OFFICIAL ACRL RULEBOOK
Version 2021. Revision 1.3.1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. FOREWORD
2. GENERAL CONDUCT
2.1. Driver conduct
2.2. Cheating
2.3. Discord and other communication
3. LEAGUE FORMAT
3.1. Car choice
3.2. Car class restrictions
3.3. Pre-Qualifying and server skill splits system
3.4. In-game assists
3.5. Balance of Performance (BoP)
3.6. Mandatory pit stops and requirements
4. RACE CONTROL
4.1. Discord announcements
4.2 Driver briefing
4.3. Permitted voice usage
4.4. Server voting rules
4.5. End of session rules
4.6. Race restarts
4.7. Server restarts
5. ON-TRACK RULES
5.1. Track limits
5.2 Race starts
5.3. Resetting to the pits
5.4. Pit entry and exit
5.5. Yellow flag regulations
5.6. Blue flag regulations
5.7. Qualifying etiquette
5.8. Racing etiquette
5.9. Latency and lagging drivers regulations
6. INCIDENTS AND REPORTING
7. PENALTY SYSTEM
7.1. Standard penalties
7.2. License system
1. FOREWORD
1.1. The following rules and regulations are established to promote clean, competitive, and fun racing for everyone. The moderators may choose to take action as they see fit in regard to drivers who break any rule, or act with disrespect for other drivers. The moderators will always have the final word on all actions.
1.2. The rules of the league are not strictly limited to this document or any documents on this website. The moderation team can invoke penalties or bans on individuals should they deem it necessary, for example if an individual is acting against the spirit of the rules, the league itself, or is in other ways considered harmful to the league.
1.3. By signing up to ACRL, registering for our events and attending our events, you are agreeing to our entire list of regulations set out in this document and throughout our website and discord server.
2. GENERAL CONDUCT
2.1. It is of utmost importance that in ACRL all drivers treat others with respect. This will provide cleaner racing, better discussions, and a much more welcoming league atmosphere. Due to the broad scope of this rule, infractions will be dealt with on a case by case basis with punishments being given based on the severity of each case. Examples include, but are not limited to:
⦁ Poor racing etiquette
⦁ Excessively foul/aggressive language
⦁ Insulting or personally attacking another driver
⦁ Remarks against race/gender/religion/sexual orientation etc.
This includes custom driver liveries. Nothing offensive will be tolerated (use your head!). All rules herein apply both and off the track (ACRLOnline, Reddit, Discord, etc.).
2.2. Cheating of any form will not be tolerated. If a member is found to be cheating, they will be permanently banned from the league with no chance to re-join in the future.
2.3. Heated and aggressive exchanges on the subject of on-track incidents from an ACRL race in the ACRL discord are forbidden. It is only allowed to discuss incidents in a completely civil and respectful manner in the various "Race Split" channels post race with the aim for the drivers to learn from the incident. For anything other than learning (such as calling a driver out), this act is forbidden. Discussions in the discord will be closely monitored and should they turn heated, they will be shut down as soon as possible by the moderation team with those involved given a formal warning, whereby multiple instances of this will result in discord timeouts and bans from the league should the moderation team deem it necessary. If any driver is concerned with another driver's on track behaviour, they must report this via the reporting tool on the website.
3. LEAGUE FORMAT
3.1. During any championship season in which car choice is allowed, a driver's car choice will be locked once they check-in to an event. If the driver has not yet entered a race in that specific championship (i.e. has not yet attended the official race server on race day), they can check-out of the event in order to change their choice of car, and then check-in again to re-confirm their attendance. Please note that if a driver changes their car, they will need to perform pre-qualifying in their new car in order to be included in the server entry list. Once any championship race takes place and the participant joins an official session on race day, their car choice is permanently locked in for that championship season.
3.2. Some series may have requirements for certain classes. Drivers can apply to receive a license for restricted classes, which will be released only if the driver meets certain safety, control, and competence criteria. This will involve completing "qualifying races" and proving to the moderation team that you are competent at driving the car that's used. Details of this will be explained in the driver briefing for the series in question. The moderation team are also able to revoke licenses should the driving standards and/or behaviour of a driver drop below what is required. The moderation team are also under no obligation to reinstate a driver's license after it has been revoked.
3.3. Given the large number of drivers taking part to our races, there will usually be the need to sort drivers into multiple servers. This is done via the Pre-Qualifying procedure, which is available starting on Monday during race week, until 1 hour before the official Practice session begins. The ultimate goal is to put drivers with similar skills on the same server, so the more experienced drivers can race with other drivers of their calibre, and newcomers may not feel intimidated and worried about their skills. This system ensures that everyone will always find other drivers with their same pace.
3.3.1. Pre-Qualifying servers run a configuration where both weather and track grip is fixed. This ensures a level playing field for all. Depending on the game and series, pre-qualifying servers may also included fixed fuel loads and fixed tyre choice.
3.3.2. Drivers will be evaluated according to their performance. The primary method of evaluation is a "hotlap" format, where the single fastest lap of a driver will dictate the split they will be entered into. For some race formats, for example but not limited to the ACC endurance events, we may also use a "hotstint" format to ensure drivers are also consistent over a sequence of laps and are therefore capable of entering that specific event. A hotstint is a sequence of N consecutive laps, and the average time of these laps will be required to be within a set percentage of the fastest single hotlap time set on the pre-qualy server. The number of consecutive laps required will be listed in the driver briefing for that series and/or event.
3.3.3. Only valid laps will be counted in pre-qualy. Laps where drivers have exceeded track limits will not be counted. In the case of a hotstint, a track limit infringement will invalidate the entire sequence of laps.
3.4. All factory electronic assists (the same driver aids you would find on the real car) are permitted unless otherwise specified by the moderation team. These include Traction Control (TC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), auto-blip and auto-clutch.
3.5. In series which feature more than 1 car per class (i.e. GT3, GTLM, LMP1, etc.) Balance of Performance (BoP) may be used where deemed necessary to ensure all the cars in each class have the chance to compete in a fair way against each other over the course of the season, within the limits of what is possible, and reasonable, to do in the framework of the racing simulator of choice.
3.5.1. BoP is issued on a per-series basis and the details will be communicated in the series announcement published ahead of the season. The methods for BoP are (but not strictly restricted to) as follows:
⦁ Ballast (adding weight to the car)
⦁ Air intake restrictors (reducing the power of a car)
⦁ Electric motor power/charge (in the case of hybrid engines)
3.5.2. BoP is subject to changes, even during the course of a season, should it become evident that some particular cars hold a significant advantage/disadvantage compared to others. BoP adjustments typically occur at major milestones of each series, for example the half-way point. However, the moderation team reserve the right to make changes at any time should it be deemed necessary. The moderation team will try to ensure any changes are communicated with the community well in advance.
3.6. Some series feature mandatory pit stops. Any pitstop requirements (i.e. mandatory tyre changes, driver swaps etc..) will be detailed in the driver briefings for each series. For ACC, the server will be configured appropriately for the pit stop rules for each particular event and series. For AC, we will use our server-side app to regulate this.
4. RACE CONTROL
4.1. It is required that all drivers are part of the ACRL discord server. However, it is only recommended for drivers to connect to the official voice channels during race events. This is so they can hear announcements, instructions, or sudden changes from the moderators as soon as possible, should they happen. However, we will also announce changes in the relevant text channels, therefore joining the voice channels is not strictly required.
4.2 Some series or special events have a driver briefing done via voice chat. If there is one, it will be shown on the event page. Driver briefing is held 10 minutes before the practice session starts. The briefing may be mandatory for all drivers, or only for new drivers. The event page will indicate who must attend, and logged on users will see a reminder at the top of every page for any briefings they must attend. If a driver is required to attend, the server password will not be shown on the event page for them, the only way they can get it is to attend the briefing.
4.3. Once Qualifying and Race sessions begin, all voice traffic must be kept to a minimum. Push-to-talk or a toggle mute switch is mandatory during these sessions.
4.4. Do not initiate votes to restart sessions or kick drivers as this is distracting. Additionally, if a driver is vote kicked, it causes issues server side and may require a restart. If a driver is found guilty of maliciously initiating a kick of a fellow driver, the moderators will take action and penalise the guilty individual as they see fit.
4.5. We ask that all drivers remain connected to the server until the final driver is across the line and results are officially recorded. Leaving early can run the risk of invalidating results.
4.6. There will be no race restarts as the result of incidents at the start of a race. In order to discourage drivers from excessively aggressive driving in the starting phases of a race, all time penalties will be 50% more severe if they occur during lap 1, compared to what would normally be handed out.
4.7. If in the very rare situation where a server issue occurs that causes mass disconnects within the first 20% of the race distance, the session may be restarted, or postponed in case of a severe server-side failure. Both scenarios will be carried out under the discretion of the moderation team.
5. ON-TRACK RULES
5.1. Track limit rules vary depending on what simulation is being used:
5.1.1. For Assetto Corsa Competizione, the track limits used are the default limits built into the game. We also use the default penalty system. In pre-qualifying, practice and qualifying, the game will automatically invalidate laps when a driver goes beyond the pre-set track limits. In race sessions, you get 3 warnings for exceeding track limits, and the 4th occurrence will result in a drive-through penalty.
5.1.2. For Assetto Corsa (not Competizione), track limits are defined by the white line at the edge of the track. You will be deemed to have left the track if all 4 wheels go beyond the white line. We use a server side cutting app to police the track limits, where some corners are chosen to be monitored at the moderators' discretion. Leaving the track repeatedly during a race in these corners will result in a time penalty which will be automatically added to a driver’s time after the race; Stewards also have the ability to penalize drivers cutting or extending unmonitored locations. For a visual guide on this limits, please click here.
⦁ During pre-qualifying, if your lap contains a cut your laptime will be automatically invalidated, and the server will alert you to this.
⦁ During practice sessions this rule has no meaningful effect, but the server plugin will alert you every time you exceed the track limits, allowing you to become familiar with the limits.
⦁ During qualifying sessions, exceeding track limits will activate the cut detection and the server will ask the driver to abandon their lap by displaying a message at the top of their screen. The driver will then be required to abandon that lap. If a driver’s fastest lap in qualifying has an off-track, they will receive a heavy penalty.
⦁ During race sessions, the cut plugin follows an algorithm whereby every driver gets a certain amount of "free" cuts, determined by the length of the race, number of corners on the track and number of areas of the track that are monitored. This is done to ensure if a driver has a few mistakes, they are not punished for it. Every 5 cuts will cause the server to display a warning to the driver performing those cuts. Typically, this will mean your "free" cuts have been used up and every cut after this will result in a post race time penalty, which increases exponentially the more cuts that are performed.
5.1.3. Should ACRL run races in simulations other than the Assetto series, the "Assetto Corsa" rules stated in 5.1.2 will be used unless otherwise specified by the moderation team.
5.1.4. If a driver is found to have performed an overtake by going beyond the defined track limits, they must give the position back immediately. Failure to do so will result in a post race penalty for an illegal overtake. On top of this, if a driver is found to have caused an incident by driving beyond track limits, they will also be heavily penalised. Both will be done at the stewarding team's discretion.
5.2 Race starts depend on which start is used:
5.2.1. Rolling start: During rolling starts, in addition to following the in-game instructions, once in the start zone (typically the start / finish straight) you must not slow down to either open a gap in front or back up the cars behind. Drivers in the front row must maintain an overlap between each other, and rest of the cars must remain within 2 car lengths of the car in front. In simulations that allow for ghosting until the green flag, drivers must not ghost through the car in front in the start zone.
5.2.2 Standing starts: Follow the in-game instructions.
5.3. The ruling for stopping the car on track and teleporting back to pits varies depending on the active session:
5.3.1. Practice: Drivers can freely teleport back to the pits at any time.
5.3.2. Qualifying: Drivers can teleport back to the pits only when in the pit lane, indicated by the speed limiter activating. If done anywhere else on track, the driver's session is deemed over and they are strictly not allowed to rejoin the track for the remainder of that qualifying session.
5.3.3. Race: Drivers are not allowed to teleport back to the pits and drive out again. If a driver teleports to the pits, their race is strictly finished and will result in a DNF. If you wish to retire from a race, you may teleport to the pits to clear the track.
5.3.4. Failure to comply with this regulation will result in heavy penalties. The first infringement will result in a qualifying ban, the second a race ban and the third a season ban. Second and third infringements in qualifying, as well as all infringements in race sessions will also include a disqualification from the event in which the infringement occurred.
5.3.5. If a driver wishes to stop their car and reset to the pits, for example to retire from a session, they must vacate the racing line, pull off of the track and come to a halt well away from the track. This is to ensure they stay clear of all live traffic and will therefore not impede any other drivers whatsoever.
5.4. Entering and exiting the pits is also strictly enforced:
5.4.1. In the pit lane, drivers must adhere to the pit lane speed limit. The extension of the pit lane is signalled by a perpendicular line, speed limit warning signs, or both, at the beginning and at the end of the pit lane. Drivers must be complying with the speed limit when crossing the line on entry. In ACC, the game will automatically give you a penalty for speeding in the pitlane. In AC, we have a server-side app which will detect if you speed in the pits and you will have a penalty applied post-race. Pit lane speeding penalties are only active in qualifying and race sessions, and we encourage drivers to learn and practice pit entry procedures during practice sessions and in our practice servers. Please note that some tracks on AC do not have any speed limit indicators on pit entry. In this scenario, it is the driver's responsibility to learn the location of the speed limit even if no visual indicators are present on track. Penalties given in these scenarios will not be rescinded.
5.4.2. When entering and exiting the pits, drivers are required to remain within the parallel lines defining the pit lane entry and exit, with all 4 wheels. Crossing the white lines can be dangerous and unpredictable to other drivers, and will therefore result in a penalty. At certain tracks with unusual pit entry configurations, under the discretion of the stewards and/or moderation team, the requirement for not crossing the pit entry lines may be relaxed, however the pit exit line rules are always strictly enforced and any infringements will be penalised.
5.5. Yellow flags indicate there is a dangerous situation ahead. Drivers need to slow down just enough to be fully in control of their car and give themselves ample time to react and take the appropriate evasive action, should that be necessary. Do not slow down excessively, as this may also lead to dangerous situations. Drivers who fail to slow for yellows and react appropriately to the incident in front of them will be penalised by the stewards.
5.5.1. During yellow flags, drivers must not to battle for position as the flags indicate a dangerous situation ahead, and therefore the track may be blocked and racing room will be limited. Drivers may overtake significantly slower cars in a safe manner. Drivers who show a disregard for their fellow competitors by racing or battling during or through a dangerous yellow flag situation on track will be heavily penalised by the stewards.
5.6. Blue flags indicate a car behind is approaching that is a lap ahead of you. Blue flag rules must be abided by in all sessions at all times, with the ruling varying determined by the different series formats and scenarios given below. Ignoring blue flags will result in a penalty from the stewards.
5.6.1. SINGLE-CLASS SERIES: In single-class series, blue flag warnings are always mandatory. Drivers receiving blue flags must adhere to the warnings and allow the driver behind to pass in good time without impeding them. Any reported blue flag infringements will be judged at the stewards discretion.
5.6.2. MULTI-CLASS SERIES - SAME CAR CLASS SCENARIO: In multi-class series where two cars in the same car class are in a lapping situation (for example two GTE cars), the blue flag warnings are mandatory and the driver receiving the blue flags must allow the driver behind to pass without impeding them.
5.6.3. MULTI-CLASS SERIES - DIFFERENT CAR CLASS SCENARIO: In multi-class series where two cars in different car classes are in a lapping situation (for example a GTE car and an LMP car), blue flag warnings are advisory. If a faster class car approaches a slower class car to lap it, the slower class car is entitled to the racing line and it is the responsibility of the faster class car to complete a safe overtake. Drivers in the slower class must also drive consistently and predictably in order to help the faster class car make the overtake safely.
5.6.4 Drivers may unlap themselves only when it is absolutely safe to do so, for example if the lead car moves over and allows the unlapping move to occur. The lapped car must also have a consistent pace advantage over the lead car. An example of an appropriate scenario where unlapping would be approved (assuming the move was completed in a totally safe manner) is if the lapped car has very recently changed tyres and is 1 second faster than the lead car who is on worn tyres. If the lapped car fails to pull away from the lead car after performing an unlapping move, they must give the position back as to not impede the lead car. We also ask our drivers to use common sense when in these scenarios and determine if unlapping themselves is likely to gain them anything, and also whether performing such a move risks seriously hampering the remainder of the lead car's race. For example, if the race is about to end, you are P22 and P1, P2 and P3 are directly in front of you, it is not a good idea whatsoever to try and unlap yourself, as you will seriously risk ruining the battle for the podium places.
5.7. All qualifying sessions are strictly regulated to ensure a clean session takes place for all drivers. The following regulations apply to all qualifying sessions, including the pre-qualifying sessions and any qualifying sessions that occur on the race server on race day:
5.7.1 Drivers who are not on a flying lap need to give way to drivers who are on a flying lap without impeding them. This includes out laps, in laps, bad laps, invalid laps and practice laps. This has to be done on a straight section of the track, away from the racing line, even coming to a full halt should it be necessary. This also includes drivers entering or leaving the pits, who also must not impede drivers on flying laps in any way. We strongly encourage all drivers to enable and use timing apps to help with this, as they show how close other drivers are to them on track at all times.
5.7.2. Drivers are also not permitted to leave the pit lane should the session timer have elapsed so that it is now no longer possible for them to complete any more flying laps. Lee-way will be given to drivers who cross the line and miss out on performing another flying lap by a very small amount of time (at the steward's discretion).
5.7.3. Drivers must also display good sportsmanship by ensuring they establish a good gap to the car in front of them before they start their flying laps, as well as not overtaking cars in front of them unless it's absolutely necessary or unavoidable. This ensures all qualifying sessions are as clean as possible.
5.8. All race sessions are also strictly regulated with the aim of ensuring everyone has an enjoyable and clean race:
5.8.1. Being faster than the car in front does not grant a driver the automatic right for position. Drivers need to carry out a safe and legal overtake if they want to advance their position, regardless of the speed differential between the two cars. Drivers need to anticipate the possibility that their braking point may be significantly different from that of the car in front, and it is the overtaking driver’s responsibility not to run into the car in front.
5.8.2. Deliberately slowing down inappropriately is forbidden (“brake check”, i.e. braking unpredictably early and aggressively in order to force the car behind into an evasive maneuver). Being the car in front does not allow that driver to completely disregard their fellow drivers behind and treat the track as their own.
5.8.3. Any driver defending his position on a straight may use the full width of the track in order to defend his position, provided no overlap occurs between the two cars. If any overlap is established, each car is entitled to, at minimum, one car's width of room. However, due to the nature of online racing, we thoroughly recommend giving additional "breathing room" to reduce the likelihood of lag contact occuring. Any defensive move should be done in good time, must be decisive and must not be a reactionary move. Reactionary moves and intentional blocking are strictly forbidden.
5.8.4. More than one change of direction is not permitted to defend a position. The defending driver is permitted to return to the racing line, but this must be done in good time before the braking zone is reached and must not be done in an attempt to block the attacking driver. Just like the initial defensive move, the move to return to the racing line must be decisive. Once they have committed to the move, they must see it out, otherwise this will be seen as making more than one defensive move. Additionally, we remind our drivers that moves on the straight must be performed whilst giving at least one car widths worth of room to other cars who have established any amount of overlap.
5.8.5. Sudden changes of direction just before or within the braking zone to block an overtaking driver are strictly forbidden. These moves are extremely dangerous and frequently leave the attacking driver nowhere to go, resulting in a crash.
5.8.6. When entering the braking zone following another car, it's the responsibility of the car behind to not make contact with the car in front. This is of course made exempt should the car in front perform a "brake check".
5.8.7. Significant overlap is considered established when the attacking driver gets at least 75% of their car (3/4, three-quarters) alongside the defending car at the normal turn-in point of a corner. As a guide, this can be seen as when the attacking car's front bumper is alongside and level with the A-pillar of the defending car. For a visual guide on this, please click here.
5.8.8. If significant overlap is established at the normal turn-in point of a corner, both cars must give each other at least one car's width of room and must never force one-another off track. Equally, the same applies if two cars are running side-by-side through a corner. This ensures both cars are able to make it through the entirety of the corner safely whilst racing. However, if significant overlap is not established in time, the defending car is entitled to take the normal racing line.
5.8.9. An overtaking driver may not “divebomb” a corner, i.e. launching the car into a corner at high speed in order to establish an overlap, but too fast to maintain the racing line, thus forcing the defending driver to take evasive manoeuvres. These types of moves are considered out-of-control and highly dangerous, and will be heavily penalised.
5.8.10. Should a car leave the track, the driver can rejoin, however this may only be done when it is absolutely safe to do so and without gaining any lasting advantage. Rejoining must be carried out by keeping the car parallel to the track, slowly moving back on track, and keeping away from the racing line where possible. Rejoining drivers should not attempt to keep anyone behind them until they are fully up to speed. Slowing down after an off-track to negate any gained advantage must also not impede any other drivers. Drivers are strongly encouraged to use the in-built timing app for ACC to see how close other cars are to them, and are equally encouraged to do the same in AC (and other simulations where applicable) by using a third-party app such as SubStanding.
5.8.11. In the case of a driver completely losing control of their car, be it in the aftermath of a crash or by a driving error, they absolutely must fully apply their brakes in order to stop the car as soon as possible to give other drivers the best possible chance of avoiding them. This will ensure the trajectory of their car will be more predictable for the cars who follow. If a car is spinning out of control and the brakes are not fully applied, there is a very high chance of the car suddenly changing direction unexpectedly, generating a very dangerous situation for all the drivers who follow. Drivers who fail to fully apply their brakes in these situations will be heavily penalised.
5.8.12. Doing multiple changes of direction in straight line (weaving) during active race session is not allowed and will be penalised at the discretion of stewards
5.9. All drivers should remember that we are racing in an imperfect online racing system. Drivers should always take this into consideration before racing closely with another driver. Drivers may be held liable for incidents even if there appears to be no contact from their own perspective.
5.9.1. Lagging drivers shall not try to overtake another driver unless consented by the other driver or unless it is obviously safe to do so.
5.9.2. Lagging drivers shall not try to defend their position from another driver who cannot overtake due to your latency.
5.9.3. As an extreme precaution, we hold the right to prevent you from racing if latency is bad enough during practice or qualifying. We understand that this is hard to quantify, but it comes down to respect. Please give everyone a buffer to see if the lag is constant/serious or intermittent/light. Use your judgement, if it is bad enough to warrant action then make a short and brief announcement directly to the driver. The driver should then confirm and adhere to the rules. We will investigate this as an incident to determine you drove respectfully while lagging, but also to verify that your condition required it.
5.10. For Assetto Corsa Competizione: When a driver with a custom skin connects, or reconnects, to a race server it can cause severe lag on other drivers. Due to this we restrict behavor considering this in races where custom skins are enabled. Following rules apply to all drivers regardless of if they are using customs skins or not. Following rules don't apply in a race where custom skins are not enabled.
5.10.1. Drivers are not allowed to reconnect to the race session after disconnecting from the server. This applies even if said disconnection was caused by technical issue and not caused by the driver in question. This is enforced by a server setting.
5.10.2. Drivers are not allowed to connect or reconnect to the server during the qualification session. This applies even if said disconnection was caused by technical issue and not caused by the driver in question. This is not automatically enforced. Penalty for doing so is disqualification from the race.
5.10.3. Drivers are allowed to connect and reconnect to the server during practice sessions and during wait times before and after qualifying and race sessions.
6. INCIDENTS AND PENALTIES
6.1. Incidents can be reported via the "Results" tab of each race event. This is done by clicking on the "Car Crash" icon next to the driver involved in the incident. More drivers can be added if necessary in the report screen under "Other Drivers".
6.2. Incident reporting is open for a set duration, typically opening immediately after the finish of the race and closing 5 days later. This will be displayed at the top of the "Results" tab for each event. Once this window has passed, the "Car Crash" icons will disappear, indicating the incident reporting window for that particular event is closed.
6.3. All evidence must be provided to the mod team in the form of multiple video clips using multiple camera angles (for example the cockpit view and outside car view) and including multiple points of view (POVs) from the main drivers involved. Pictures, gifs, or single videos showing one POV are not considered suitable evidence, since the stewards cannot fully see the incident in its entirety, and will therefore be discarded. Videos with insufficient quality also fall into this category and will be discarded at the steward's discretion. The reporting driver is able to submit better evidence as long as the reporting window is still open, however the stewards will not "chase" the driver up to provide better evidence. It is the reporting driver's responsibility to provide clear and fair evidence, along with a sensible written explanation of the incident.
6.4. Drivers are only permitted to file a report for an incident they were involved in or clearly witnessed live at the time of the race. Drivers are strongly encouraged to report all incidents they are involved in and witness. This helps to ensure that all race incidents are reviewed. Reports for cutting will be accepted if it is a blatant attempt to cheat by the suspected driver. All other incidents of cutting will be captured by the game (ACC), or a server-side plugin if the former is not possible (AC).
6.5. Drivers are also encouraged to report themselves for any incidents they believe they have caused. For small incidents which have been self-reported, the stewarding team may decide to give a slightly reduced penalty as a reward for the honesty and commitment to learning and improving being shown by that driver. However, for moderate incidents and larger, this is simply not an option as the incident will be deemed too serious to give a reduced penalty for.
6.6. The stewarding team and moderation team have the ability to report any incidents they see fit for reviewing after the race via the replay, no matter if they were involved in the incident or witnessed it live or not. This is to further ensure all possible incidents (within reason) are able to be reviewed and penalised.
6.7. Finalised penalties will appear in the "My Penalties" and "My Incidents" pages under the "My Stuff" section of the website. Every penalty also results in penalty points being applied to a driver's license. Everyone's license points can be seen in the "Hall of Shame" page of the "Events" section of the website. From here, drivers may file an appeal for a penalty they have received, up to a maximum of 48 hours after receiving the penalty. An appeal MUST contain additional, factual evidence which may be critical to the ruling. The mod team will then review the incident again with the additional evidence in hand, and decide upon a final ruling. This final ruling cannot be appealed further. Appeals without additional, appropriate evidence will be instantly discarded and the individual may be warned for wasting the stewarding team's time.
7. PENALTY SYSTEM
7.1. The stewarding team have a number of penalty options available to them to ensure all incidents receive the appropriate penalties. The following penalties are listed below, with example scenarios of where they are used:
⦁ Racing Incident / No Further Action: Very minor contact such as door or bumper taps where nobody in particular is at fault, the incident was unavoidable, or all the drivers involved are equally at fault but the incident is not considered significant enough to require any punishment.
⦁ Minor Warning: Minor incident on track, such as ignoring blue flags. This gives no time penalty but 3 penalty points on a driver's license.
⦁ Driving Standards Warning: Multiple minor infringements on track, such as ignoring multiple blue flags, or for driving in a continuously erratic manner. Gives no time penalty but 10 penalty points on a driver's license.
⦁ 5 Second Penalty: Minor contact with no loss of car control and/or track position, but avoidable contact and one driver (or multiple drivers) at fault.
⦁ 10 Second Penalty: Minor avoidable contact which causes a small loss of car control and/or track position.
⦁ 20 Second Penalty: Moderate avoidable contact (i.e. under braking on corner entry) resulting in a more significant loss of control and/or track position. One driver (or multiple drivers) clearly at fault.
⦁ 30 Second Penalty: Repeated avoidable contact in a short space of time, or an overly aggressive overtake attempt resulting in a spin and loss of position. One driver (or multiple drivers) clearly at fault.
⦁ Disqualification: Often paired with a ban, this is given for dangerous actions or track or serious rule infringements whereby the driver's race result must be invalidated to ensure a fair result for the other competitors.
⦁ Qualifying Ban: Given for a dangerous action on track, for example driving from and off-track position to back onto the track in an unsafe manner (re-joining the track unsafely), or from causing a serious incident on track which affects a large number of drivers. Also accompanied by a disqualification for the event the incident occurred in (unless otherwise specified).
⦁ Race Ban: Repeated dangerous actions on track, or repeated rule breaking. Also accompanied by a disqualification for the event the incident occurred in.
⦁ Season Ban or Permanent Ban: Extremely serious incident whereby a driver has significantly endangered their competitors, for example intentionally crashing into another driver, or repeated incidents dipicting a driver who is a serious detriment to the league, leaving the stewarding & moderation team with no option but to bar them from the current season or the league entirely.
Please note that the stewarding team are not limited to only using the penalties above. If they deem necessary, they may apply penalties outside of those listed above. On top of this, the scenarios given above are strictly a guide. Each individual incident is unique and therefore the penalty applied to them and the reasonings for the assigned penalty are also unique.
7.2. As well as a range of penalties that can be applied post race, ACRL also enforces a "Driver's License" system, allowing the league to track drivers who have repeatedly caused incidents. Each penalty listed in regulation 7.1, as well as penalties not listed if required, also comes with a set penalty points value which will be applied to a driver's license automatically if they are given a post race penalty.
7.2.1. These points are as follows:
⦁ Racing incident: 0 points
⦁ Minor warning: 3 points
⦁ 5 second penalty: 3 points
⦁ 10 second penalty: 5 points
⦁ 20 second penalty: 7 points
⦁ 30 second penalty: 10 points
⦁ Driving standards warning: 10 points
⦁ Qualifying ban: 15 points
⦁ Disqualification: 15 points
⦁ Race ban: 25 points
7.2.2. Points will remain on a driver's license until they expire over a set amount of time. As soon as the penalty is issued, the points will become active on a driver's license. The length of time it takes for these points to expire will depend upon how the points were obtained. For example, small penalties will expire quickly, whereas large penalties will have longer expiry times.
7.2.3 Obtaining a high amount of license points will result in various punishments, starting at qualifying bans and rising up to a league ban. This is to ensure repeat accident prone drivers learn their lesson. The points vs punishment structure can be found on the "My License" page here: https://acrlonline.org/index.php/user-menu/incidents/my-license