TORA American Sports Car Championship - Rules & Regulations

Welcome to the 2017 American Sports Car Championship, Season 1. This championship will be contested on Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One and will consist of 10 rounds. Three of these rounds comprise the American Endurance Cup (AEC), and the remaining seven make up the ASCC Sprint Series.

Before you decide to enter the series, please take the time to read the rules & regulations very carefully.

By registering for the series, you agree to the rules and regulations as written in this thread. TORA reserves the right to alter the rules & regulations as necessary, for the purpose of fairness and clarity in the competition.


1.0 GENERAL RACING RULES AND DRIVING ETIQUETTE

1.1 Motor racing, as defined by TORA, is a non contact sport. It is understandable that on occasion some contact may occur as a consequence of incidents caused by either party; for instance "lag". At TORA lag is defined as sudden high internet latency or ping causing visual inconsistencies between players.

1.2 Competitors with lag issues will not be penalized, but will be asked to improve their connection for future participation in TORA’s events. If the issue is persistently hindering other competitor’s experiences, or you cannot join lobbies (see rule 14.0), please perform a speed test on your connection via http://www.speedtest.net/. Once you have completed this, see the connection section via this link:

Xbox Live Connectivity Help Thread

1.3 TORA expects every competitor who partakes in our championships to behave in an appropriate and respectable manner. Insulting comments or behaviour towards fellow competitors, race stewards, lobby hosts and staff is unacceptable and will be dealt with severely by TORA Staff. Respectable on-track etiquette is expected of all competitors. This includes on-track battles, track limits, dirty driving etc.

1.4 The track limits are determined by the solid white lines either side of the track, or for lack thereof, the edge of the tarmac (or other racing surface). At all times, two wheels must remain on this part of the circuit, unless of an occurrence where it is near to impossible to keep two wheels on the track, such as avoiding a collision. During a race meeting, each time the track limits are not adhered to, a warning will be given. Each driver are allowed five warnings of all four wheels leaving the track via the inside of a corner, at any part of the circuit. If a sixth and subsequent "corner cutting" occurrence happens within a race meeting, then that driver will lose a position for each corner cut. Again, if a corner is cut to avoid a collision, this would not be given a warning.

1.5 All TORA members must read and follow the TORA Sporting Regulations. Note that and specific rules defined in these Rules & Regulations will take precedence over rules outlined in the Sporting Regulations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z61lkYkBXCFr9-dGRIO0o6RJgdqIcjWOAFzdjPGJhbw/pub


2.0 CHAMPIONSHIPS

2.1 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

This will be a championship fought by each driver for themselves. The points at the end of this series will be their final points total and will result in their position in the standings at the end of the series. There is ONE dropped round for the Sprint Series, and ONE dropped round in the Overall Championship. In Sprint Series, there will be a GT-class and a Prototype-class Champion. In the Overall Championship, there will be champions for each class as well as a combined championship for drivers of all classes.


2.2 TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP

This will be a championship fought by teams of 2-3 drivers, with the exception of the Endurance Cup, which includes teams of up to five drivers. The points at the end of this series will be their final points total and will result in their position in the standings at the end of the series. In the event that a team has more than two drivers, the two highest points gained by the team will be recorded toward the team championship. There are ZERO dropped rounds in any of the Team's championships within this series.


2.3 PRIVATEERS CHAMPIONSHIP

This will be a Sprint Series ONLY championship fought by drivers who are not registered with a team. The points at the end of this series will be their final points total and will result in their position in the standings at the end of the series. There is ONE dropped round for this championship.


2.4 DROPPED ROUND

The dropped round will be the driver's lowest score. This includes scores of 0 pts as we understand that, on occasion, real life may not permit drivers to attend races.

2.5 TEAM COMBINATION

Teams that are competing in the Sprint Series Championship are permitted to bring in 1-2 additional drivers should they choose to compete in the Endurance Cup as well. They need to be signed up as the 4th and 5th drivers on a team. These additional drivers will score points in the Overall Driver's Championship as well as the team they are racing for. As an example, if Team X and Team Y from the Sprint Series combine drivers to race as Team X for the Endurance championship, drivers will ONLY score team points for Team X in the Endurance events.

3.0 LIVERY RULES

This series has defined rules about liveries that drivers must adhere to in order to race in this series.  Failure to do so may result in a penalty or disqualification. The livery rules are defined in the Livery and Decal Rules thread linked here:
[forth coming]


4.0 CAR RULES

This series has a defined list of cars and build rules that drivers must adhere to in order to race in this series.  Failure to do so may result in a penalty or disqualification.  The car rules are defined in the Car List and Build Rules thread linked here:
Car List

4.1 Once a team competes in a round of this series, it's car AND class selection are LOCKED for the series. The cars per class are balanced over the length of the calendar, meaning that cars will have advantages and disadvantages depending on the round.


5.0 RACE SIGN-IN

5.1 All drivers who register for this series NEED TO SIGN-IN USING THE APPROPRIATE THREAD FOR EACH ROUND. Drivers will receive ONE invite to the race lobby.

5.2 Sign-Ins close 3 HOURS before the meeting starts. Drivers will not be permitted to race in that meeting if they attempt to Sign-In after this time.

5.3 The series organizer reserves the right to permit or deny specific drivers after the time stated in 5.2 depending on circumstances.

5.4 Endurance sign in will be assessed by team managers submitting their stint schedule the night before race day. Teams that do not submit a stint schedule will be assumed to be not participating.


6.0 HOSTING AND MARSHALS

6.1 The race may be split into multiple lobbies, named A-Z, depending on the amount of drivers who have signed-in. Each lobby will be hosted by chosen members of the Marshals, Community Team or Staff.

6.2 Marshals who have Signed-In to the race may be expected to host a lobby if no other hosts are available.

6.3 For each lobby, a specific Marshal, Community Team or Staff member will be given "Lobby Marshal" status, whether or not they are hosting the lobby (if none of the aforementioned members are available, the lobby host will be given the status). They will be responsible for collecting times, race positions, reading the start grid and rules, and deciding whether or not a race restart is required.

6.4 The lobby settings must be abided by, and can be found here:
Lobby Settings


7.0 PRACTICE & QUALIFYING RULES

7.1 The fastest clean lap time from a driver, as denoted by the game, will be recorded for qualification.

7.2 Qualifying sessions for Sprint events will last 15 minutes, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE SCHEDULED TIMES IN THAT ROUND'S QUALIFYING THREADS

7.3 Qualifying sessions for Endurance events will last 45 minutes, and be scheduled at varying times during the week before the race.

7.4 All drivers must stop on the first corner of the circuit on the cool-down lap for the Lobby Marshal or host to record the times.

7.5 The Lobby Marshal will input the times into the relevant document, or pass on the information to someone who can.


8.0 RACE RULES

8.1 Please check the season calendar for track confirmation.
8.1.1 INVITES FOR RACE LOBBIES SHOULD GO OUT AT 2:45pm EST AT THE LATEST
8.1.2 RACE LOBBIES SHOULD ALL START AT APPROXIMATELY 3:00pm EST

8.2 The start of the race will be a ROLLING start.

8.3 WARM UP LAP PROCEDURE:
8.3.1 The Lobby Marshal will read out the grid order in the pre-race lobby.
8.3.2 Drivers proceed around the circuit in single file. Tyre warming is permitted but brake testing is NOT.

8.4 ROLLING START PROCEDURE:
8.4.1 Towards the end of the warm up lap, the lobby host will request drivers to form up in 2x2 formation, and continue at 80mph/129kph. EXTREME CARE MUST BE TAKEN.
8.4.2 The driver in last place must confirm to lobby host once all cars are in position.
8.4.3 The rolling grid will then await a starting time, as denoted by the game's timer, called from the Lobby Marshal. Other drivers may echo this time to ensure audibility.
8.4.4 This call will come when the lead driver is about enter the Start/Finish straight, before the Start/Finish line.
8.4.5 The field will then accelerate to race speed but individuals must not overtake until they have passed the start/finish line.
8.4.6.1 If, for some reason, no start time call was made from any driver, drivers will begin racing when they each pass the start/finish line.
8.4.6.2 If the host deems the start as described in rule 6.5.8.1 unfair to the majority of the field, the race may be restarted.

8.5 SPRINT ROUNDS: END OF RACE PROCEDURE
8.5.1 The race ends when the leader crosses the finish line after the 2hr mark has been reached.
8.5.2 Everyone will stop in turn one, and stay in the order in which they finished on track.
8.5.3 It's important to know that once the leader has crossed the line, everyone that finishes after MUST STOP in the first turn as well, regardless of what lap they are on.
8.5.4 The Lobby Host will record the finishing order of the lobby and report it to the Race Organizer/Support Staff.
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9.0 PIT STOPS

9.1 There will be a mandatory number of pit stops during the race. The exact number changes depending on the round. In the appropriate round thread, the number of pit stops for each class will be specified.

9.2 Drivers are permitted to pit at their own accord to refuel and change tires, or if they have damage to their car or wish to retire.

9.3 All Mandatory Pit Stops must be complete by the last 5 minutes remaining in the stint/race.
9.3.1 Drivers may be exempt from Rule 9.3 IF and ONLY IF they have already completed their mandatory number of pit stops (i.e. driver in GT makes 5th pit stop with less than 5 minutes left to go in stint).


10.0 SAFETY CAR

There are no safety cars for this series.


11.0 STEWARD INQUIRIES

Standard SI rules in force please refer to sporting regulation handbook


12.0 SERIES POINTS

This will be the points system for the championship and will be the same in the overall, privateers and teams standings.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14RNmO75DQBnBJg4H57ZlYPD0T663koJQG5jWkbkWMV0/pubhtml?gid=1113566181&single=true


13.0 CHAMPIONSHIP CALENDAR

The championship will race on the dates as listed in the calendar thread, linked here:
Season Calendar


14.0 ENTERING THE LOBBY

14.1 The host or Lobby Marshal will invite each driver to the lobby they will be Qualifying or Racing in.
14.2 They will send each driver one invite to the lobby. If the driver cannot join, the host or Lobby Marshal will send a maximum of two extra invites before the meeting is due to start.
14.3 If the driver cannot join the Qualifying session in time, they will start at the back of the grid in the race.
14.4 If the driver cannot join the race session, they will score 0 points for that race.


15.0 POSTPONED MEETINGS

Sometimes a meeting may have to be postponed. The meeting may be cancelled, or pushed back on the calendar. The entirety of this rule is at the discretion of the series organizer.


16.0 ENDURANCE RACING "LAGOUT RULE"

16.1 It is unfortunately not uncommon for races to be decided by a disconnection during a stint. As voted for last year, the majority of the community are in favor of a lagout rule to be implemented to reduce the amount of distance you lose should the worst happen.  
16.1.1 The lag formula used will be as follows.  If you do lagout, at the end of the race the lobby host will check the pause screen and take note of the lap count currently showing. The lap you were on will be taken and entered into the doc along with DNF.  The number of laps will be then subtracted by 1 to get the total amount of laps completed (when you start the race this is on 1 but you haven't actually completed a lap yet).
This will then be multiplied by the track length to get your distance driven before lagging.  The distance driven will be subtracted from your team's lowest, non DNF stint mileage to calculate how far you could have driven after lagging out, and this will be multiplied by 0.75, and added to the distance driven.

So in simple terms, if you lagout you will given the distance driven, plus 75% of the potential mileage you missed out on by lagging.

16.2 *NEW FOR 2017*  To encourage teams to continue on with the race even after lagging out, a 70% Race Distance rule has been implemented.  In order for teams to receive the benefit of the lagout rule, they must complete at least 70% of the total race distance.  If teams do not complete 70% of the total race distance, then they will not receive any lagout credit.  

16.3 The Lagout Rule and 70% Race Distance Rule will only be in place for races that exceed 10 hours in length.  

16.4 In the event that a driver lags out of a race in a Sprint Series event, they will be classified after all drivers who finish their race, i.e. bottom of the final lobby.
16.4.1 If there are multiple lagouts from drivers in the same class, their order will be based on their qualifying time, meaning a driver who qualifies 1st and DNF's will be placed ahead of a driver that qualifies 5th and DNF's.


The staff reserve the right to make amendments at any time throughout the championship.

Asking for a small clarification: "Teams that are competing in the Sprint Series Championship are permitted to bring in 1-2 additional drivers should they choose to compete in the Endurance Cup as well. They need to be signed up as the 4th and 5th drivers on a team." Do three driver teams need a 4th driver to participate in the endurance races?

The minimum number of drivers for a team, Sprint or Endurance, is 2. It's not recommended to 2-man an endurance event like the 24 Hours of Daytona, but you are allowed to.

If there is anyone who is confused on how the end race results are collected please let me know in the comments below and we will strive to explain for you.

Has anyone ever tested my thoery from last year? I know it seemed like a headache for some to understand. Literally, you can set a quick stop of 1 and pit an actual 4 times in a race with no drawbacks. The real point to this is so you can confirm a visual proof of your pits.
I also see one flaw with track limits. Theres no way to know if a lap is clean by "white line" standards unless you deliberately watch the whole replay to confirm. I'm referring to qualifying, which would hamper a lot of time setting it up. Otherwise, big advantage for some.
I'm not giving these rules a thumbs down necessarily, they are very clear and reasonable. I just wish it were possible to enforce in this game.

Can't set quick stops in a timed race.

it shows you whos pitting anyways

Some Evil Dude wrote:Has anyone ever tested my thoery from last year? I know it seemed like a headache for some to understand. Literally, you can set a quick stop of 1 and pit an actual 4 times in a race with no drawbacks. The real point to this is so you can confirm a visual proof of your pits.
I also see one flaw with track limits. Theres no way to know if a lap is clean by "white line" standards unless you deliberately watch the whole replay to confirm. I'm referring to qualifying, which would hamper a lot of time setting it up. Otherwise, big advantage for some.
I'm not giving these rules a thumbs down necessarily, they are very clear and reasonable. I just wish it were possible to enforce in this game.

As Diablo said, the game doesn't let you use quick stops in timed races. That idea has been suggested in the past, and we found that out when we tried it.

Also, in most qualifying sessions, there's usually a marshal that will monitor a particular area of the track that could be exploited but kept clean on the game. For Daytona, that would be the bus stop.

CAR Harmonic wrote:

Also, in most qualifying sessions, there's usually a marshal that will monitor a particular area of the track that could be exploited but kept clean on the game. For Daytona, that would be the bus stop.

What exactly counts as exploiting the bus stop? Like can I have two wheels on the yellow and two on the track, can all 4 be touching the yellow?

How long are the sprint races??

2 hours. It specifies this in the calendar thread

You would still have to use replays& replays don't show times. Therefore, you can never be sure if it was their best lap, unless it was deliberate, which of course would be dirty anyway.
Thank you for confirming the pit stops by the way, the timed race part never seemed to cross my mind before.

ablueN1njaBear wrote:

CAR Harmonic wrote:

Also, in most qualifying sessions, there's usually a marshal that will monitor a particular area of the track that could be exploited but kept clean on the game. For Daytona, that would be the bus stop.

What exactly counts as exploiting the bus stop? Like can I have two wheels on the yellow and two on the track, can all 4 be touching the yellow?

I know for a particular series I did that the yellow was NOT considered part of the track, but I'm not sure if exceptions will be made for this. It's up to the stewards/staff. Some clarification before the event would be helpful, though.

At the 24 last year I think we counted the yellow as part of the track (I'm not sure if this official but it's how many people chose to run it). Clarification will be given in due course.

Perhaps this is just me and the team but this entire series seems to be extremely confusing. We can't grasp a hold on the rules here.

Long story short, do we need to have a team in both series to obtain points for all 10 rounds?

LMP Dragon wrote:Long story short, do we need to have a team in both series to obtain points for all 10 rounds?

Well, I don't see how you could gain points for a team if the team wasn't at one of the events... but to lay it all out.. here it goes:

There are 3 championships under one banner/series.
#1 - American Sports Car Championship (10 rounds made up of both Endurance and Sprint events)
#2 - ASCC Endurance Championship (established using the 3 endurance rounds from the overall ASCC)
#3 - ASCC Sprint Championship (established using the 7 sprint rounds from the overall ASCC)


So, if your goal is to shoot for the ASCC overall championship, then yes you need a team car present in all 10 events... but if your goal is only the ASCC Endurance Championship, then you only need a team presence in 3 events.. and if your goal is the Sprint championship, then you only need a presence in 7 events.

Does that help?

LMP Dragon wrote:Perhaps this is just me and the team but this entire series seems to be extremely confusing. We can't grasp a hold on the rules here.


Long story short, do we need to have a team in both series to obtain points for all 10 rounds?

1) Read the rules it aint confusing, you can run in either the enduro or sprint. But you can run all 10 rounds. If you want to run the sprint you can.  Want to run the enduro you can. Want to run both you can
2) yes you do need a team in both to score points in all 10 rounds.

I'm with Adam. It's a job well done for the guys putting it together

It seems there are a lot of entries for this series so could someone explain how the multiple lobbies thing works?

is it fill a lobby then open a new one?, will it be prototypes in one, GT cars in another? or will there be some pre race testing to determine everyone's pace and have the fastest prototypes and the fastest GT's together and slower Prototypes with slower GT's?

when the lobbies are split how is the race result calculated? on overall race time?

Gixer916er wrote:It seems there are a lot of entries for this series so could someone explain how the multiple lobbies thing works?

is it fill a lobby then open a new one?, will it be prototypes in one, GT cars in another? or will there be some pre race testing to determine everyone's pace and have the fastest prototypes and the fastest GT's together and slower Prototypes with slower GT's?

when the lobbies are split how is the race result calculated? on overall race time?

Lobbies are split according to qualifying, and each lobby will have as close to an even split of Prototype and GT cars as possible. The lobby split depends on the number of entries - they'll probably have 13-14 cars in a lobby as a minimum, and maybe 20 maximum. It's hard to say which way it'll go as every series is different, but I'd expect 3-4 lobbies based on the number of entries so far. For example, say 30 of each class signed up, and they crammed 20 into each lobby. The top 10 qualifiers of each class would be in lobby A, the middle 10 of each class in lobby B, and the bottom 10 of each class in lobby C.

As for scoring, it is based on distance first, but if multiple cars finish on the same distance based on the scoring procedure (which will be explained in detail before each race), then it is based on who covered that distance the quickest.

Sorry if this questions was asked already, but:

Am I allowed to participate in the Endurance Races as 4th/5th driver for team X in GT class while I am participating in DPi class as a privateer in the Sprint Cup?

Do you think an exception would be possible in this case? Of course it would be totally fine if this excludes me from the overall championship.

(Actually this is just a question, at the moment I'm evaluating my options ^^)

andiosterfeld wrote:Sorry if this questions was asked already, but:

Am I allowed to participate in the Endurance Races as 4th/5th driver for team X in GT class while I am participating in DPi class as a privateer in the Sprint Cup?

Do you think an exception would be possible in this case? Of course it would be totally fine if this excludes me from the overall championship.

(Actually this is just a question, at the moment I'm evaluating my options ^^)

This was addressed in the registration thread... Yes, you can do that. Only the team you run for in the Endurance cup will receive points. Privateer entries do not compete in the Endurance cup, and if two Sprint teams merge for an Endurance event, you have to choose which team will get the points and then make your entry with that team name.

Can we as a team have a different car for endurance and sprint?

do they need to choose the same car for the whole season if two sprint teams merge for the endurance? or is it ok to have an ford gt team with a porsche team for example?

@Frez: A team that races both Endurance Cup and Sprint Series MUST stay in the same car for the season.

@Kimi: Say Team A is in the Porsche, Team B in the Ford GT for the Sprint Series. Then, they combine for Endurance events- Whichever car the teams use for the endurance races is the team that'll score points. Hopefully that makes sense.