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Thermal Racing League Rules and Regulations

OVERVIEW 

The racing rules & regulations are designed to protect yourself and drivers around you. We aim to provide a fun and enjoyable experience for all drivers on the grid and expect the rules to be Read & Understood by anyone entered into the league.

CODE OF CONDUCT 

  1. General Info                                  
    1.1: We host all official racing on iRacing and are organized on the SimGrid platform.                                  
    1.2: All Drivers must be a member of the Thermal Racing League throughout their racing tenure in order to receive official communications. The admins may message you directly.                                  
    1.3: Discord  ← Make sure to join!            
    1.4: Any Driver who fails to respect and adhere to the Regulations & Code of Conduct will be ineligible to race in TRL. Failure to comply may result in a Ban from TRL. All Drivers agree to avoid the following behaviors online and offline:                                  
    1.5: All Drivers are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the League when representing the league whether participating in league events or not.                                  
    1.6: All Drivers must show respect to one another. Members must not defame, threaten, discriminate or promote hatred to anyone. For on track conflicts we expect you to report your concerns through incident reports. Harassment of any kind to anyone is prohibited.                                  
    1.7: Drivers must respect the staff, organizers, race controllers and league partners.                                  
    1.8: Posting negative or brand-damaging content on social media about the League, game, sponsors, partners or Drivers may result in the removal from the Event or Championship.                                  
    1.9: Its simple guys. Treat other drivers how you would want to be treated. Race with respect and keep it clean. Send it but don’t SEND IT.
  2. Fraudulent Activity                                
    2.1: The Admins have the right to exclude ANY Driver at any time, in the event of:                                
    2.2: Software modification: any modification that results in the improvement of the handling or drivability to the car, not limited to grip or power hacks. This includes Cheating.                                
    2.3: Exploiting game glitches: intentionally using any in-game bug to seek an advantage.                                
    2.4: Impersonating or playing as another Driver or another Driver playing under your name.                                
    2.5: Collusion: Any agreement between members to impact the competition, race or Drivers

Sporting Code 

  1. General Rules & Driver Conduct                             
    1.1: Race start times are defined as the Qualifying session leading up to the Race.                             
    1.2: You may NOT join events during the Quali or Race sessions. If you do not join before Qualifying you will be either removed from the session or your points will not count.                             
    1.3: Drivers with a spiky connection may be asked to leave a race or be disqualified.                             
    1.4: Bump drafting is prohibited unless agreed upon in game chat. Drivers shall provide racing room to each other.                             
    1.5: Unsportsmanlike/Intentional incidents are subject to penalties not limited to a ban.                             
    1.6: Races canceled for any reason will be reviewed for reschedule on an individual basis.
  2. Driver Names & Numbers                           
    2.1 Discord Nicknames MUST match your iRacing driver name. Change your nickname in discord by right clicking yourself and selecting “Edit Server Profile”. THIS IS REQUIRED.                           
    2.2 Driver numbers are first come first serve. If your driver number is taken please select an available one. If a driver is banned from the league then their number also becomes available.
  3. Liveries                          
    3.1: Custom Liveries are allowed.                          
    3.2: All liveries must be appropriate for broadcasting. ZERO TOLERANCE for profanity, sexual images, deliberately offensive or political messaging or individual/group targeting.
  4. On Track Behavior                         
    4.1: The Lead Driver has the right to choose any line at any section of the track. The Lead Driver loses this right when the Overtaking Driver’s front wheel lines up with the front Driver’s rear wheel. At this point, drivers are in a “side-by-side” or “overlap” position.                         
    4.2: Both the passing Driver and the Driver in front are responsible for fair racing during the pass. It is the passing driver’s responsibility to choose a safe time for the pass.                         
    4.3: Defending: The driver ahead may make ONLY 1 defensive maneuver per straight consisting of at least a 1 car width change off the line. The driver may hold this line into the next turn or move back to the racing line prior to the turn in point.                         
    4.4: Dive-bombing, brake checking, punting, bump-passing, and moving under braking, whether there is contact or not, are not permitted and may be subject to penalty.                         
    4.5: Before entering a braking zone, drivers should be committed to their line for the corner, and should not deviate from that line while defending against another car.                         
    4.6: Out-of-control or spinning Drivers MUST hold their brakes. They must continue holding the brakes after the spin until it is safe to rejoin. Rolling onto the track or unsafely re-entering the track and causing additional incidents will be subject to severe penalties.                         
    4.7: “Netcode” contact or contact resulting from a glitch in the game may typically lean in favor of the defending car, however will be judged on a case by case basis.                         
    4.8: MULTICLASS ETIQUETTE:             
    • (Driver Classes): If a Driver from outside your class is catching you it is best to allow them to overtake within 1 lap. The exception is if you are involved in a battle for position within your own class. Remember, you are not racing against other classes.
    • (Car Classes): When different class cars racing at the same time it’s ALWAYS on the faster car class to make a safe overtake. The slower car may not defend or interfere with the faster car. Like blue flags, hold your line and be predictable.             
    • In both cases, the faster driver may flash their lights to indicate an intent to pass.
  5. Racing Flags 
    • YELLOW FLAG:
      • Drivers Must Proceed with CAUTION!
      • Incidents under a yellow flag, if reported, will be reviewed by stewards/admins on a case by case basis.
    • BLUE FLAG:
      • The Blue Flagged Car: is NOT allowed to defend against the lapping car. They should remain predictable and stay on their line without any sudden changes in direction (including brake zones) to allow the Lapping Car to pass safely with as little resistance as possible. Intentionally holding up a lapping car will result in a penalty.
      • The Lapping Car: The lapping car may use flashing lights to indicate an intent to pass or indicate the passing move. The lapping car is required to execute a safe pass on the Blue Flagged car and remain aware of the surroundings.
      • A couple examples of opportune scenarios to allow The Lapping Car through:
        • MOVE OFF the racing line and run deep (wide) into the next turn
        • MOVE OFF the racing line and coast into the braking zone
        • MOVE OFF the racing line on a long straight and lift off throttle
      • Lapped drivers may unlap themselves if they can pull away from the car with the lap advantage. Lead drivers may defend against a lapped car. A lapped driver may be penalized if they are unable to pull away from the lead car and interfere with their race.
      • If the Blue flagged car is within 0.5s of you for 2 sectors you MUST allow the pass.
      • Battles are defined as 2 cars within 1s of each other fighting for a class position.
      • Blue Flagged cars in a battle have priority to the Passing car.
      • Lapping cars in a battle have priority over Blue Flagged cars in a battle

SCORING & POINTS

  1. Sprint                   
    2 Points awarded for fastest lap.                   
    Finishing position for Sprint will score as follows:
  2. Feature                   
    5 Points awarded for fastest lap.                   
    Finishing position for Feature will score as follows

RACE PROCEDURE

  1. Race Start                
    1.1 The game may hand out Drive-Through penalties/Black Flags for improper starting procedures. 
    1.2 Black flags must be cleared in a timely manner to avoid disqualification.
  2. Race Finish                
    2.1 After the race, drivers are expected to drive back to the pits, or stop safely off-track.                
    2.2 ALL racing rules apply after crossing the finish line, post race penalties may be applied.   

PENALTIES & STEWARDING

  1. Incident Reports, Verdicts & Protests
    • Incident Reports may be submitted up to 24 hours after the race using the dedicated incident report channel in the discord.
    • All Verdicts will be posted in the Verdict channel in the Discord.
    • Verdict Appeals may be submitted up to 24 hours after the Verdicts have been posted using the same incident reporting channel and process as the initial report.
    • All submitted incidents and appeals will be reviewed to determine the final verdict.
      • Reports and Appeals must be opened as PRIVATE THREADS ONLY.
      • Reports and Appeals posted outside of the 24 hour window will be denied.
      • Reports and Appeals MUST include: a clip, lap & turn #, accused driver violation.
        • TURN THE HUD ON IN THE REPLAYS.
    • Using other channels or DMing staff to appeal may result in the denial of your appeal.
    • The video must be playable in discord. Unlisted YouTube videos are suggested.
    • Drivers receive 3 appeal token for the season. The token is lost if the appeal is denied and it is retained to use again if the appeal is successful.
      • Drivers MAY NOT corner Stewarding staff to appeal or personally discuss their incidents.
  2. Penalty Point Thresholds
    • 3 Penalty Points - 1st Start From Pits
    • 6 Penalty Points - 2nd Start From Pits
    • 9 Penalty Points - 3rd Start From Pits
    • 12 Penalty Points - Race Ban
    • 15 Penalty Points - Loss of Seat for Season (ability to qualify next season)
  3. Penalty Point Breakdown     
  4. Stewarding Guide    

*Stewards reserve the right to deviate from the above charts at their discretion.