Gentleman's Yellow Flag Random Weather Tyres Rules of Conduct Track Boundaries
Room/Race Settings Network Settings Incidents Penalties Miscellaneous
(Last edited: 29th March 2015)
Dates/Times
Mondays at 8pm BST (show me in my timezone)
Format/Timing
3 races on 3 different tracks, each race lasting 20 minutes
No qualifying
Around 7:30pm: room opened for practice
8:00pm: official room opening
8:05pm: race 1
8:35pm: race 2
9:05pm: race 3
Location
Events are run using a Club Lobby from the Zero Cup Club (Community section in GT6), NOT a Club Event dedicated room.
Starting Grid
The starting grid is a reverse grid based on the results of the previous race (the results are also carried from one week to the next). Note that any driver who did not finish the previous race will start from the back, whether he started or not. If more than one driver did not finish the previous race, they will appear on the grid in the order they joined the lobby.
In the first race of the evening, if a new driver joins the lobby or if a driver has been given a grid penalty, we will have to generate the grid manually. In these cases, we will follow this
Starting grid procedure:
- When it is time to set up the starting grid, you will be asked to 'Cancel Entry'. Go back to the pits immediately and press the 'Cancel entry' button to leave your car.
- Once all drivers have left their car, I will post the starting order in the lobby chat. Don't type in any new messages so the grid order stays on screen and no time is wasted.
- The first driver in the list will then go back on track and drive very slowly, making sure he never crosses the finish line.
- As soon as he is shown as being on track, all the other drivers will go on track and put themselves in the right order behind him.
- Once all the drivers are on track and in the correct order, the race will be started. All drivers must remain in the correct order until the race starts.
If you do not see all the drivers on track, you must signal it before the race starts.
Tuning
Any tuning is prohibited.
Most of the time, the tires will be the default ones but also may be one level up from default.
Oil changes are expected and engine overhauls and body rigidity restorations are allowed. However, body rigidity improvements are always prohibited. You can also obviously paint your car in a custom colour and install custom wheels but they must be standard size.
Advice: do an oil change as soon as you buy a car.
Driving Aids
In a bid to be as realistic as possible, the only driving aids allowed are the TCS and ABS, as both are widely available in real cars. It's up to you to use these or not. However I will disable the TCS when racing older cars that don't have it in real life.
The Brake Balance adjustment is allowed.
Points
Points are only rewarded to the drivers who finish the race, as follows:
14-12-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-1-1-1-1
Gentleman's Yellow Flag
If the race leader believes the race would benefit from it, he is allowed to regroup the field by enforcing a yellow flag situation, and thus allowing for some closer racing. There are restrictions to the use of the Gentleman's Yellow Flag:
- it can only be used once per race
- it cannot be used in the first 2 laps or the last 2 laps of the race
- only the driver in the lead can call a yellow flag
- yellow flags are NOT compulsory and no comments should be made if no yellow flag has been waved
- you can only call a yellow flag when you're in a comfortable position to do so. You definitely cannot use it to save you from a difficult situation, for example if 2 or more drivers are fighting closely for the lead
- other drivers cannot request a yellow flag (they may sometimes discreetly suggest one. For example, if the leader is closely followed, the driver in 2nd place could weave from left to right to let him know that he would not oppose a yellow flag. The final decision remains the leader's choice)
Yellow Flag procedure:
- to signal a yellow flag, the leader of the race will significantly slow down, weaving from left to right as if warming cold tires and will then write the message "gyf"
- if the last driver is quite far behind, the leader will stop completely to make sure that the yellow flag procedure is completed in a single lap. The leader must not cross the start/finish under the yellow flag and must wait for ALL the drivers
- overtaking is prohibited while the yellow flag is being waved. If an overtake took place after the beginning of the yellow flag but before the involved driver(s) noticed it, common sense should prevail to determine who gets to be in front
- to save time, a lapped driver must not unlap himself, but does not need to drop to the back either
- when ALL the drivers have had a chance to rejoin the pack, the leader will slowly increase his pace again, going back to racing speed by the end of the lap
- no driver is allowed to overtake until he crosses the start/finish line
Random Weather
Whenever possible, unless stated otherwise in the calendar, the weather will be generated randomly following a simple algorithm which favours dry conditions (about 73% chances of dry weather). The weather conditions will be known when loading the track. Here is a table of probabilities (after 500000 simulations), with the corresponding amount of water on track:
| Weather at race start | Probability | Surface water at race start |
| 0 | 0.0% | N/A |
| 10 | 19.3% | 0% |
| 20 | 17.1% | 0% |
| 30 | 13.9% | 0% |
| 40 | 11.9% | 0% |
| 50 | 10.7% | 0% |
| 60 | 9.8% | 10% |
| 70 | 9.1% | 25% |
| 80 | 8.2% | 50% |
| 90 | 0.0% | N/A |
| 100 | 0.0% | N/A |
The formula is w = round(z² / 1000, 0) * 10
where z is a random real number between 26 and 92 and w is the weather a race start.
Other time and weather values used (when applicable):
Time progression: 3
Weather changeability: 10
Click here to download the Random Weather Generator.
Note that since we use Comfort and Sports tires, we will never be using the wet tires in wet conditions as they are only available if the Racing tires are also available.
Tyres
The calendar always indicates what tyres should be used for an event.
In case of rain, though, it is possible to start the race with lower grade tyres, usually to put Comfort tyres instead of Sports. It is also possible to revert back to the default tyres if the track dries up.
Rules of Conduct
You are expected to know and adhere to the GTPlanet Online Racing Rules and Guidelines before taking part in any Zero Cup race. Additionally, pay close attention to the following guiding principles:
1. Drive like if it was a real car. Imagine having to pay for the repairs.
2. Be patient.
3. If a pass is not clean, give the place back. Any form of contact means the pass is not clean.
4. If you go off the track, 'give the time back'. Gaining an advantage from a mistake is cheating. More than 2 wheels off the track is off-track*.
5. Many corners are just too tight. Don't force your way through, wait for the next real opportunity.
6. Mistakes happen, but make appropriate concessions immediately.
7. When cars are side by side, forget about the racing line. Give each other room.
8. If you are following another driver, be prepared to brake harder and sooner than usual.
9. Extra care is required in the 1st lap. The tires are cold and the cars are packed together. Remember < 2 >
10. Rejoining the track must be done without interfering with the other drivers.
Do to others what you want them to do to you.
* For exceptions, see Where going off track is allowed below.
Track Boundaries
As described in the Rules of Conduct, all drivers must keep at least 2 wheels on the track, i.e. 2 wheels on the correct side of the white line*. This section clarifies any possible misunderstandings about certain tarmac areas. (list under construction)
Where going off track is prohibited (non exhaustive list):
- Brands Hatch: grey pavements at the exit of Druids Bend (turn 2) and Graham Hill Bend (turn 3)
- Côte d’'Azur: la Nouvelle Chicane (after the tunnel)
- Deep Forest: the concrete between turns 3 and 4, the outside of both the last corner and the pit straight
- Grand Valley: all pavements
- Indianapolis Road Course: the outside of the last corner
- Laguna Seca: the Corkscrew
- Monza: the 2nd chicane, the exit of the Ascari chicane, the exit of the Parabolica
- Spa Francorchamps: everywhere. Examples: La Source, Eau Rouge, Pouhon, last part of Blanchimont
- Silverstone: everywhere. Examples: Abbey and Chapel on the International layout
- Suzuka: outside of turns 1 and 2, 130R
Where going off track is allowed (exhaustive list):
- Ascari: Curbs inside Rafael (turn 1) and Piff-Paff (turn 15) but you can't put any wheel on the grass in these corners
- London: all the pavements
- Special Stage Route 5: all the zebras
- Special Stage Route 5 Clubman: all the zebras
- Trial Mountain: the zebras inside turn 8 and 9 (before and after the tunnel)
* Exception: at Trial Mountain, ignore the white lines, the kerbs are the track limits.
Room/Race Settings
Basic Settings
Room mode: Practice/Endurance Race
Room privacy: Club Only
Endurance race settings
Time Limit: 20 min
Room settings
Fixed room ownership: No
Max. number of participants: 16
Race quality: High
Voice chat quality: Off
Track settings
Weather at race start: Random (see Weather section)
Time progression: 3
Weather changeability: 10
Surface water at race start: Random (See Weather section)
Race settings
Hold races automatically: Disabled (tbc)
Start type: Grid start with false start check
Grid order: Fastest first (because of the custom made grid - see Starting Grid section)
Boost: Off
Penalty: None
Tyre/fuel depletion: Fast
Grip reduction on wet track/track edge: Real
Minimum number of pit stops: 0
Require tyre type change: N/A
Race finish delay: 100 sec
Visible damage: Off
Mechanical damage: Light
Slipstream strength: Real
Filter by performance
PP limit: No limit
Max power limit: No limit
Minimum weight: No limit
Drivetrain: FR / FF / 4WD / MR / RR
Tyres: dependent on the event, see Calendar
Nitrous: Prohibited
Vehicle tuning: Prohibited
Limit driving options
Skid recovery force: Prohibited
Active steering: Prohibited
ASM: Prohibited
Driving line: Available
Traction Control: Available (see exceptions in the Calendar)
ABS: Available
Network Settings
To ensure the best experience for all drivers, you must do your best not to create any lag or bugs.
- You must use a wired connection between your router and PS3
- You should always clear the cache (from the main menu, press Start > Options > Network)
- You may also reboot your router before launching the game
If your presence in the lobby causes network issues, including making your car or other cars invisible, you will unfortunately be asked to withdraw from the event.
Incidents
If you are the victim or the offender in an incident which was not followed by an appropriate immediate concession, discuss it together privately with the other party via a GTPlanet conversation. If you cannot reach a solution, include me in the conversation.
Note also that everyone is potentially a steward. If you witness an incident that was not followed by an appropriate immediate concession, you may report it privately to me in an effort to help promote clean driving through education. Be precise about the what/who/when to facilitate the investigation.
Avoid making any vague comments on the public forum. It's not constructive and it disrupts the peace between drivers.
Finally, don't be afraid to report incidents about me, I am not above the 'law'. And I'm always harder on myself than on others so I will be listening. But if I don't, you may use anyone of your choice as a neutral steward.
Penalties
Penalties can be given to careless drivers. There can be grid penalties or points penalties, at my discretion. If you think a penalty is harsh, you are allowed to defend your cause. If I think you keep on ignoring the Rules of Conduct mentioned above, I reserve the right to exclude you from the Zero Cup.
Miscellaneous
If you need to quit the race because of an emergency, exit the race or try to park the car in a safe place (with the hand brake on) rather than putting it in Autopilot, especially if you are the race leader. This will avoid other drivers believing there is a yellow flag procedure.
Pit stops are not compulsory, but you will be required to pit if causing an accident becomes unavoidable due to extreme tire wear.
WarriusZero
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Parts of this Rule Book were created with the help and input of Watermelonpunch.
