New Winter 2027 Series: Spec 5
We're going to try something completely different this year: multi-class racing!
The C5 Corvettes from the '26 season will be joined by the Mazda Spirit Racing Roadster 12R '25. Look at the full rule set for details, and then check the race schedule.
What's changing
Next season, every race night uses two cars, the Corvette C5 and the Mazda Spirit Racing Roadster 12R '25, and every driver gets to drive both each night.
Until now we've run one make per season and three 25-minute races an evening. The new format drops that to two races a night, 40 minutes each, and each in a different car. The two classes run on track together, but each class keeps its own results and its own championship.
I'm planning around eight events, with one or two drop rounds. Turnout has swung between 4 and 14 drivers over the years, and the format is built to handle that range.
What's the Same
The night's track is still randomly chosen from the set of real-world circuits in GT7 just before the room opens, and a given location will only be visited once during the season. Room still opens at 9:30pm for practice, driver's meeting at 9:55pm, qualifying starts at 10:00pm. A second qualifying session follows race 1. We'll continue to have short breaks between track sessions (typically 5-7 minutes).
The C5 uses the same rule set as last season. The Mazda gets sport soft tires, and nothing else.
Full course yellow rules remain, but we'll do a class split before going green. Drivers will score points in each class they run in each night. The ever coveted DDRS Race Winner stickers will still be handed out!
How the groups are drawn
Each night's groups are drawn at random from whoever shows, but the draw is tuned to even out who ends up with whom as the season goes on. Over the season, you should face every other driver about equally often.
Small turnout. With six or fewer drivers, we skip the split. Everyone drives the C5 in race 1 and the MX-5 in race 2, and the night is scored as two separate single class races. With seven or more drivers, we split into two classes.
Points
You score for the drivers you beat: 10 points for every starter in your class you finish ahead of, plus bonuses for the podium, pole and fastest lap.
- Beating people: 10 points for each starter in your class that you finish ahead of.
- Podium bonus: +15 for the win, +10 for second, +5 for third.
- Showing up: 10 points for starting the race, even if you don't finish.
- Fastest Qualifying Lap: 5 points, awarded to the fastest driver overall in each qualifying session.
- Fastest Race Lap: 5 points, awarded to the fastest driver overall in each race.
Beating seven drivers is worth far more than beating two, which is the point. Here is what finishing position is worth at different group sizes:
| Finish | 3 drivers | 4 drivers | 5 drivers | 6 drivers | 7 drivers | 8 drivers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 45 | 55 | 65 | 75 | 85 | 95 |
| 2nd | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 |
| 3rd | 15 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 55 | 65 |
| 4th | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | |
| 5th | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | ||
| 6th | 10 | 20 | 30 | |||
| 7th | 10 | 20 | ||||
| 8th | 10 |
Pole and fastest lap are not included in the table. A bigger group pays more, so a full night is worth more than a thin one. Points are based on the drivers who start the race. A driver who retires (DNF) counts as a starter and ranks behind every finisher. A driver who doesn't start (DNS) is not a starter, ranks behind everyone, and scores nothing.
Championships and drops
There are two championships, one for each car, and your points go to the class you were driving when you earned them.
Because everyone drives both cars each night, every driver ends up in both standings. I'd also like to publish a combined table that adds the two together, so the whole field has a single ranking. It costs nothing extra to keep.
With about eight events, we drop one or two races. Drops are single races: in each class standing, your lowest-scoring race comes off the total (your two lowest, if we go with two drops).