Sprint Series Rules
The following rules govern the DDRS Sprint Race Series. The Supplemental Regulations for an event may alter these rules as needed. In the event of a discrepancy, the event's Supplemental Regulations will take precedence.
Driver Conduct
GT7 has screwed the pooch with respect to track limits and contact. Drivers are expected to respect track limits at all times. Repeated violations will be adjudicated post race and may result in assessment of penalties.
Drivers are reminded that racing is a non-contact sport. Drivers may not advance their position through contact with others. Drivers engaged in contact resulting in position change are expected to self-reset to the pre-contact order at earliest opportunity. Drivers may advance position as a result of contact in which they were not involved. All contact is subject to post race investigation and may result in assessment of penalties.
Stewards of the meet may investigate race incidents using in-car video after the racing event has concluded, and may assign penalties as deemed appropriate. Penalties may include loss of time, loss of position, loss of series points, grid spot penalties, suspensions, bans, or any combination thereof.
Eligible Cars
Technical Specifications
The DDRS Series is a "Spec" series. All competitors in all races in a given season series will use the same car. See the applicable season series specifications for details on which car is used in a given series, and there technical specificatioms. Currently homologated DDRS cars are:
Tires
All sport compounds will be on offer. You must run all three compounds during the event. You may run any compound in any of the three races, so long as you use each compound only once. The tire compound you use in qualifying MUST be the compound you use in Race 1. Tire wear will be turned off. (The tire manufacturer has graciously provided a set of compounds that are expected to have lifetimes that well exceed the length of the races, so tire wear is simply turned off.) You may not change tire compounds during the course of a race or qualifying session. You may freely change compounds during the approximately 30 minutes of practice available before the qualifying session begins. You must select your Race 1 compound before entering the track for qualifying, and you may not then change your tire compound until Race 1 is completed.
Drivers will declare their tire compounds before qualifying and before races 2 and 3. Drivers will be polled in order and will make their tire election known to the field. Once a driver declares their tire compound for a given session, they may not make changes. Driver order for qualifying/race 1 will be in championship points order, points leader selecting their compound first. Driver order for races 2 and 3 will be based on finishing order from the prior race, with the prior race winner selecting first.
Wrong Compound
Drivers that begin a race on a compound other than their declared compound must announce their error over the group chat as soon as the error is discovered. If the discovery is made before the end of the first lap of racing, the race may be restarted after the driver changes their tire compound to the correct compound. If the discovery is made after the first lap is complete, the driver must pit and change tires before the completion of the third lap of the race. If the driver fails to mount the correct compound before the completion of their third lap of racing, they will be moved to last place in the race results. Competitors that fail to disclose the incorrect compound selection will be disqualified from the race, and receive no series points for that race. No points will be awarded to the driver for leading a lap while on the incorrect tire compound. If the driver turns the fastest lap of the race while on the incorrect compound, no fastest lap bonus will be awarded to any driver.
Exceptions
A driver that fails to start a race ("DNS"), and thus gains no points for the race, will not be required to use all three compounds on offer for the remaining races in the event. The driver will still be required to use a different compound in each of the remaining races in which they compete during that event.
Fuel
All drivers may be subject to random fuel testing throughout the event. Fuel consumption will be turned off however, so the technical inspectors should have no trouble drawing a fuel sample if needed.
Ballast
Except for the first race of round 1, success ballast will be awarded before each and every race. For the first race of each meeting, the success ballast is based on your standing in the championship series. For races 2 and 3, your success ballast will be based on the results of the prior race. Success ballast is NOT cumulative. You should consult the vehicle specification pages for exact ballast amounts.
Ballast weights specify the minimum weight for your car. You are free to add more ballast if you want.
Appearance
DDRS competitors are required to carry the following design elements on their cars:
- DDRS Number Plate/Number Ball: The DDRS number ball must appear on each car, and shall contain the car's official number. The plate shall appear once each on the driver's door and the front passenger's door.
- DDRS Windshield Banner: The DDRS windshield banner shall appear on all cars presented for DDRS competition. Unless otherwise specified, the windshield banner will be displayed on an entirely white banner background.
The size and rotation of required livery elements are unique for each vehicle and will be noted in the vehicle specific regulations. Required livery elements are to appear as the upper-most layer in any multi-layered designs.
All DDRS competition vehicles shall have substantially unique appearance. For purposes of determining uniqueness, the paint color will not be considered. The determination is based on decal choice and placement, and overall car appearance.
Championship
Points
Points will be awarded as follows:
| Position | Points | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 20 | 9th | 7 |
| 2nd | 17 | 10th | 6 |
| 3rd | 15 | 11th | 5 |
| 4th | 13 | 12th | 4 |
| 5th | 11 | 13th | 3 |
| 6th | 10 | 14th | 2 |
| 7th | 9 | 15th | 1 |
| 8th | 8 | 16th | 0 |
+1 point for pole position for Race 1.
+1 point for fastest race lap each race.
+1 point for leading a lap in each race.
No points will be awarded for DNS (did not start), DNF (did not finish), or DQ (disqualified) drivers.
Standings
Points for each race, plus bonuses, will be totalled to determine the overall championship standings. In the case of ties, preference will be given to the driver with the highest overall finishing positions.
Event Organization
Schedule
Unless otherwise indicated by the specific event's supplemental regulations, event schedule is as follows (all times based on Eastern time zone except where indicated):
- 9:30PM (6:30PM Pacific): Race lobby and chat rooms will open.
- 9:55PM: Driver's meeting. Drivers to declare qualifying/race 1 tire compound, and will receive their ballast.
- 10:00PM: Qualifying, approximately 10 minutes, followed by sprint races. There will be a brief 5-minute break before the start of each race.
- After race 3: Podium ceremony and hospitality party.
Chat
In order to facilitate clean and respectful racing, all drivers must be in the host's chat room during this event. Allowances for extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.
Timing and Scoring
The Gran Turismo "live timing" screen shall be the primary source for determining qualifying order for race 1 of each meeting.