to warrant a passing move, a behind driver may attack their position, with due caution and care, regardless of whether there was any pre-existing overlap. However, the overtaking driver must still avoid contact. Small errors by the ahead driver may not necessarily justify a passing move. The ahead driver getting a bit out of shape at times doesn’t give you an automatic right to force a pass. You still have to pass safely and without undue contact.
10: Group Battle:
A:
When approaching a battle with 2 or more cars, be extra careful since those cars can change driving lines quickly when trying to defend/overtake. The cars in front will already be driving close, so finding a good overtaking spot is much harder. The same rules apply as when overtaking a single car.
11: Initial Fault:
A:
If you make a significant driving error and another driver or drivers attempts to capitalize on it, they have the right to do so. Do not try to collide or retaliate because of your error.
For Example: If you go wide at a corner and a close behind car tries to take advantage of this by moving up the inside, you should leave room for them, whether or not they had overlap going into the corner. They must also leave you room. This rule doesn't apply to small errors that don't affect the speed, direction and outcome. This is a bit of a grey area and requires good judgment on both parts.
14: Re-entering to the track after running off:
A:
It is the responsibility of the car returning to the track to ensure there are no collisions so that no other drivers have to maneuver or brake suddenly to allow you to resume racing. If there's a chance of a collision, wait and be patient as other drivers have the right of way.
B:
An off track incident includes:
• Being stuck or pinned to a wall or railing.
• More than two tires leaving the track at any one time
• Any situation where the car may lose control and create cross traffic
I was hoping to get some clarification from more senior SNAILS here. I've noticed a number of cases where drivers go off course and then back on course. In the few replays that worked, it never looked malicious, but it still raises a question. Here's an example situation. Alice is in first, and Bob and Carol are in second and third, a few seconds behind Alice but Carol is right behind Bob. Daniel is a few seconds behind them in fourth. Carol ties for a certain line on a turn, realizes she started breaking too late, and to avoid a collision slides off the track. Bob maintains the lead.
If Bob and Carol are practicing good racecraft, they each take their line through the corner safely, and are both faster for it. They have a better chance of catching Alice and are farther away from Daniel. But in this case, Carol made an error and has gone off track. (Think turn 13 at Suzuka) She's still in control and gets back onto the raceway at speed. Bob is ahead of her and doesn't need to slow down. Daniel is far back enough that he doesn't need to slow down to allow Carol to reenter. However, Carol has now used tarmac outside the raceway to take on the corner.
How do the rules apply here? I've underlined my guess at the relevant parts in the quote above.
On one hand, the order of racers hasn't changed. On the other, does that mean going outside the track is okay if nobody else is around? I don't really think the latter argument is valid; it lets racers gain on those ahead of them (or behind them) by literally cutting corners. Then again, going off track is almost always slower unless you're deliberately driving over chicanes or something. Is the loss in speed for Carol a fair penalty for her mistake? How far back does Daniel have to be before he is unaffected by Carol's driving?
In particular, I've seen this situation show up a lot at the beginning of races. I could swear I've read that going into the first corner of a race from start, drivers should get into an orderly line. If you started 12th, you should be going 12th into the corner (though perhaps not 12 out of the corner). Even so, I see a lot of two- and three-wide battles in corners as the line is established in the first few minutes of the race. It seems slow at best, dangerous at worst. In those situations, its hard to tell if somebody's gone off track because of their own bad judgement or if they were using good judgement to avoid a pileup.
Just my opinion, but I'd say somebody who goes off track (for any reason) and is trying to stay at full speed is breaking the rules. Sure, individual cases need to be judged on their own. But slowing down to avoid a crash, even if it costs a few spots, is better than having a crash. If nothing else, getting passed costs a second or two, but a real crash can take five or more seconds to recover from, if at all. But, I'm a newbie here, and would like to hear from those with experience.
