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    Rules & Regulations

    1.0 CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY

    1. Drivers must have at least an iRacing D (4.0) Class Road License.
    2. All drivers wishing to enter must pay for the entry fee online, join the Discord server and complete the entry form that will be emailed.
    3. Championship Entries are limited to 45 Drivers.
    4. Championship spots will be given on a first come first serve basis. If entries drop below half the number listed in 1.3 for two consecutive rounds entries will be opened up to make the numbers as close to 1.3 as possible.
    5. If a driver misses 3 consecutive rounds without communicating a reason for not attending either in the VBTCR Discord Server or by messaging one of the admins it will be considered that you no longer want to participate in the championship and you may be removed to make space for another entry.
    6. Drivers can enter as an individual or as part of a team.
    7. Teams can have up to 4 drivers but only the two highest scoring team members points will count towards the Teams Championship.
    8. Drivers registered to a team are unable to move to a different team once the season has started.
    9. Driver numbers must be a two digit number and will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. You will be asked for a first, second and third choice of number on your sign up form.
    10. The Drivers Championship winner will be allowed to use the number 01 on their car in the following season if they wish to.
    11. The championship entry fee is Non-Refundable. It will only be refunded if the championship is cancelled by the organisers.

    2.0 RACE FORMAT

    2.1 Open Practise

    1. 1.1 Pit Lane Opens 18:00 (UK TIME)
    2. 1.2 120 Minute Practise Session
    3. 1.3 Sim Time: 09:00AM
    4. 1.4 Track State: 20%
    5. 1.5 Weather State: Generated by iRacing

    2.2 Drivers Briefing

    1. On the VBTCR Discord Voice Channel 19:30 (UK TIME)
    2. An informal opportunity to discuss any concerns or things to be aware of during that week’s meeting. Drivers can also ask any questions they have. Drivers will be reminded of any outstanding penalties that need to be served during the meeting.
    3. Attendance is recommended but not mandatory.

    2.3 Open Qualifying

    1. Pit Lane Opens 20:00 (UK TIME)
    2. 15 Minute Open Qualifying Session with all cars on the track at once
    3. Sim Time: Carried Over
    4. Track State: Carried Over
    5. Weather State: Carried Over
    6. When on an out / cooldown / in lap drivers must do their best to get out of the way of any drivers currently completing a “flying” lap.
    7. Any drivers deemed to be deliberately impeding another driver’s “flying” lap can be protested and it will be considered a Level 2 Penalty.

    2.4 Race 1

    1. Race Starts: 20:15 (UK TIME)
    2. 20 Minute Race
    3. Race Grid Ordered by Qualifying Result
    4. Track State: Carried Over
    5. Weather State: Carries Over
    6. 1 Fast Repair
    7. Standing Start

    2.5 Warmup

    1. Pit Lane Opens: 20:35 (UK TIME)
    2. 10 Minute Open Practise Session
    3. Track State: Carried Over
    4. Weather State: Carried Over

    2.6 Race 2

    1. Race Starts: 20:45 (UK TIME)
    2. 20 Minute Race
    3. Race Grid is determined by the Race 1 result (Entire Grid Reversed)
    4. Track State: Carried Over
    5. Weather State: Carried Over
    6. 1 Fast Repair
    7. Standing Start

    2.7 Practise Events

    1. Practise sessions will be hosted in the off weeks between events.
    2. Each practise event will have 2 x 50 minute open practise sessions followed by a short 10 minute sprint race.
    3. Attendance is optional but included in your season entry.

    2.8 Second Chance Restart (Safety Car)

    1. In extreme cases where a “significant number of drivers are involved at the start of a race” the pace car may be deployed. This will give drivers an opportunity to use their fast repair and still take part in the race session with minimal impact. 
    2. The only time the Pace Car will be called on track is during Lap 1 of a Race Session.
    3. Races will be extended (up to a maximum of 30 minutes) to ensure there will still be approximately 20 minutes of racing after the restart.
    4. Drivers must maintain a constant speed matching that of the safety car on the restart and must remain that way until the iRacing Green Flag comes into effect.
    5. Drivers failing to do this may receive a Level 1 Penalty at the stewards discretion.

    2.9 General Meeting Rules

    1. All cars will use the iRacing Sprint Setup (FIXED SETUP). 
    2. Any rules not specifically mentioned in this section we will be using the standard “Official iRacing Rule Book & Code of Practise”.
    3. Each race session will have a 15 point incident limit. Once you have reached that limit you will receive a Drive Through Penalty.
    4. This limit may be increased / lowered for certain circuits at the stewards discretion. This will be communicated to drivers no later than the drivers briefing.
    5. If a driver receives a Drive Through Penalty it may be taken in to consideration when reviewing Penalties and Incidents (4.0).

    3.0 POINTS

    3.1 Points Structure

    Finishing Position
    Points
    Finishing Position
    Points
    1st
    55
    16th
    15
    2nd
    50
    17th
    14
    3rd
    45
    18th
    13
    4th
    40
    19th
    12
    5th
    38
    20th
    11
    6th
    36
    21st
    10
    7th
    34
    22nd
    9
    8th
    32
    23rd
    8
    9th
    30
    24th
    7
    10th
    25
    25th
    6
    11th
    20
    26th
    5
    12th
    19
    27th
    4
    13th
    18
    28th
    3
    14th
    17
    29th
    2
    15th
    16
    30th
    1
    1. The points structure may change once the total number of entries has been confirmed.

    3.2 Points Eligibility

    1. Drivers must finish no more than 2 laps down from the leader in order to be eligible for points from each race.
    2. Points are awarded for each race at each meeting. Not the overall result of the entire race meeting. There are 110 points available at each Race Meeting.
    3. Any points being removed due to penalties will not be subtracted from the points earned from each race. Instead, they will be removed as a “Penalty Total” at the end of the season.

    3.3 Drop Weeks

    1. All drivers will have the points from their lowest scoring race meeting removed from the points total at the end of the season. This allows for flexibility and a competitive championship if a driver(s) can’t attend a specific race meeting for one reason or another.
    2. Points from both races of the lowest scoring race meeting will be removed. The races must be from the same meeting. The 2 drop races can’t be from separate events.
    3. The Drop Week system will NOT be in place for the Teams Championship. 3.5 will be in effect regardless of whether all team members are at the race meeting or not.

    3.4 Tiebreak System

    1. If multiple drivers score the same number of points during the season, the driver with the more points when drop scores aren’t applied is placed ahead.
    2. If multiple drivers are still tied after 3.4.1, then the driver with the better best result is placed ahead. If it is tied after that, the second best results are compared. This continues until the tie is broken.

    3.5 Team Points

    1. Team Points are the combined score of the teams drivers that are registered for each race.
    2. Only the two highest scoring drivers from each teams points will count towards the championship.
    3. If a team member gets penalty points awarded for a race meeting the Teams Points standings will be updated to reflect this. If the penalty points mean that the driver is no longer the 1st or 2nd highest point scorer for a team then the new 1st or 2nd highest scoring team members points will replace them.

    4.0 PENALTIES

    4.1 Protest Submission

    1. All protested incidents will be looked at in detail by a team of stewards after each race meeting. To submit a protest please use the form in our Discord.
    2. Protests must be submitted within 24 hours of the race meeting. Protests submitted after this will not be investigated.
    3. Drivers are asked to include as much detail as possible about the incident including driver involved, lap and rough area of the circuit . If Stewards are unable to find the incident the protest will be considered void and you will be unable to re-submit that incident for protest.
    4. Drivers should only protest incidents that they were directly affected by.
    5. Any driver involved in the reported incident (including the protester) can be given a penalty.

    Protests will be reviewed within 48 hours of the protest deadline.

    Each reported incident will be given a rating: NFA | LEVEL 1 | LEVEL 2 | LEVEL 3

    4.2 NFA

    1. The stewards decided that there was no clear driver at fault or the incident didn’t negatively impact either drivers race. No penalties are awarded to any drivers.
    2. Where possible stewards will explain their reasoning for this decision.

    4.3 LEVEL 1

    1. Light & accidental contact or clumsy driving that resulted in another drivers race being noticeably impacted and other minor infringements. Or noticeably impeding another driver in a qualifying session.
    2. A LEVEL 1 offence will incur 5 penalty points.
    3. At the stewards discretion you may also receive a time penalty or have positions reversed. This may be as well as or instead of a points penalty (4.3.1).
    4. Where possible stewards will explain their reasoning for this decision.

    4.4 LEVEL 2

    1. Heavy accidental contact or clumsy driving that resulted in another drivers race being noticeably impacted. Or deliberately impeding another driver in a qualifying session.
    2. A LEVEL 2 offence will incur a 15 point penalty to that drivers race.
    3. A Level 2 offence means that the driver will have to sit out of the qualifying for the next race meeting and start at the back of the grid for Race 1.
    4. Stewards WILL explain their reasoning for this decision.

    4.5 LEVEL 3

    1. Heavy contact caused by a driver acting recklessly, such as piling into a group of cars or re-joining the track into oncoming traffic.
    2. A LEVEL 3 offence will incur a 50 point penalty to that drivers race.
    3. A Level 3 offence means that the driver will have to sit out of the qualifying for the next race meeting and start from the pit lane for Race 1.
    4. Stewards WILL explain their reasoning for this decision.

    4.6 Intentional Wrecking & Driver Misconduct

    1. Intentional wrecking in a race session (including after the chequered flag) will result in a driver being banned from VBTCR.
    2. Drivers will be susceptible to penalties, including exclusion from the series if they direct abuse to other drivers or stewards on the iRacing voice or text channels or on discord. Abuse could be in the form of racism, harassment, personal insults, inappropriate language and/or anything else the stewards deem to be unacceptable.
    3. Drivers may be given a warning or penalty before any further action / bans take place.
    4. If a driver is removed from the championship they will not have their entry fee refunded.

    4.7 Protest Appeals

    1. Drivers are welcome to appeal the stewards decision on any incidents or contact them to gain clarity as long as communication is polite and aides in one or both parties gaining a better understanding of the situation.
    2. All appeals must be made within 24 hours of the protest sheet being updated. Any appeals submitted after this time will be ignored.
    3. To submit an appeal please put a message in the “Contact an Admin” section of the VBTCR Discord Server and one of our admin team will be in touch with you as soon as possible.

    4.8 Serving Penalties

    1. All drivers must serve any penalties given at the next race meeting they attend.
    2. Failure to serve a penalty at your next race meeting will result in it being escalated to the next penalty level (Level 2 = Level 3 | Level 3 = One Meeting Ban). It will move up a level for every race meeting the driver attends without serving the penalty. Failure to comply with the Round Ban will result in you being removed from the championship.
    3. If a driver chooses to not attend the round following a penalty it will remain at it’s current level until the next race meeting they attend and must be served at that meeting.
    4. Drivers serving a Level 2 Penalty may remain in the race session but must not take part in the 15 Minute Open Qualifying (This includes clicking the Drive button and waiting in the pit lane).
    5. Drivers serving a Level 3 Penalty may participate in Open Qualifying in order to try and earn a grid spot closer to the Pit Lane Exit. After qualifying they must wait until the grid has formed and the green button reads “Missed Start”. They may then enter the session and wait for iRacing to release them from their pit box.
    6. Drivers with a Level 2 Penalty may also compete in Qualifying and start from pit lane (As per 4.8.5) if they wish. This will clear their Level 2 Penalty.
    7. We will try to notify drivers of all outstanding penalties on the morning of each racing but ultimately it is the responsibility of the driver to keep track of any penalties they currently have.

    ONCE ALL APPEALS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE DECISION OF THE STEWARDS IS FINAL AND SHOULD BE RESPECTED BY ALL DRIVERS.

    Note from the stewards:

    Please bare in mind that this style of close racing can and likely will mean some small contact is going to happen from time to time. What we are mainly looking for in these kind of situations is if and by how much one of the drivers in the incident was effected by the contact. For example, If two cars rub up against each other going through a corner but are both able to continue racing without any major issues we will consider this a non-incident. However, if this kind of “rubbing” means that a driver is spun out or picks up major damage that effects the way the car drives we’ll be looking at this as something that possibly deserves a penalty.

    We hope that the penalty system is not required throughout the season but is in place to encourage some close, fair and enjoyable racing.

    5.0 PRIZES

    5.1 Trophies

    1. Trophy for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Drivers Championship.
    2. Trophy for 1st, in the Teams Championship.
    3. Trophy for “Rookie of the Season”.
      • 3.1 Once signups are completed an iRating “Rookie” Threshold will be decided. This will roughly be the lowest 1/3 of drivers. Your iRating will be taken at the  time of joining the championship.
      • 3.2 “Rookie of the Season” will be awarded to the Rookie driver with the most championship points after drop weeks have been applied.
      • 3.3 Rookies can be considered Rookies more than one season in a row. However drivers may be moved up from Rookies even if their iRating is below the threshold at the stewards discretion.
    4. Shipping will be included for any winners within the UK.  If the winning driver is based outside of the United Kingdom they would need to cover the shipping cost for the trophy.
    5. Drivers & Team Championship trophies can not be swapped for a cash alternative.

    5.2 Other Awards

    1. “Best Livery” Drivers will be given the chance to vote at the end of the season for what they think was the best livery. We ask that drivers don’t vote for their own (or a teammates if liveries are very similar / the same). TBC
    2. “Drivers Driver” All drivers will be given the opportunity to vote for another driver in the series that they think has shown amazing skill of sportsmanship consistently throughout the Championship. TBC

    6.0 PAINTS & LIVERIES

    1. All paints must use the VBTCR car decals that are available in the VBTCR Paints Discord Server
    2. Drivers should not utilize commercial logos on their car unless they are; 1. Readily available on the iRacing Paint Shop or 2. Granted permission, in writing from the company in question.
    3. Cars should maintain their own manufacturer logos. For example, it is not acceptable for a driver to replace the Audi logo with a Honda logo.
    4. All paints must be free from political, racist, sexist and any other content that may not be suitable for YouTube.”
    5. Any paints that do not comply with Section 6.2/3/4 will not be added to the paint pack and the driver will be asked to submit a revised paint.
    6. Failure to submit an eligible paint will result in the cars showing their default iRacing paint scheme.
    7. Paint Schemes must be submitted to the link in the VBTCR Paints Discord Server
    8. Paint schemes must allow space for the series decal layers or have them applied when submitted. These can be found in the VBTCR Paints section in Discord or you can contact an admin
    9. Paints must be submitted 48 hours before the race meeting for them to appear in latest version of the paint pack
    10. The Paint Pack will be available to download from the VBTCR Paints section at least 24 hours before the first race meeting. This isn’t required but it will enable you to see all the paints as they are in our broadcasts and social media.