GPL Recommended Driver Behaviour
Intro
The following driver behaviours are recommended to enhance the enjoyment for everyone. The explanations are given in the hope that a little knowledge and understanding may help avoid frustrations.
This article was originally written to help enhance the fun and enjoyment of the races held by the Australian Sim Racing Group Inc, and in particular for their Grand Prix Legends Australian Championship series. Either of those sites may have additional rules etc that might be helpful resources. Since it was written the below has been translated and reprinted with permission into various languages world wide and used by many other clubs and race series around the world, for GPL based competitions as well as for competitions based on other sim racing programs. If it helps then that's good to hear. Best of luck with your sim racing. Its great fun. by Phillip McNelley
Qualifying Sessions
Stay out of the way of drivers who are on flying laps when you're on an out lap, or any other non-useful qualifying lap for that matter. With a full field the track can get crowed. It can be hard find the space to complete a clean flying lap sometimes. Its all the worse if people who are on an out lap try to ‘race’ those who are trying to complete a clean flying lap. Be a sport. Let others complete their flying laps as cleanly as possible.
Also if you have spoiled the lap you’re on, ( by spinning, a really bad section, whatever ), then also consider staying out of the way of others for the remainder of your non-useful lap.
Exit the pits carefully. Many drivers announce their egress onto the circuit with a ‘PO’ ( Pit Out ) notice though the chat facility. This is recommended. However, such announcements alone are not a license to charge onto the track with gay abandonment. In addition, try to ease yourself onto the track so that you get a view in your mirrors of what’s coming up behind.
Some tracks are worse than others when it comes to a clean track entrance manoeuvre. I.e., you can leave the pits at Monza at full acceleration and drive adjacent to the main track for a few hundred yards before actually needing to move onto the track proper. This gives you lots of time to check your mirrors for approaching cars. On the other hand, the pit exit at Watkins Glen leads almost directly onto the racing line of a high speed sliding corner. There’ll you need to be very careful not to interfere with someone on a flying lap.
All Sessions
Get off the track and out of the way ASAP if your car is non functional. If you crash, spin out, run out of fuel, whatever, so that you’re on the track but not moving or moving very slowly for where you are, then move off the track as quickly as you can. If in a Pro race where a Sift-R isn't possible, retire ASAP if that's the fastest way to clear the road in a particular circumstance. Treat this as a matter of urgency, as if every fraction of a second counts, ( and it often does). Your race may be done but others are still trying to compete as best they can. Running into your stationary or slowly moving vehicle will not make their day. At the very least get away from the racing line, and do it with all haste.
Of course there may be some circumstance where a damaged car might still be capable of affording some benefit to its driver. E.g. Damage from a crash on the last corner on the last lap may still leave a car able to limp across the line for a beneficial result. An out of fuel car may still be able to roll a long way to cross the line. A damaged but still running car or engine may still be able to carry you to some points. Common sense has to prevail of course, and no one can expert you not to do everything reasonable to enhance your own result. But, if your current situation is not served by staying on the track, then please get off, and get off as fast as you can.
Show yourself in their mirrors. Grand Prix Legends, ( GPL ), has the biggest blind spots of many a racing sim, ( see below ). To state the obvious, if the driver in front of you can’t see you then don’t be surprised if they crash into you, or cut you off so you can’t avoid crashing into them. As much as you can, show yourself in the mirrors of the car in front.
Of course once you decide to overtake a car you have to drive into their blind spots. But even then, if they get a good view of what your movements are immediately prior to your disappearing, they’ll have a much better idea of your probable position and likely immediate actions, and what they need to do to try to avoid contact. This is not quite the same as real life perhaps, but real life enjoys a much better visual range.
Trying to stay away from an opponent’s mirrors may be a valid tactical ploy. I.e., trying to rattle them into an error by making them guess where you are. But in GPL this is asking for trouble. In my opinion GPLs' visual limitations requires us to play the gentleman here, if only for our own survival and enjoyment.
Never run into the back of someone in front of you. This is probably one of the silliest things one driver can do to another. There’s few excuses here. If you are behind then you have the responsibility to drive in a manner that will not lead to you running into a car ahead. It doesn't matter if you're faster, think you have the right to be let by, are more talented, or think that all slower drivers should not hold up faster drivers. If you're behind someone then that's your tough luck. You have to earn your pass the same as anyone. However frustrated you may be, or whatever, it is your responsibility not to run into the car in front of you. Even if their braking zones occur earlier than yours would normally, then tough luck. You have to anticipate these possibilities and drive accordingly.
If you've tried everything, braking, gearing down, changing line, etc., but can see you're still going to collide with a car ahead, then you should drive your own car off the track, crashing yourself out of the race if necessary, if that's what it takes to avoid such a contact.
The in-front driver must not do malicious braking of course. I.e. Deliberately slowing down inappropriately to rattle a following driver. They are required to drive with all haste and due propriety. But while doing so within their limits they are entitled not to have to worry about whether a following driver will run into them.
Being able to follow another driver without running into then is something you have to learn to do. It often takes keen judgment and many times is not easy. You want to be as close as possible, to snatch a pass if a chance comes along, but you need to be far enough away to respond to the ahead driver's manoeuvres, evasively sometimes. It does take practice and it is a skill. But its an essential skill for successful enjoyable online racing. You can practice with friends, in non-serious races, or with the AI cars offline. Offline, pick a car that's slower than you and try to hang on their tail for 10 laps or so without passing. You may surprise yourself at how much your skill in this area needs to be improved.
Avoid close racing when its not necessary. Not only does very close driving give you very little time to react if the need arises, it also increases very much the likelihood of a internet-lag-time caused collision. In GPL online there is always a risk of registering a collision in close driving even without any perceivable contact - due to internet lag. The closer you are to another car the more likely this will happen. The general rule for the careful and respectful driver would be, not to unnecessarily drive too close to another, especially whenever there is no point. E.g. In situations where there is no possibility of passing anyway. You're asking for trouble if you do, even if you don't actually do anything wrong.
So how close is too close ?
A view like the left from the cockpit equates to this close at the right. Probably a lot closer than you thought you were. Unfortunately GPL gives the impression you are further away than you actually are. In this case, from the cockpit, you may think you're a car length behind, but you're only inches away.
This close is way too close. You're begging for a lag collision if you drive like this - as in fact actually happened moments after this snapshot was taken.
A view like the left from the cockpit equates to this close at the right - about a car length. As close as you need be for most circumstances. You might think you're 2 or 3 car lengths away here, but you're only about 1 car length behind the other.
As a guide, drive so you can see some road between the top of your cowling and the bottom of the ahead driver's tyres. This is a much safer position while waiting for a valid passing opportunity. You're still close enough to make a move when and if an opportunity arises and there's at least some time to react. A lag collision is also much less likely with this amount of gap.
As I think you can see here, its a general problem with the perception in GPL that you look further away from the car ahead than you actually are. But once you understand this then its up to you to drive accordingly.
