DDRS Spec 5 Series Regulations
1. Driving Standards
Drivers in the DDRS are expected to treat others with respect. Rubbing is racing, but punting, push to pass, and other position changing contact is not. Competitors may not advance their position as a result of contact regardless of who caused the contact. If that means you have to stop and wait for someone to resume racing, that's what you'll have to do. Own your mistakes, forgive others for theirs, and remember: it's just a video game FFS.
2. Eligible Cars
Series is limited to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) '01 and the Mazda Spirit Racing Roadster 12R '25. Both cars are available from the new car dealer generally.
2.1. Technical Regulations
2.2. Livery
2.2.1. Cars competing in the DDRS Spec 5 Series may carry any livery. Vehicle liveries are not required, but each car must carry the required minimum elements. Vehicle liveries must not violate DDRS community standards.
2.2.2. Team liveries are not permitted. Each car in a given class must carry a substantially unique livery. The cars that a given driver presents for each class may carry similar liveries.
2.2.3 Required livery elements
2.2.3.1. Numbers are required. Number are required on both sides of the car and may be placed on any panel in any position. Numbers must also be placed on the nose and tail of the car. Numbers must contrast with the car's livery.
2.2.3.2. Competitors may use the official DDRS number ball for the side numbers, in which case the position of the number ball and the size, color, and orientation of the numbers must match the overarching DDRS series standards (i.e., number ball placed on door of the car, scaled to 35%, etc.).
3. Series Format
Each race meeting will consist of the following:
- Two races each night at a single circuit.
- Each race is preceded by a 10-minute qualifying session.
- Each race will be timed, 40 minutes long.
- When 7 or more competitors are present at the start of the event, the drivers will be divided into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A drivers will compete in the C5 Corvette in the first race, and in the Mazda Roadster in the second race. Group B drivers will take the Mazda in race one, and the Corvette in race two. Drivers will be assigned to one group or another during the driver's meeting by the race organizer. The group assignments are not appealable. The organizer uses a random draw that considers past pairings to balance who competes with whom over the course of the season.
- When 6 or fewer competitors are present at the start of the event, each race will be single class. Race one will be in the C5 Corvette, and race two will be in the Mazda Roadster.
- Tire wear: x1
- Fuel consumption: x1
4. Series Specific Rules
4.1. Starts
This series will use Gran Turismo's standing starts. False start detection is disabled. There will be no class split for the starting grid.
4.2. Circuit Selection
Circuits will be selected by the series organizer. The circuit will be announced when the room opens for practice. The circuit will be a real-world circuit, no fantasy tracks will be used. All competition will be on paved circuits only; dirt and snow tracks are right out. The organizer warrants the circuits will be selected randomly and announced immediately prior to the event, and that the organizer will NOT have any advance knowledge of the circuit selection.
Each evening's event venue will be selected from the following real-world circuits: Tsukuba Circuit, Sugo Circuit, Daytona International Speedway, Red Bull Ring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Fuji Speedway, Willow Springs Big Willow, Watkins Glen, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Autopolis International Racing Course, Brands Hatch, Suzuka Circuit, Autródromo de Interlagos, Goodwood, Mount Panorama, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, and Nürburgring (excludes all Nordschleiffe variants). Unless specifically indicated, all variants of a given circuit are eligible.
Each listed circuit is eligible to be used once during each season. This extends to any variant of a given circuit. For example, if Watkins Glen Short Course were to be selected for an event, then Watkins Glen Long Course would not be eligible for selection until the next season.
4.3. Circuit Conditions
- Slipstream: Realistic
- Boost: Off
- Mechanical Damage: Light
- Tire Wear: x1
- Fuel Consumption: x1
- Grip Reduction: Real
- Shortcut Penalty: Off
- Wall collision penalty: Off
- Car contact penalty: Off
- Pit lane line-cutting penalty: Off
- Flag rules: On
- Weather: Random
4.4. Full Course Yellow
4.4.1. Purpose
Full Course Yellow (FCY) is a procedure used to temporarily stop racing in order to reset the effects of an incident involving multiple competitors.
4.4.2. Procedure
A Full Course Yellow is declared by any competitor at any time in response to an on-track incident involving multiple vehicles by saying "Yellow, Yellow, Yellow" in the group chat.
When a Full Course Yellow (FCY) is declared, all competitors will stop racing, maintain their track position, form a single file, and reduce speed to between 45 and 55 mph (70-85kph). The leader assumes the role of the pace car, and all other competitors will form up on the leader and circulate at the pace established by the leader.
Class split: When a race includes multiple classes, when the field forms on the de facto safety car, all Mazda drivers must move to the right side of the pavement to make room for the Corvettes to safely overtake. The leading Mazda will then form up on the last place Corvette and rejoin the field.
Competitors must maintain the pace established by the leader until a restart has been declared at which point racing may be resumed. The driver responsible for the incident will be moved to the back of their class. It is expected that drivers will own-up to their mistakes. Other driver(s) involved in the incident may retake the position in which they were running at the time of the incident.
Restarts are declared by the last place driver only after the entire field has reformed in single file behind the leader/safety car. The last place driver will say "Go, Go, Go" or "Green, Green, Green", at which point all competitors may resume racing at full speed. The last place driver may signal the restart at any point on the circuit.
4.4.3. Disputes
In the event no driver is willing to voluntarily take incident responsibility, all drivers involved will be moved to the back of the field. Furthermore, a post-race investigation will be conducted by the series organizer and penalties may be assessed as appropriate. The series organizer's decision is final and may not be appealed.
4.4.4. Limitations
FCYs may only be called when two or more competitors are involved in a single incident. FCYs will not be called for single car incidents. In other words, if you take yourself out, sucks to be you. If you get taken out, you deserve a second chance. At least one full lap of green flag racing must be completed between successive FCY requests. FCY requests may not be made in the last 3 minutes (timed races), and/or the final lap of the race.
5. Championship Points
5.1. Format of the night
5.1.1. Single-class and class-split nights
The groups are drawn just before the first qualifying session. Every driver present before qualifying begins is included in the draw. The number of drivers in the draw sets the format. A night with 6 or fewer drivers is a single-class night. All drivers race the C5 in Race 1 and the MX-5 in Race 2. A night with 7 or more drivers is a class-split night.
5.1.2. Event Format
The format is fixed once set. Drivers who arrive or leave after the draw do not change the format. A seventh driver arriving for Race 2 does not turn a single-class night into a class-split night.
5.1.3. Class-split nights
Drivers are divided into two groups, A and B. Group A drives the C5 in Race 1 and the MX-5 in Race 2. Group B does the reverse. Every driver therefore drives both cars. Both classes are on track together, and each class is scored separately.
5.1.4. Group draw
Groups are drawn at random by the event organizer, but the draw is tuned to even out who ends up with whom as the season goes on. Over the season, each driver should face every other driver about equally often. Pairings are not protestable.
5.1.5. Late arrivals
A driver who arrives after qualifying has begun is not in the draw. On a class-split night, they always join Group A. On a single-class night, they join the class. A late arrival is a competitor from the first race they join, and is not counted in any earlier race. Each race is scored from its own field (section 5.2.), so a late arrival changes only the races they join.
5.1.6. Departures
A driver who leaves after Race 1 does not change the format or the field size, and is counted as a DNS in Race 2. A driver in the draw who takes the green flag in neither race is not a competitor that night and is not counted in the field.
5.2. Definitions
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Competitor | A driver who took the green flag in at least one of the night's two races. A competitor counts in both races, in the class they were assigned to (by the draw, or Group A for a late arrival). DNF and DNS drivers are still competitors. |
| DNF | A competitor who took the green flag but did not finish, as shown on the Gran Turismo results display. A DNF is classified behind every finisher. |
| DNS | A competitor who did not take the green flag in a given race. This happens when a driver leaves after Race 1 (a DNS in Race 2), or arrives for Race 2 (counted as a DNS in Race 1). A driver is never a DNS in both races. A DNS scores zero points, is classified behind every DNF, and is beaten by every competitor who took the green flag in their class. |
| Class size (C) | The number of competitors in one class in one race, including DNF and DNS drivers. |
| Field (N) | The night's attendance: the number of competitors. It is the same in both races, because a driver who misses one race counts as a DNS in it. |
| Average class size (A) | On a class-split night, N ÷ 2 (it may be a half number such as 7.5). On a single-class night, N. |
| Classification | Each class's finishing order, taken from the Gran Turismo race results display: finishers in order, then DNF drivers, then DNS drivers. |
| Beaten | A competitor is beaten by every competitor classified ahead of them in their class. |
Wherever these rules say "rounded", round to the nearest whole point, with halves rounded up.
5.3. Race score
A driver's score for a race, in the class they drove, is the total of these six items.
Race score = Position points + Podium bonus + Starting points
+ Field-size bonus + Pole bonus + Fastest-lap bonus
5.3.1. Position points
Position points = round( 10 × (A − 1) × B ÷ (C − 1) )
A = average class size (section 2)
B = number of competitors in the driver's class that the driver beat
C = class size (competitors in the driver's class)
A driver who beats everyone in their class earns the maximum, 10 × (A − 1). A driver who beats half the class earns half of it. If a class has only one competitor, no position points are awarded.
5.3.2. Podium bonus
The classified first, second and third finishers in each class earn 15, 10 and 5 points. A driver must beat at least one competitor to earn it. A DNF earns no podium bonus.
5.3.3. Starting points
Every competitor who took the green flag earns 10 points, whether or not they finish.
5.3.4. Field-size bonus
On a class-split night, every competitor who took the green flag earns:
Field-size bonus = round( 1.25 × N ) per race
The bonus is the same for everyone on the night. Single-class nights have no field-size bonus.
5.3.5. Pole bonus
Each race has one pole position: the fastest qualifier in the qualifying session that sets that race's grid, across the whole field. That driver earns 5 points in that race. Pole is not awarded per class.
5.3.6. Fastest-lap bonus
Each race has one fastest lap: the fastest race lap set by any driver in the whole field. That driver earns 5 points in that race. Fastest lap is not awarded per class.
5.4. Points per race by finishing position
Each row shows Position points + Podium bonus + Starting points + Field-size bonus for a driver who took the green flag. Add 5 for pole or 5 for fastest lap where earned. The tables show the usual case, with every driver in the draw competing in both races and the groups as even as possible. When a late arrival changes the field or the class sizes, the scoring spreadsheet recalculates the night from the formulas in section 3. If a table and the formulas disagree, the formulas govern.
5.4.1. Class-split nights (field of 7 or more)
| Field (N) | Class size | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 4 | 59 | 46 | 32 | 19 | ||||
| 7 | 3 | 59 | 42 | 19 | |||||
| 8 | 4 | 65 | 50 | 35 | 20 | ||||
| 9 | 5 | 71 | 57 | 44 | 30 | 21 | |||
| 9 | 4 | 71 | 54 | 38 | 21 | ||||
| 10 | 5 | 78 | 63 | 48 | 33 | 23 | |||
| 11 | 6 | 84 | 70 | 56 | 42 | 33 | 24 | ||
| 11 | 5 | 84 | 68 | 52 | 35 | 24 | |||
| 12 | 6 | 90 | 75 | 60 | 45 | 35 | 25 | ||
| 13 | 7 | 96 | 82 | 68 | 54 | 44 | 35 | 26 | |
| 13 | 6 | 96 | 80 | 64 | 48 | 37 | 26 | ||
| 14 | 7 | 103 | 88 | 73 | 58 | 48 | 38 | 28 | |
| 15 | 8 | 109 | 95 | 80 | 66 | 57 | 48 | 38 | 29 |
| 15 | 7 | 109 | 93 | 77 | 62 | 51 | 40 | 29 | |
| 16 | 8 | 115 | 100 | 85 | 70 | 60 | 50 | 40 | 30 |
5.4.2. Single-class nights (field of 6 or fewer, no field-size bonus)
A single-class night can have more than 6 competitors if late arrivals join after the format is set, so the table runs to the 16-car limit. With one class, A = C = N, so position points are simply 10 for each competitor beaten. Read down the column for the field (N) in that race.
| Place | N=3 | N=4 | N=5 | N=6 | N=7 | N=8 | N=9 | N=10 | N=11 | N=12 | N=13 | N=14 | N=15 | N=16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 | 55 | 65 | 75 | 85 | 95 | 105 | 115 | 125 | 135 | 145 | 155 | 165 | 175 |
| 2 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 | 160 |
| 3 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 55 | 65 | 75 | 85 | 95 | 105 | 115 | 125 | 135 | 145 |
| 4 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 130 | |
| 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | 120 | ||
| 6 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | 110 | |||
| 7 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 100 | ||||
| 8 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | |||||
| 9 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | |||||||
| 11 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | ||||||||
| 12 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | |||||||||
| 13 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | ||||||||||
| 14 | 10 | 20 | 30 | |||||||||||
| 15 | 10 | 20 | ||||||||||||
| 16 | 10 |
5.4.3. Worked examples
A normal night. A class-split night with 7 drivers (N = 7) has classes of 4 and 3, so A = 3.5, and the field-size bonus is round(1.25 × 7) = round(8.75) = 9. A driver finishes second in the class of 4, beating 2 of the 3 other competitors:
Position points: round(10 × 2.5 × 2 ÷ 3) = round(16.67) = 17 Podium bonus (second place): 10 Starting points: 10 Field-size bonus: 9 Race score: 46, plus 5 each for pole or fastest lap if earned.
A late arrival. The draw for a night has 7 drivers, with Group A at 3 and Group B at 4. An eighth driver arrives after Race 1 has started and joins Group A for Race 2. Race 1 is scored as it was run, with a field of N = 7 and classes of 3 and 4. A driver who finished second in the class of 3 earns 42 points, as in the table, and nothing about the late arrival changes that. Race 2 has a field of N = 8 and classes of 4 and 4, so its payouts come from the N = 8, class size 4 row. A driver who finishes second in Race 2 earns 50 points.
An early departure. A night has 8 drivers (classes of 4 and 4). One driver leaves after Race 1. In Race 2 they are a DNS: they score nothing, but the 3 other drivers in their class each beat them. The winner of that class beats all 3 other competitors and scores 65 points, the same as in any other class of 4 on a field of 8.
5.5. Class standings
5.5.1. Two championships
There is one championship for each class. A driver's points in a class are the race scores from the races they drove in that class.
5.5.2. Drops
Drops are single races. In each class standing, a driver's single lowest race score is excluded from their class total. A race a driver did not take part in scores zero and may be dropped.
5.5.3. Tie-breaks
Drivers tied on points in a class are separated by their number of first-place finishes in that class, then second-place finishes, then third, fourth, fifth and sixth. All of a driver's results in the class count, including dropped races. Drivers still tied after sixth place share the position.