PC AOR ACC GT3 League - League Rules - Season 4

[HaiCo]

This thread contains all of the rules which apply to racing in the AOR ACC Leagues. Our rules are in place to help us maintain clean and fair racing in the league, and these must be respected and followed by all drivers.

Important Links:
● Stewards Panel
● Sign Up Thread
● League information
● Race Calendar

League Rules
Our rules are designed to promote clean and fair racing in the league. In short, driving cleanly means no corner cutting or track extending to gain time, and no contact with other cars. We understand that mistakes and accidents can happen, but as a driver in our league, you are required to do your very best to ensure clean racing at all times. The rules also include guidelines for general behaviour and league participation.

The coordinators have the right to change the rules if this is deemed necessary due to major game updates/changes.

Click the titles below or scroll down to see a specific section of the rules.

1. Racing Rules
1.1 Clean Racing
1.2 Overtaking
1.3 Defending
1.4 Corner Cutting/Track Extending
1.5 Qualifying Etiquette
1.6 Spacial Awareness
1.7 Pit Exit and Pit Entry

2. On-Track Regulations
2.1 Being lapped
2.2 Pit Stops
2.3 Driving in different conditions
2.4 Return to Pit box
2.5 In-game Disqualification
2.6 Widget formation lap/start

3. General Behavior
3.1 Communication
3.2 Lobby etiquette
3.3 Race etiquette
3.4 Rage-quitting
3.5 Forum activity

4. Participation
4.1 Completing a race
4.2 Missing races
4.3 Connection & Lag
4.4 Pulling out mid-season

5. Rule Enforcement
5.1 Saving Replays
5.2 Stewards Panel
5.3 Race Penalties
5.4 Drivers License Penalties
5.5 Reprimand System
5.6 Blacklist

 

[HaiCo]

1. Racing Rules

1.1 Clean racing

1.1.1
● Race cleanly at all times. No contact should occur between cars on track, and as a driver you are required to do your best to avoid this from happening. Accidents can happen, but if you are at fault for causing a collision, you are likely to be penalised.

1.1.2
● Deliberately crashing into another car will result in being permanently excluded from the league.

1.1.3
● If lag (connection issues) is the cause of an incident, when it is obvious that your car's lag is the cause of another driver going off, this would still be classed as an unfair overtake. Please be more careful around other drivers if you are regularly involved in lag-related incidents.

1.2 Overtaking

● Don't be too aggressive when trying to overtake. As the chasing car, it is generally your responsibility to not make contact with the car in front.


1.3 Defending

1.3.1
● Excessive weaving and blocking is not allowed. As soon as a driver is in striking distance behind you, you are supposed to choose and stick to one line. When defending from another car, choose a line on the track and stick to it. Do not force a chasing car off the track by leaving it too little room. If the attacking car is alongside you going into a corner (generally if the attacking car's front wheels is alongside or ahead of the defending car's rear wheels), you must adjust your line to avoid contact.

1.3.2
● Do not leave it too late to defend a move. Make your move clearly and fairly. If you move too late and the car behind has no time to react, it is not them who will be blamed.


1.4 Corner cutting/track extending

1.4.1
● Stay within the track boundaries with at least two tyres at all times. The track boundaries are defined in game.
Cutting corners, or extending the track, to gain an advantage is not allowed. Drivers found to be persistently breaking this rule will be penalised retrospectively.

1.4.2
● If you overtake another driver with all four wheels off track, or as a consequence of cutting a corner, you must slow down and give the position back.

1.4.3
● The odd misjudgement of a corner can happen, but if you accidentally gain an advantage by going outside the track limits without getting a warning by the game, you are expected to back off to an extent that clearly negates any advantage gained. Failing to do this puts you at the risk of being penalised in game, however if it fails to penalise you, an inquiry can be opened for the stewards to review.

1.4.4
● If a driver is reported to the stewards for a breach of this rule, it is up to the stewards' discretion as to whether they feel the driver has abused the track limits to an extent where a penalty is justified, and if so what type of penalty is appropriate to be handed out. This will depend on the severity and frequency of the cuts. The bottom line is, if you want to make sure you are not in danger of being awarded a stewards penalty, make sure you don't gain time from leaving the track limits throughout qualifying and the race.


1.5 Qualifying etiquette

1.5.1
● In qualifying, it is your own responsibility to find free space on the track when starting a hot lap. A car on a hot lap does not have to yield for a faster car approaching from behind. If you are on an in- or out-lap, however, you have to let faster cars pass you without blocking them. If you are on a fast lap approaching a slow car, flashing your lights is a way of notifying them that you're on a fast lap.


1.6 Spacial Awareness

1.6.1
● If you spin off whilst the pack is close, rejoining the track immediately is ill-advised. You do not ghost and you will cause accidents. Staying still is the best option until the other cars have avoided you. It is far easier to avoid a stationary obstacle.

1.6.2
● If you go off the track, rejoin in a manner that is both safe and in no way a danger to other competitors.

1.6.3
● Using the in-game spotter, an external app like the crew chief or at least having the proximity arrows enabled is strongly advised. This helps the drivers to be aware of their surroundings.

1.7 Pit exit and pit entry

1.7.1
● Cars on a qualifying hot lap have the right of way, cars that reset to the pit during qualifying must let the hot lap cars through before entering the track.
● During the race, cars exiting the pits have the right of way and must be allowed to exit back onto the track. During the race, do not cut off the pit exit when a car is leaving the pit lane.

1.7.2
● You are only allowed to ignore the pit entry and pit exit line if you don't create a dangerous situation. This means that on the start/finish straight, you are allowed to cross the white pit lane lines (when not performing a pit stop), but you should make sure you don't endanger other drivers.

 

[HaiCo]

2. On-Track Regulations

2.1 Being lapped

2.1.1
● We are running with the in-game rules & flags system, which means that the game should alert you with a blue flag when you are about to be lapped. When receiving a blue flag or know that a car is going to lap you and is approaching from behind, you should let them past safely and without interfering with their race.
In single class races, this is done best by the car that is being shown a blue flag moving off the racing line and easing on the accelerator on a straight, or lifting/braking early, and/or giving up the corner and racing line to let the lapping car pass. Blatantly refusing to let the car behind pass you, will most likely result in a penalty. Tight corners and chicanes are not considered safe places to let a car through. Also, you can see if the driver is a lap higher than you by looking at the relative board - the driver’s name will be highlighted by an orange colour, instead of a regular white name.

2.1.2
● As a means of helping with blue flags, we advise the leaders to flash their lights at cars due to be lapped. This should not be done excessively. This is their cue to inform that the driver on the lead lap is about to pass the driver being lapped, and should let the lapping car pass at the next safe available opportunity.

Flashing your lights at a competitor you are racing for position is not to be used as a "distraction technique" or in anger at an incident.

2.1.3
● If you are going faster than a car that has lapped you, do not attempt to unlap yourself unless it is safe to do so and doesn't hinder the car in front. Do not go for a dive bomb on the inside. The lapped car should refrain from overtaking the car in front unless the car in front clearly surrenders the ideal racing line and doesn't defend the position.

2.2 Pit stops

2.2.1
● Stay within the white line and obey the speed limit when entering and exiting the pit lane. If you cause a dangerous situation by crossing the pit entrance or exit line, or if this is done in a way that blatantly gains time or track position, you will be penalised. Remember to assign your pit limiter button as well. The speed limit line is enforced by ACC.

2.2.2
● A pit stop with tire change is mandatory in every 60 minutes race, refueling will not be allowed. Every driver will have the ability to make their own choice on when to pit similar to the in-game Competition Races.

● A pit stop is mandatory in every 90 minutes race, but changing tires and/or adding fuel are not requirements.

2.2.3
● A pit stop must be served after the official widget start and earliest at the end of lap 1. A pit stop must also be served before the final lap of a race. This takes into account the potential for having been lapped. Failing to observe this rule will cause a race DSQ.

2.3 Driving in different conditions

2.3.1
● For races that take place at night time, all drivers are required to have their headlights on in order to make your car visible to others, and to make the road more visible for you. If you're involved in an accident which damages both of your headlights, you must return to the pits immediately for repairs. Please also make sure you have a button assigned to turn the headlights on.

2.3.1.1
● The above rule about having headlights on also applies to running in the fog and in the rain.

2.3.1.2
● During rainy conditions, having the rain lights turned on is mandatory.

2.3.2
● For races with rain or a chance of rain, please make sure you have a button assigned to turn the wipers on, or have the auto-wipers feature turned on.

2.4 Return to pit box

● If at any point in qualifying you want to return to the pit box, please do this off-track or manually drive to the pits.

2.5 In-Game Disqualification

● If you are disqualified from the race in-game and you feel it's unfair, submit your full race replay to the stewards. If we feel that the disqualification was justified, it will remain. However if we feel that the disqualification was unfair, or a result of a game glitch, then you will be classified as the last finisher and score full points for that position. In case you get disqualified when coming across the finish-line, you can be put back to your original finishing position.

2.6 Widget formation lap/start

● Drivers are at all times supposed to strictly follow the instructions given by the in-game widget.
● Drive through penalties awarded by the game will not be reverted.

 

[HaiCo]

3. General Behaviour

3.1 Communication

3.1.1
● There will be a driver briefing done by the coordinators in the AOR Discord channels before races. If you wish to participate and listen you are welcome. If you do not wish to participate, you can read the driver briefing done by the coordinator in the in-game chat as the coordinator will write this in the in-game chat as well. During the driver briefing, it is not allowed for regular to write in the in-game chat. Not being up to date due to not attending a briefing or reading the chat, cannot be used as an excuse.

3.1.2
● Once qualifying has started, drivers are expected to not use their microphone on Discord until the race has ended (for all drivers). Only coordinators are allowed to speak up when vital information needs to be shared with all drivers. Not obeying this rule may result in a penalty.

3.1.3
● Once qualifying has started, drivers are expected to no longer use the in-game chat function until the race has ended (for all drivers). Not obeying this rule may result in a penalty. It is advised to have the in-game chat pop-ups enabled, so messages written by the coordinators are being read.

PC leagues have access to the Discord server, which acts as one of the official communication platforms in AOR.

3.2 Lobby etiquette

3.2.1
● Shouting, name-calling and generally speaking rudely is not acceptable. Drivers who are a disruptive influence on the lobby atmosphere will be penalised accordingly, or in extreme cases removed from the league.

3.2.2
● Respect the other drivers. Keep a friendly atmosphere in the race lobby and treat your fellow drivers as equals, regardless of them being quicker or slower than you.

3.2.3
● Respect the League Coordinator. Listen if he is giving a message, and accept the decisions he makes. If you feel any actions/decisions are wrong, address the issue calmly and maturely. Coordinators' decisions are final within the lobby, but may be reviewed later if you feel an error has been made. Please accept that making a call instantly can be tricky and the Coordinator, even if participating in the race, is expected to be entirely neutral.

3.3 Race etiquette

3.3.1
● If you are involved in an on-track incident, don't overreact. It may be frustrating, but you need to stay calm and get on with it. Losing out due to another driver's mistake or recklessness is no excuse for retaliation or acting against the rules.

3.3.2
● If another driver does something you feel is against the rules, report it to the Stewards Panel after the race rather than argue about it over the voice chat or in the forums post race.

3.3.3
● If you are having a bad race, don't act foolishly. As a driver, you have to accept that some races will be better than others and you can't always have it your way. If you are unable to enjoy the racing due to not always being at the front, this is not the place for you - there are many drivers in the league, and someone will always have to be at the back.

3.3.4
● Wait until everyone has finished the session, both qualifying and race, to discuss the race either on Discord or using the in-game chat.

3.3.5
● The cool down lap is part of the race event and therefore the same rules are being applied. Crashing into each other is not allowed during the cool down lap or any other particular time during the race event.

3.3.6
● Penalties will be applied to drivers who knowingly take out brake marker boards and other signs that could be used as reference points.

3.4 Rage-quitting

3.4.1
● Deliberately quitting the race in any way - whether that is by quitting through the pause menu, getting yourself disqualified or deliberately crashing your car - is not allowed, unless you have a very good reason to do so. Accepted reasons for quitting could be that you are a danger to other drivers on track due to poor driving or connection issues. Quitting because you "couldn't be bothered" or due to being angry at something - rage-quitting, in other words - are not good reasons.

3.4.1.1
● Excuses such as 'poor driving' and 'connection issues' will be monitored. These are not a get-out of jail free cards if you can't be bothered. Poor driving is occasional, if perhaps life has been unkind and you haven't had as much time to practice. However, turning up each week having not practiced, and therefore not enjoying your racing because you're struggling will see you put under review. We don't expect every driver to complete a certain amount of practice each week, but we expect you to be able to control your car and be safe on track. Also the more practice you do, the more competitive you are.

3.4.1.2
● Connection issues can strike anybody, but drivers who are continually unable to race safely due to connection will be removed from the league - see Connection and Lag under Participation.

3.4.1.3
● Repeatedly quitting the race before it has finished, gives the coordinator of that split the freedom to remove you from the league. This may also mean that you will not be accepted in the league for the next season.

3.5 Forum activity

3.5.1
● You need to be an active member on the AOR forum while being a driver in our leagues. We aren't forcing you to make several posts every day, but we prefer drivers who are involved with the community. We will occasionally check how long it has been since a driver has been logged into his forum account - if you have been inactive on the forum for a long period of time, you may be removed from the league.

3.5.2
● You are also expected to behave in a respectful manner on the forum, like in the race lobbies. Please avoid name-calling, baiting and other behaviour that is intended to aggravate other members of the community.

 

[HaiCo]

4. Participation

4.1 Completing races

4.1.1
● To be eligible for being classified points after a race, you must have completed at least 70% of the race. The amount of laps the winner of the race drove, is considered to be 100%.

4.1.2
● Each driver's championship points will be calculated by summing up his/her eight best results of the current season. In case of a driver attending just seven races - one 0 points score will be added. In case of attending just six races - two 0 points scores will be added. And so on and so forth.

4.2 Missing races

4.2.1
● If you are unable to attend a race, you have to give sufficient notice for your absence before the race starts. This is done by informing your tier's coordinator of your situation, either by sending him a private message or by making a post in the race thread on the forum. It is your responsibility to make sure the coordinator gets your message.

4.2.2
● When informing the coordinator of your absence, a proper reason must be given for why you can't attend. No-showing a race because you don't like the track, because you "can't be bothered", or other similar reasons are not accepted and you position in the league will be put under review immediately. If your social life/work/school is taking up more time than you anticipated then we may consider a reserve role for you. Ultimately we can also decide that it's best if you withdraw from the league completely. Drivers are required to regularly race on race day as part of the sign-up process.

4.2.3
● When informing the coordinator of your absence, it must be you who contacts the coordinator, not a friend or fellow member of the tier. Additionally, sufficient notice should be given. For example, 15 minutes before the lobby is set up is not sufficient notice. Letting the coordinator know after the race will be marked down as uninformed absence unless an acceptable reason is given.

4.2.4
● If you are absent without informing your league coordinator more than twice, the coordinator of your tier can decide to remove you from the league. This may also result in not being allowed to join the following season(s). See rule 4.3.1.

4.2.5
● The official starting time of a race will be stated in the race thread of every race. If everything goes according to plan, races start at this official starting time. In case of a race starting earlier or later than the official starting time, a coordinator will let all drivers of the split know. For Season 4, the official starting time is 7:30pm UK time.

4.2.6
● Getting another driver to race in your name is completely prohibited and will result in serious punishment.

4.3 Connection & Lag

4.3.1
● It's an unfortunate aspect of online racing that having a stable connection can be critical to being able to race closely with other cars. While we understand that not everyone can have perfect connections, and that occasional lag can't be avoided, we reserve the right to ask a driver to step down from the league if their connection is causing too many issues for other drivers.

4.3.2
● To be accepted into a league, your connection's ping towards a Germany-located server needs to be lower than 150ms. It's also required to have an upload speed of 2Mbps and a download speed of 10Mbps. You can test this here.

4.4 Pulling out mid-season

4.4.1
● Commitment and good communications are very important on AOR. If you have to pull out of the ACC league while the season is ongoing, you must let a member of the ACC Coordinator team know. If you leave by simply not showing up for the races, without informing anyone, the coordinators reserve the right to remove you from the league and put your name on the blacklist, which means you might not be allowed to rejoin the leagues in the current and next seasons.

4.4.2
● It's impossible for us to stop anyone from leaving if they've made their mind up, but keep in mind when signing up that pulling out of the league without a proper reason while the season is ongoing will possibly see you placed on the blacklist. A proper reason would be something happening in your life that forces you to quit - something that you didn't expect when signing up - or that your equipment (hardware or lag issues) leave you unable to carry on. However, choosing to quit due to getting bored of the game, having a bad season or because something goes against you, is not a good reason. Remember, when signing up you commit yourself to racing for a full season, not only for a few races.

4.4.3
● If you find yourself in a situation where you're not enjoying your league because all other drivers are too quick or too slow compared to yourself, contact a member of the ACC Coordinators team rather than just giving up - and maybe we can find a solution. We may grant league swaps for drivers during the season if it's clear that they've been misplaced, given that this doesn't upset the balance between the leagues with regards to driver numbers.

4.4.4
● Note that the above rules only apply while the season is ongoing. We don't have a problem with drivers choosing to leave after a season has finished, for whatever reason.

 

[HaiCo]

5. Rule Enforcement

The coordinators and stewards can't possibly control all the actions of the drivers on- and off-track, but the instruments mentioned below are there to help take care of everything.

5.1 Saving Replays

As a means of helping the stewards with their inquiries, all drivers are required to save their race replays and keep it stored for at least one week after the race has taken place. If possible, it's better if you can record your race so we can see a live view of your screen, although this is not required.

5.2 Stewards Panel

The Stewards Panel forum can be used to report incidents and other rule violations that occur in a race. A proper explanation and/or evidence of the incident must be provided in order for it to be investigated. This will then be looked into by the stewards and appropriate action will be taken.

5.2.1
What you can make a stewards inquiry for:
● Racing incidents: If you feel another driver has caused an incident - eg. hitting your car, forcing you off the track, or generally driving too aggressively - you should report this to the stewards for investigation.
● Track limits: If you witness another driver persistently gaining time by abusing the track limits by either running wide or cutting corners, you should report this to the stewards for investigation.
● Dangerous driving: If a driver rejoins the track in an unsafe or dangerous manner, or drives in a way that is a danger to other cars, you should report it to the stewards.

You should report incidents that you are involved in. Reporting an incident that you heard about, or saw behind you for example, will not be accepted. This is to lower the risk of a "nit-picking" environment. Two drivers may collide, shake hands and speak no more of it. If someone goes and starts causing trouble for the sake of it, the inquiries will be closed if those involved in the incident prefer it to go no further.

Members of the @ACC Coordinator group, may open steward inquiries on any driver.

5.2.2
Time limit for inquiries: Note that inquiries need to be submitted before Thursday 23:59 PM UK time for incidents you have been involved in. If any new rule violations come to light through videos released after this time, it is still possible to report this, but only if this violation is something that was not visible to the other driver(s) in the race at the time it happened.

5.2.3
Uploading video evidence: Any video evidence submitted in a stewards inquiry must be uploaded to a video streaming site (such as YouTube and Streamable) before being embedded and/or linked to in the inquiry thread. Stewards should not have to download video files in order to watch your evidence.

The following elements, recorded from the race replay, are required in the video:
- Cockpit and Chase point of view of the driver submitting the inquiry, recorded at normal speed and with HUD activated
- Cockpit and Chase point of view of the driver who caused the incident, recorded at normal speed and with HUD activated
Any additional point of view can be added after the required elements.

If the video evidence is part of a longer video that also contains other parts of the race, a time stamp must be provided next to the video to guide the stewards to the relevant part of the video where the evidence can be found. Failing to do this may lead to the evidence being dismissed.

5.3 Race Penalties

The stewards have a variety of penalties that may be applied to punish drivers who break our racing rules, depending on the severity of the violation. The available penalties are sorted below, in order of severity and will depend on the Stewards decision. Penalty points may or may not be added to Drivers License - see further down for more details.
(Note that penalties may be added together in the event of multiple violations in a race, which could result in total time penalties of a higher number than what is suggested below)

● 0-10 race results points reduction - Causing a minor avoidable collision.
● 0-10 race results points reduction - Driving in a dangerous or unsporting manner.
● 0-20 race results points reduction - Causing a moderate avoidable collision.
● 0-35 race results points reduction - Causing a significant avoidable collision.
● 0-50 race results points reduction - Causing a major avoidable collision.

The above means that the winner of a race could receive fewer points than the driver who finished in P2. This would mean that the winner of that race was to blame for causing a collision, while the P2 finisher had a clean race.

5.3.1
Modifiers to Race Penalties

● Returning the position after an avoidable collision may result in the points deduction being reduced. Stewards encourage giving the position back or an attempt at waiting.
● Causing an avoidable incident in the opening lap may result in an increase of result points deduction.
● If the consequences of a penalty are worse or not as bad as the contact itself, the points reduction may be higher/lower than the usual punishments mentioned in the overview above.

5.4 Drivers License Penalties

The Drivers License points system is a way of keeping track of a driver's record of breaking the rules of clean racing, and to more severely punish repeat offenders. Drivers License Points will not be influenced by external circumstances related to an incident, they will only be given for the severity of an incident. Driver License Points may or may not be applied alongside race penalties, as per the list below.

● 5 points - Driving in a dangerous or unsporting manner.
● 5 points - Causing a minor avoidable collision.
● 10 points - Causing a moderate avoidable collision.
● 15 points - Causing a significant avoidable collision.
● 20 points - Causing a major avoidable collision.

5.4.1
Modifiers to Drivers License Penalties

● +5 points - Causing an avoidable incident in the opening lap

5.4.2
Clean Racing Award

● -5 points - Completing a race without any penalty. (Note: points balance won't go below 0)

IMPORTANT

If you accumulate 15 points, you will be awarded a Race Drive Through *
If you accumulate 25 points, you will be awarded a Stop&Go 30 Sec *
If you accumulate 40 points, you will be awarded a Race Ban
If you accumulate 50 points, your league status will be put under review, with the likely outcome of being removed from the league.

* Penalties will be applied by coordinators via ACC admin commands at the start of the formation lap of the next race. DT's and SG30's must be served after the race starts, not the formation lap. ACC allows three laps to serve the penalty. Drive Through and 30-second stop/go penalties, must be served after you cross the start/finish line starting your race and at the end of a race lap.

● Drivers License Penalty points will carry over to a new season

● Any penalties will be aimed at the person who has done wrong - we cannot compensate anyone else as a result of someone's actions. All penalties are discussed by the Stewards Panel (consisting of the members of the AOR ACC Team - Admins, Moderators and Coordinators - from all platforms) before being issued and the driver will always be informed of the outcome. The Stewards Panel is completely neutral and will not include anyone who may be affected by the incident in question with race results or championship points.

5.5 Reprimand system

While the race penalties and penalty points system are aimed at dealing with on-track issues, the reprimand system deals with issues that may occur off the track.

If you receive 3 reprimands, you're out. Receiving 3 reprimands would also see you placed on the blacklist, meaning you would not be allowed to return to the leagues in the future.

You can receive a reprimand for the following:
● Deliberately crashing out of the session
● Showing abusive behavior towards another driver, either in the race lobby, discord or on the forum
● Intentionally hiding/removing evidence and/or footage to avoid receiving a penalty in an inquiry
● Being inactive on the forums for a longer period of time and repeatedly failing to respond to inquiries

Note that if we encounter situations where someone's behaviour gets completely out of hand and is extremely serious, a ban may be applied directly regardless of reprimands accumulated.

5.6 Blacklist

The blacklist contains the names of drivers who have been removed from the leagues - either through accumulating 50 penalty points, due to not attending races regularly - and drivers who have left the leagues during an ongoing season with no good reason.

Having your name applied to the blacklist generally means you will not be allowed to rejoin the leagues in the current and next season.