2014 Rules and Regulations for Competition in Major League Sim Racing

Utilizing iRacing.com

 Updated November 1, 2014

Updates are highlighted in Silver

 

NOTICE: The MLSR Rulebook is designed to provide for orderly conduct of all MLSR sanctioned events.  Anything not covered by the following rules, abuse of rules, and creative interpretation of the rules should be checked with an MLSR Official before proceeding. Any decision on questionable items about rules is up to the MLSR Founder and his decision is FINAL! Additional regulations may be imposed before any event. All drivers must comply.

 

Note: If information elsewhere conflicts with information here in the rules, the rules take precedence.  If in doubt, please ask an official.

 

SECTION 1

 

General Requirements, Regulations and Expectations

 

1.01    Software: The league uses iRacing.com servers and drivers must subscribe to iRacing.com. All software needed to race can be downloaded from iRacing.com

 

1.02    Steering Wheel: ALL DRIVERS are required to own and utilize a steering wheel controller when competing in any event.  NO GAMEPADS

 

1.03    A high speed internet connection (no 56k dial up connections permitted) is required to compete 

 

1.04    Registration: ALL DRIVERS must submit an entry form prior to competition. By filling out this entry form, the driver agrees to be bound by the procedures set forth by the league. Additionally, the driver releases the use of their name, car number, car photo, team name, etc. in any type of media the league so chooses to utilize.

 

1.05    All drivers competing in the MLSR must submit their real name AND their Player ID. The Player ID is obtained when you log on to the race server. This makes for greater ease in scoring and identification of drivers on track. Scoring will be done using the Player Name in iRacing. ALL DRIVERS MUST SUBMIT THEIR REAL NAME, FAILURE TO DO SO, OR SUBMITTING A FALSE IDENTITY ARE GROUNDS FOR EXPULSION FROM THE LEAGUE.

 

1.06    Expectations: Drivers are expected to be prepared to drive at the scheduled track each week. This includes being able to drive a smooth high and low line at the track, being able to move cleanly and safely out of the way of faster traffic when being lapped, understanding pit entry/exit procedures, and knowing pit road speeds.

 

1.07    Profanity: Profanity and other off-color behavior are prohibited during races, events and on any social media websites run by the league or iRacing. Profanity will be penalized via loss of voice chat and off-color behavior may be subject to penalization at the discretion of the event admin. It will be up to the admin to decide whether a particular infraction meets the threshold for penalization.

 

1.08    Competitor Behavior: Drivers are expected to treat their fellow competitors with respect. Disrespectful behavior during races, events or on any social media website may be subject to penalization at the discretion of the league officials

 

1.09    DRIVER/PARTICIPANT IDENTITY. All competing divisions sanctioned under MLSR rules, herein and forthwith referred to as "the sanctioning body," are designed to award championship points, positions, and if applicable prizes, awards, and/or championship points funds to an individual driver and NOT de facto to any particular car or team. Therefore, the sanctioning body requires that any driver who will be awarded such items as described above will be present at each and every session for which awards or championship points are available and will indeed be the driver they represent themselves as via login name and chat room conversation. NO PROXY, DESIGNEE, TEAM MATE, ASSOCIATE OR OTHER INDIVIDUAL WILL BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE WITH POINTS, AWARDS, OR PRIZES BEING CREDITED TO ANY DRIVER THEY REPRESENT. ONLY THE DRIVER PRESENT WILL ACCRUE CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR POSTED AWARDS.

 

1.10    ATTEMPTS TO CIRCUMVENT DRIVER IDENTITY POLICY/FRAUDULENT REPRESENTATION TO SERIES OFFICIALS AND PENALTY. Any attempt to represent oneself as another driver at the request or on the behalf of another driver in an effort to dishonestly accrue championship points, posted awards, or accolades for that driver represented shall be viewed by the sanctioning body as a deliberate attempt to defraud the division where the infraction occurs, the other drivers in that division, the officials of that division, and the sanctioning body itself. Such an effort will be seen as no less than theft of any available championship points and posted awards from those drivers who might have earned them honestly and through the appropriate procedures. ANY DRIVER ATTEMPTING TO PERPETRATE SUCH AN ACTIVITY AND ANY DRIVER/PARTICIPANT ACTING AS AN AID OR ACCOMPLICE SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE DEFRAUDING THE SANCTIONING BODY. THE DRIVER AND ACCOMPLICE SHALL BE BANNED FOR LIFE FROM COMPETITION IN ANY AND ALL the ASRS SANCTIONED DIVISION. The sanctioning body and it's officials may use any means deemed necessary to insure that this does not occur including but not limited to IP detection devices, driver interview, and pass codes.

 

SECTION 2

 

Membership

 

2.01    Membership for MLSR is free of cost to any driver who is in good standing with the league at any time. 

 

2.02    All new members will be required to complete and submit an Entry Form before entering any event.  New memberships will be placed on a 30 day probation period, starting the day of the first race entered. 

 

2.03    League Membership will continue until the end of the current registration period unless one of the following occurs:

     (-)Failed to race in any of schedule seasons races.

     (-)Membership is voluntarily canceled by member

     (-)Membership is canceled by MLSR for serious rules violation.

 

2.04    New entries will be permitted up to three choices of car numbers. The league does not allow for duplicate car numbers; therefore, the earliest entrant will get their choice of car number. Please be aware of this and have your car painted and assigned with the correct car number. The league reserves the right to assign and reassign car numbers as the administration deems necessary. ONCE A NUMBER IS ASSIGNED, NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM THE SERIES ADMINISTRATOR.

 

2.04.1    A "common number" system will be in place in all divisions. You MUST race with the same number in ALL divisions. Only one driver per car number and only one car number per driver.

2.04.2    Only numbers from 00-199 are allowed. No #0XX numbers will be permitted. (Ex. #014 or 007)

2.04.3    Drivers are REQUIRED to race with their assigned number

 

2.05    All persons holding an MLSR membership are expected to use social media responsibly when communicating regarding league business.  Anyone who chooses to do otherwise is subject to removal from MLSR. 

 

 SECTION 3

 

Race Rules

 

3.01    The iRacing.com software governs and enforces the rules of the race and those rules will be used as is in MLSR.

 

3.02    Penalties levied by the iRacing.com software are final. Race Directors will NOT clear black flags during the race.  Black flags may be issued by Race Officials during an event for violations of race rules or for competitor conduct.  

 

            3.02.1 Drivers MUST line up in the proper order and announce "End of Line" penalties via text or voice chat.  Officials will clear black flags issued as a result of slower/damaged cars not catching up to the field and assuming their position in the line up.  Please inform the race director as soon as a black flag is issued for a driver not lining up correctly, and announce your car number to expedite the process.

 

3.03    Race Directors will NOT give laps back to a driver during the race, except under the "Lucky Dog" Rule. 

 

3.04    The final standings determined by the iRacing.com software are official.

 

3.04.1 The race winning driver is required to complete one (1) cool down lap and wait until AFTER the ENTIRE field has taken the checkered flag prior to any celebratory donuts, burnouts, victory laps.  Failure to wait this amount of time can result in incident points and disqualification.

 

3.05    Don't Stop on the Track: During the race session do not stop on the track. A driver should always pit properly before stopping, unless the driver's vehicle is disabled or (s)he is blocked (by wrecked vehicles, for example). This is VERY important under green as a vehicle stopped on the track can bring out the yellow, even if parked safely out of the way.  Driver's stopping on the track will face a penalty including loss of points and/or suspension from the next event in that series. This includes after the race, please keep going and pull down unto pit road in a orderly fashion. 

 

3.06    Caution Flags/Incident Points:

 

3.06.1 Drivers who cause an "excessive number" of cautions in an event will be subject to penalty including but not limited to: being asked to park for night, starting at the rear in the next attended race, points deductions and/or suspension from MLSR.

 

3.06.2 Drivers who choose to debate guilt/fault for a caution will automatically be dropped to the rear of the field regardless.  At no time will we allow drivers to argue over the cause of a caution flag during an event.

 

3.06.3 Any driver who attempts to cause a caution intentionally, in the judgment of the race review committee will be penalized accordingly.  

 

3.06.4 Any driver who causes an incident under caution will be sent to the end of the line and 2 race probation that will include starting at the rear of the field in that series for the duration of the probation.

 

3.06.5 Close it up under cautions quickly, but safely.  On many short tracks it can be difficult pitting without losing a lap and if the field is spread out it'll just make it even more difficult for the drivers at the back of the pack. 

 

3.06.6 Under ALL Caution conditions the field is expected to "stagger".  Odd position (1,3,5,7,9) to the inside lane, even positions (2,4,6,8,10) to the outside lane.   Lapped cars are expected to blend into the field (NOTE this means follow the car in front of you, or if multiple lapped cars are bunched together, staggering with the field).  DO NOT BLOCK ANOTHER DRIVER FROM GETTING INTO THE PIT AREA, and DO NOT FORCE A DRIVER INTO THE PIT AREA.  FAILURE TO STAGGER CORRECTLY WILL RESULT IN A BLACK FLAG. 

 

3.06.7 Commitment cone violations will be in effect in ALL MLSR Series. If a driver is blatantly in violation of the commitment cone, that driver will be given an end of the longest line penalty.  

 

3.07    Damaged/Slower Cars: Cars that are damaged and could present a dangerous situation to other drivers should be parked. For example, if a driver's car is dangerously off pace or difficult to steer, that driver should exit the race. The driver should not try to turn laps to gain positions unless (s)he can control the car and is certain that (s)he will not wreck other drivers. If a driver chooses to continue with a damaged car and then causes a wreck, that driver will be placed at the back of the finishing order and his/her points for the race set to zero. If someone off-pace wrecks, let the admin know so the proper penalty can be applied.  Drivers who are black flagged for damage (black flag with orange circle) MUST report to the pit road within 3 laps of the flag.  If the race is less than three (3) laps from completion the driver will be permitted to stay on track. 

 

            3.07.1 LAPPED CARS have the right to race to stay on the lead lap. THIS DOES NOT EXCUSE a lapped car taking aggressive action to wreck the leader if they are passing you to place you a lap down. Once a lapped car is one or more laps down, they are expected to give way for cars on the lead lap to pass. If a lapped car is racing another lapped car for position, they should still be mindful of the leader’s position relative to them, but it becomes more the leader’s responsibility to navigate a safe path around the lapped vehicles.  

 

          3.07.2     Cars that are damaged may be parked if it is deemed the damaged car is a safety and/or competition hazard.

 

          3.07.3    Competitors must maintain a race speed that is safe for all competitors. If a driver is deemed to be off the pace and creating a safety hazard, he/she may be parked. Officials may institute a minimum speed standard per race based on the average lap times of the race leaders. If any driver is unable to maintain the defined lap time he/she may be asked to park his/her car.

 

3.08    Tow Feature: Cars that are towed and repaired will get one use of the tow to get the car repaired, if a driver cannot control their vehicle or crashes and requires a second tow, the car MUST be parked at that time. There will be ZERO TOLERANCE for drivers who utilize the Tow Truck to gain laps on competitors in an effort to better their finishing position.

 

3.09    Starts and Restarts: The race leader (or pole winner) dictates the start and may take off anytime after the pace car pulls off the racetrack, expect on the first start of the race, the field will go on green at that time. Once a driver takes off to start, he/she must continue to accelerate, there will be no slowing once the leader "starts or restarts the race".  Officials will not clear black flags for "jumped" restarts. 

 

            3.09.1    All other drivers are required to start in the lane assigned by the iRacing Simulation software.  Black flags for jumped restarts will NOT be cleared by officials.

 

           3.09.2    Drivers must maintain the lane they are assigned for the restart until AFTER crossing the start finish line.  No passing before the start/finish line, unless avoiding an accident (Pass must be made to the right), clearing of black flags for avoiding incidents will be at the discretion of Officials.   Drivers are to maintain at least Pace Car speed until taking off for the restart.

 

3.10    Lucky Dog: The first vehicle off the lead lap, not involved in causing of the caution, will be waved by the race leader and gain a lap back automatically per the software rules. 

 

3.11    Pit Entries and Exits: During official practice sessions, warm-up sessions and after the checkered flag all drivers must enter and exit pits properly.  Drivers MUST commit to pit road BEFORE the first line across the entrance (this line will be designated as the commitment line).  If no such line exists, the yellow cones will mark the commitment line.  Drivers who commit to pit road and then turn back onto the racetrack will face an “End of the Longest Line” penalty.

 

 Note: The iRacing.com software will issue a black flag during the race if pit procedures are not followed correctly. In addition, out of respect for other drivers on the track, the same pit procedures are to be followed during practice sessions and following a race, even though the software will not issue a black flag at those times.

 

3.12    Use of Auto Chats For Pitting:  Drivers are REQUIRED to use the auto chats to signal pitting under green flag conditions.  Please ensure you are below the racing line and out of the way of the other vehicles on the track when decelerating and accelerating back up to race pace.  When exiting the pit; merge when the track is clear and it is safe to do so.

 

 3.13    Pitting under Caution: When entering the pits during a caution, maintain caution-pace speed and do not pass the car pacing in front of you until you have crossed the pit entry line. Do not slow substantially as this will place the driver pacing behind you in jeopardy of receiving a black flag if he inadvertently passes you before you have entered the pits.

 

3.13.1           Under Caution, pit entry is to be single file.  There is to be no passing until stopping in your pit stall.  Drivers are free to race off pit road.  All drivers are expected to maintain a reasonable speed (within 5 MPH of pit road speed limit) on pit entry.

 

3.13.2           Drivers may not drive through more than two (2) pit boxes prior to and two (2) pit boxes after their respective pit stall. 

 

3.14    Single Car Qualifying:

 

3.14.1           Driver chat will be disabled during single car qualifying.

   

3.14.2           Drivers who are late to the drivers meeting or fail to complete a competitive lap in practice will be required to start at the rear of the field. 

 

3.15    Retaliation: Retaliatory actions are not allowed.  Retaliation is grounds for suspension.  

 

            3.15.1        THERE WILL BE ABSOLUTELY NO TOLERANCE FOR ANY DRIVER WHO TAKES AN AGGRESSIVE POSTURE TOWARDS ANOTHER COMPETITOR ON TRACK. This may be defined as driving to eliminate another driver from competition. Any driver doing so will be subject to suspension or expulsion from the Series.  

Note: We all race for fun. We all make mistakes. Everyone gets caught up in other’s mistakes. It is extremely unlikely the other driver was intentionally trying to ruin your night. Accept it and move on. If necessary, file a protest with the Race Director after the race. Never use retaliatory chat or take aggressive retaliatory actions against a fellow driver during or after a race. Such behavior will not be tolerated in MLSR.

 

3.16    Excessive chat during green-flag racing and during qualifying is not allowed.

 

Note: Chat can be fun and it is how we get to know one another. Therefore, chat is allowed and encouraged during practice sessions and warmups. However, chat under caution should be completely stopped right after a caution comes out to clear airwaves for race control and after the "one-to-go" notice is given.

 

3.17    Warping is not an excuse for an incident. If a driver is warping, the driver is expected to stay out of the preferred racing line or drop to the back of the pack until the connection clears up. If warping becomes excessive, the Race Director may ask the driver to pit until his/her connection clears up. It is the responsibility of the warping driver to take appropriate action to avoid warp-related incidents.

 

3.18    Laps will not be given back for disconnections.

 

3.19    If the server crashes or if there is a mass-boot (more than 50% of drivers drop connection at once) then the following procedure will be used. If less than one-half of race laps have been completed, the race will be restarted from the beginning. If one-half or more laps have been completed the race will not be re-started. In this case, if a results file can be salvaged, the results indicated by the file will be used as the final race results. If no results file is available, the race is canceled and not used in standings/scoring.

 

3.20    Race Replays: All drivers are required to save their race replay for a period of 72 hours (3 days) after the completion of each sanctioned event within the series. Upon request by any Aofficial, a driver must immediately send the requested segment of their own replay via e-mail to the requesting official. The replay file will be subject to post-race tech inspection by series officials. Any driver that has been requested by officials to provide their replay that DOES NOT comply within 48 hours of the request will be disqualified from the event, forfeit any points received in said event, will not be allowed to return to series competition until the matter at hand has been cleared up and the driver cleared to return to competition in the series. 

 

3.21    Any driver entering an event above the "entry level" series who carries an iRacing "Rookie License" (Red Stripe) will be required to start at the back of their first event and each event until that driver completes an event with less than 4 incident points (iRacing.com software determines incident count).  Red Stripe drivers will make a qualifying attempt (as long as they turned a lap in practice and attended the driver's meeting) and will be given “end of the line” penalties on the grid. 

 

3.22    Circumventing/Exploiting Software Package: If at any time it is deemed that a participant has gained an unfair advantage by circumventing the software rules, exploiting loopholes in the software, utilizing illegal cheats, patches and/or hacks; that driver will face disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the league.  Utilizing the wall to gain speed to pass vehicles, cutting the course and cutting corners will be considered exploiting the simulation software.

 

           3.22.1    The racing surface is defined in the track map located in the tracks section of the member’s site. Attempts to use surfaces outside of the defined racing surface as an advantage will disqualify any competitor from the race and/or the series.

 

3.23    Overturning Results: As a result of post-race review, the Race Director may elect to officially adjust the final standings. If a driver feels the Race Director has ruled incorrectly, he may appeal the decision formally via written e-mail with attached supporting evidence.  

 

3.24    When the race is over, all drivers should drive onto pit road and park their cars in their respective pit stalls. THERE SHOULD BE NO “DEMOLITION DERBY” ACTIVITY AT THE CONCLUSION OF A SERIES EVENT AS THIS CAN ADVERSELY EFFECT SCORING ON A DEDICATED SERVER.

 

SECTION 4

 

Custom Car Paint Files

 

4.01    Custom car paint files to be uploaded to TradingPaints.com, if you choose not to utilize a custom paint scheme; you are not required to upload to TradingPaints.com.  

 

4.02    Your Paint Schemes may not be indecent, libelous, defamatory, obscene, threatening, invasive of privacy or public rights, abusive, illegal, harassing, contain expressions of hatred, bigotry, racism or pornography, promote or otherwise refer to tobacco products, illicit drugs, constitute or encourage a criminal offense, or be otherwise objectionable.

 

4.03    Your paint schemes shall not include any logos or trademarks from competing software products to iRacing.com (racing games, racing simulations, etc.)

 

4.04    Officials reserve the right to deny a paint scheme if the paint scheme is deemed to be in violation of this policy or if the Race Director feels the scheme is in bad taste.

 

SECTION 5

 

Championship Point Scoring

 

5.01     All scoring is maintained using the website: http://www.danlisa.com/scoring/index.php

 

5.02    Each driver on the active roster will be given TWO (2) provisional starts for each season in any sanctioned division (except where drop races are used).  A "provisional start" entitles the driver to receive LAST PLACE points for an event. For example, if ten (10) drivers start a race and you have requested a provisional start and do not actually start the event, you will be credited with a DNS, along with 11th place points for the event. If three (3) people have asked for provisional starts for this particular event, then each of the three will receive a "DNS" and points based on the number of starts in the series followed by the order the provisional   was requested for the event.

 

In order to use your provisional start(s), you must submit a request via e-mail or Facebook private message to the Series Administrator no later than one hour prior to the scheduled starting time of the driver's meeting for that event, but no sooner than 7 days prior to the event. Provisional start requests received after this time WILL NOT be entertained. PROVISIONAL REQUESTS TO COMPETE IN ANOTHER LEAGUE'S EVENT WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED.  ANYONE CAUGHT USING A PROVISIONAL TO RACE IN ANOTHER LEAGUE WILL LOSE ALL PROVISIONALS FOR THE SEASON.  PROVISIONALS ARE GIVEN AT THE DISCRETION OF THE SERIES OFFICIALS. NO PROVISONALS WILL BE GIVEN UNTIL A DRIVER MAKES AT LEAST ONE (1) START IN THE SERIES THEY ARE REQUESTING A PROVISIONAL IN.  

 

SECTION 6

 

Penalties, Protests & Appeals

 

6.01    The President, Competition Director and/or Race Director may levy penalties (points, finishing position, probation, suspension, and in extreme circumstances; monetary fines) within their series at their discretion. The Race Director will post penalties to Facebook, and via weekly e-mails

 

6.02    Protests of In-Race Actions: Drivers may protest other drivers for one of three reasons; (1) there has been a serious infraction of rules in a race, (2) a specific driver behaves in an inappropriate or abusive manner in a race, or (3) a specific driver shows a repeated pattern of poor driving or poor driving judgment, race after race.

 

A protest of in-race actions must be submitted within two (2) hours of the checkered flag to the Race Director by submitting a formal protest via e-mail to series admin and attaching any supporting evidence. The Race Director, will make a decision and if necessary impose penalties regarding the protest. The Race Director may, at his/her option, engage the other officials for opinions. 

 

Penalties are at the discretion of the Race Director and may include, but are not limited to, championship point deductions, re-alignment of finishing position, and suspensions from the series. Any penalties given by the Race Director are limited to the series

.

6.03    Protests of Extracurricular and Cross-Series Actions: Drivers may protest other drivers for behaving in an inappropriate or abusive manner on related venues or for a repeated pattern of poor driving or poor driving judgment in multiple series. The protest of such actions (actions not related to a specific race or race series) shall be lodged within two (2) hours of the alleged incident.

 

Penalties are at the discretion of the President and may include, but are not limited to; MLSR-wide warnings, probations and short and long term suspensions.

 

NOTE: Since we do not intend to become the arbitrators of personal spats, we will judge the merits of a protest on criteria related to whether the protested action is detrimental to MLSR as an organization.

 

6.04    Appeals: Drivers can appeal a decision one time. To do so, submit the appeal via e-mail. Include any discussion and evidence supporting the appeal.

 

6.05    Matters not subject to Appeal: The following matters cannot be appealed once they are issued.

 

(-) iRacing issued penalties

(-) Parking or Ejection for racing event.

(-) Incident Point totals

(-) Provisional Points

 

SECTION 7

 

Rule Amendments

 

7.01    Officials reserve the right to amend and/or edit this official rules package as the need arises with the goal of continuing to provide and promote the best online racing environment possible.

 

SECTION 8

 

Point Scoring Systems

8.01    Point System: 

Can be found under the Series Pages on Majorleaguesimracing.com

 

 

The Decisions of the MLSR Officials are FINAL AND BINDING.

MLSR officials reserve the right to reject or deny the entry of any driver at anytime for any reason.