League Rules

Objective:

The Retro CART League intends to recreate exciting races in the setting of the 80-ies and 90-ies CART series, using the Lotus 79 and the tracks that were raced on in that era, with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the crown event. Each season will be 13 weeks, season will run parallel to the iRacing Seasons. The season will have up to 12 races, depending on holidays. The 13 th week may be used to reschedule races if there has been a problem, but will generally feature a practice/recruitment event that doesn’t count towards the season’s points.

Most of all, the league intends to be a fun racing environment for all involved. Drivers of all skill levels are welcome. Drivers are encouraged to help each other out to all be as competitive as we can be. That said, top drivers are encouraged to be welcoming and show patience and tolerance towards newcomers. All races run fixed set up and those may be made available on demand.

Race rules:

  • Lotus 79: Fixed set-ups. 30% fuel capacity. No driving aids except clutch.
  • Race distance 45-55 minutes (fixed amount of laps, not timed), with the Indy set at 100 laps as the ‘crown event’, which may exceed the time frame given here.
  • Point system of CART 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1, 1 bonus point for the pole and 1 for most laps led.
  • No quick repairs, damage on. DQ after 20x (no incident warning).
  • One drop per season.
  • Open qualifying on road/street course (15 minutes), 2 laps individual qualifying on ovals (5 min).
  • Rolling starts; Full course cautions on ovals/speedways. No lucky dog. Single file restarts, back markers keep their position in the field except those in front of the leader, they will be waved around (iRacing).
  • Race starts and restarts: The pole sitter or leader may decide to start or restart the race once the pace car has left the race track. The league will not be using the new “starting zones”. The pole sitter or leading car must always maintain a normal pace, whether behind the pace car or once the pace car has left the track. Slowing down or “brake checking” to “throw off” the field or to try and jump the start is NOT allowed and will result in disqualification.
  • During pace laps, waving to heat up tires is allowed, but must be done with care: If you cause an incident while waving your car, you will be penalized.
  • During pace laps, excessive braking and accelerating is NOT allowed. If you cannot maintain your speed for any reason (out of fuel, blown engine or technical issues with wheels and pedals) please say so on the radio and get off the track.
  • Pit entrance: On some tracks, decelerating to enter the pits may be a bit of a hazard for faster traffic. You are encouraged to warn oncoming drivers if you are headed for pit lane.
  • On the pitlane: You may NOT run thru all the pit stalls on pitlane; Use the outside lane away from the pits to drive, use the inside lane to slow and accelerate and do so no more than 3-4 pit stalls from your pit box. You are encouraged to create a clearly, colorful or unique pit board to make finding your pit easier. The Lotus 79 has NO pitlane speed limiter; You are responsible for maintaining pit speed.
  • Pit exit: Drivers exiting the pit are responsible for safely merging into traffic.- Black flags will NOT be cleared; The rules are the same for everyone and if iRacing gives you a black flag, you have broken one of them.
  • Road courses will have local yellows only.
  • Ovals and Speedways will have full course cautions. Drivers must line up behind the pace car without leaving large gaps on track as quickly as possible.
  • If your car is disabled on the track because of a crash or any other reason, take the “virtual” tow as quickly as possible to prevent further incidents with oncoming drivers. You are allowed to “limp” a
    damaged car to the pit, but if an incident occurs because of it, you will be disqualified.
  • Blue flags are considered a warning and not a mandate to move over. You are, however, advised to be mindful of faster cars when being lapped and let them run their race. We recommend using your radio to let a faster driver know if you want to let him/her by or make a move on track that makes it obvious.
  • Races may be reviewed by the League post-race: warnings and/or penalties for misconduct may be issued, you will be informed about this and you will be given explanation of why a certain penalty was issued.

Race etiquette:

  • All drivers are expected to put in maximum effort to race clean and be respectful. You are strongly advised to use the spotter, either iRacing or third party, during ALL sessions.
  • Drivers that are lapping slower cars will refrain from telling them to “move over” or “get out of the way”. As stated in the race rules, blue flags are no mandate for anyone to let you pass.
  • There will be NO discussions during races about incidents that occurred: Save it for post-race. The use of foul language and/or taking part in heated discussions during a race can be ground for being DQ-ed from the race instantly and being excluded from the league.

Paints and liveries:

You are encouraged to recreate liveries from the CART series of the 80-ies and 90-ies, but it is not mandatory and you can drive whatever you like as long as it is not offensive or disrespectful to anyone. No nudity. No political messages or party affiliations.

    Protests:

    If you feel there is a reason to protest another driver for an incident that happened in the race OR qualifying (open sessions):

    • Save the replay of the incident
    • email the replay to marcelbreuning@yahoo.com
    • The incident will be reviewed by people NOT racing in this league. Their judgement will be final and
      will not be open for further discussion. All involved will be given an explanation.

    Questions, suggestions or criticism:

    If you have anything that you feel may help improve the league in general, feel free to reach out thru email: marcelbreuning@yahoo.com

    Note that unless there is a very dire need, rules will not be changed during a running season.

    ​Click HERE for a collection of Lotus 79 Retro CART liveries on Trading Paints. Don’t see anything you like? Contact iSplash here!

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