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 for slightly less than 2 hours. If the meeting is over running (perhaps due to disconnections) the Host may shorten races or cancel the final race of the meeting as appropriate.
There will be approximately 5 minutes practise and 5 minutes qualifying before each race (this may be extended subject to track length). The grid order will be fastest qualifier first. There will be one race for each championship each Sunday.
Each race will be on the tyres specified with no driving aids except optional ABS (which most drivers set to 1), edge grip will be real and race starts will have false start check. Penalties off, damage light, slipstream real, no boost. Driving Line will be available if required.
Some of us have been racing every Sunday since the beginning of GT5 i.e. several years. All drivers are expected to drive in a considerate, careful and mature manner - this includes always driving in the correct direction and no doughnuts (donuts). All ability levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced.
All Drivers are expected to follow the hosts instructions regarding the race meeting at all times or in his absence the instructions of the Deputy Host (Note, Deputy Hosts include
@LexLathor and
@IfAndOr).
The Cars: - No wings or spoilers can be added unless specifically stated.
Paint should be in age appropriate colours e.g. solid or metallic only, no chrome or polarized finishes.
Wheels should be age appropriate for the Plymouth XNR e.g. wire spoked or PDI P525N in standard size - if wheels or colour are inappropriate the host will request that the driver change them before the next round (on this car standard wheels should not be used).
Where possible bumpers should be removed in order to enhance the race look.
Bonnets if lightened must be in body paint colour unless specifically stated.
Any tuning is allowed subject to specified PP, minimum weight and maximum power limits.
Photographs
Photographs of the race action are positively encouraged. Race reports and photographs taken by the official race photographers (
@IfAndOr and
@LexLathor ) 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 up to 16 regular drivers in the championships plus a number of reserve drivers.
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 a driver is absent for three consecutive rounds he 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 after the meeting with the Host Sick_Cylinder via your Playstation 3 or via the conversation facility on GTPlanet. Please do not raise complaints during the meeting as this is very distracting for other drivers. Also it is best to raise points with a cool head after having had time to consider the matter.
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. Posts about motorsport, cars, motorbikes or other motorised vehicles are also welcome if they are likely to be of interest to GT Planet readers.
Room Etiquette / Voice chat - this section only applies when voice is enabled
(Currently we are running with voice disabled as this appears to reduce disconnections by allowing more bandwidth for racing).
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.
If Voice chat is enabled during races, 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 may 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 = Off
Tyre / Fuel depletion = normal (try to avoid drifting round corners)
Grip reduction on track edge = real
Minimum number of pit stops = as specified (Note we are currently not using pit stops as we have suffered from the "Trapped in Pits Bug" on many occasions).
Require tyre type change = off (this means you can stick with one grade of tyre)
Race finish delay = 180 seconds (there will be a wide range of abilities of driver) - NB this is not used when Endurance is selected.
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 = As specified
Nitrous = Prohibited
Vehicle Tuning = No Limit (but check BHP, KG and PP limits) Or Prohibited as specified.
Skid recovery force = prohibited
Active steering = prohibited
Active stability management = prohibited
Driving line = available if required
Traction control = prohibited
ABS = available if required (if racing without ABS, please take extra care not to skid into other cars)
PIT STOPS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION - Note pit stops not currently in use.
There will be one compulsory pitstop to change tyres in races exceeding 20 minutes in duration unless stated otherwise. If pit stops are in use tyre wear will be set to fast.
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 a pit lane (e.g. London) and tyre wear will be slowed from fast to normal.
Championship points
We will use the MotoGP points system as we have in previous championships as this awards points down to 15th place as follows and offers an appropriate differentiation for higher placings:
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 championships running simultaneously, therefore it is possible that one driver could win all the 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. As these championships are being held during the summer, the three lowest scores will be deducted before the final scores are declared.
Bad internet connections / PS3 Problems
If the Host is disconnected by an internet or PS3 problem, the Deputy Hosts (
@LexLathor and
@IfAndOr ) will Host the meeting.
If a driver leaves a race after it has started due to an internet or PS3 problem the Host 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 and before re-entering the room if disconnected.
Practise - A series of practise / test races will be held during Round 0 - 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 / Round 0 will be held before the start of the next championship.
