Racing Etiquette

A Message From The Stewards

If you plan on becoming a respected SimRacer there is a racing etiquette everyone should know and understand. If you race with us these basic guidelines should be adhered to.

Free practice is the time to warm up for the qualifying and the race and these are main points you need to follow.
Use this time to get used to the car and the track.
Remember, it is just a free practice session and there is nothing here that you need to fight for.
Everyone on the grid is preparing for the race and going through potential strategies at their own pace. So it is crucial to focus on your preparations while being mindful of the others on track.
While there are other racers on the track with you, you don’t have to go shoulder to shoulder with them. You can race against people in free practice, as long as you don’t excessively block other racers.

Qualifying is when the competitive phase begins.

As a racer starting their out-lap, you should use your mini-map to judge whether people on a fast lap are close when exiting the pits. Timing your exit in clean air is ideal for everybody, but should you encounter traffic, please move away from the racing line and let everyone pass. You can get into qualifying mode towards the end of your out-lap.

If you get blue flags during qualifying, it means you are not on a valid lap and someone on a timed lap is approaching you. Please let them pass by getting off the racing line and slowing down if necessary. When starting a flying lap yourself, make sure there is about a 2-3 second gap between you and the person in front to make sure you don’t hinder each other.

Always try to utilise the entire session instead of setting your times at the very end. That way, you have some banker laps to fall back on in case your hot lap is ruined.

The Race:
It is entirely valid to state that racing is in the heat of the moment, and mistakes happen. 
The essential discipline during a race start is not to push any car off the track, not to rear-end a car in front of you, and not to brake check a vehicle behind you.
Be aware of the space around you by focusing on your radar. Good clean racing is essential at this stage (you can only lose the race in the first few corners).
If you have to lift off the accelerator to avoid contact then do it, do not make contact with the car in front and avoid any unexpected sudden braking if you have a car behind you.
When following a car, remember to follow them at a safe enough distance to allow for reaction times.
If in a battle, respect is crucial, if you are wheel to wheel with someone, space has to be considered at all times.
When you take the inside line to overtake, ensure that the other car has one car’s width of space on the outside line of the track and vice-versa if you are on the outside.
Dive-bomb moves are frowned upon within the Sim-Racing community so please do not attempt overtakes unless you think you can complete them cleanly.
While defending, please follow the one move rule, meaning you cannot change your racing line more than once when defending from a car behind you. It is vital to race hard but fair at the same time. If you have gained someone’s position by colliding with them, it is only right to give them their place back and continue racing.
If you go off track it is extremely important that you re-join in a safe manner, wait for a substantial gap in traffic and re-join parallel to the track.
Blue flags 
If you are shown a blue flag you are close to being lapped by a frontrunner. It is up to the faster driver to make a clean pass. You are not allowed to block but you are entitled to stay on the racing line if you want, if you want to let the faster driver past  DO NOT brake suddenly at the last minute.
Get off the racing line nice and early and then just lift off the accelerator. Give the faster driver time to react by being PREDICTABLE.