Penalties & Driver warnings : After the dust has settled the race stewards have issued 2 Driver warnings , In light of the fact we are all here to have some good competitive fun the last thing we want to do is start handing out penalties but like in any sport there are guidelines we need to follow and when these guidelines are crossed the result can be a negative for the experience .. That said we are not handing out any penalties for round 1 only warnings .. Once A driver has a warning he is under the microscope and the next offence can/will result in a penalty , A total of 3 warnings/penilties will result in a 1 race ban for the series .. So please lets respect the sport and our fellow drivers ! Driver Warnings : 1. Ricardo Gomes : (protest filed) Aggressive driving at the start & failing to wait for track to clear before re entry = 1 warning 2. John Lock : (protest filed) Punting another driver (after review it was clear the John did pull over and wait for the driver to regain his position but the said driver had quit the race) their for a warning was applied with no further action .. = 1 warning In a case like this if you punt another driver the proper action is to do a drive threw (A punt could result in damage to the receiving car to where they might not be able to continue therefore waiting for said driver to give his spot back may not be possible ) It is also noted that John did make a public apology as well !
I understand that the race director’s decisions are final! That’s fine! Nonetheless, and with all due respect, I would like to ask two questions and say something in my defense. I want to start by saying that immediately after the race I sent a PM Larry and apologized for hitting his car. I know now that my entry on track caused more damage. I hitted Barrett to whom I apologize here: Sorry man, I went crazy with all that stuff. Spinned a few times, the urge of going as fast as i could on track made me loose it... Should have waited and checked better. But to the driver that reported me I don't see the need to do the same. I honestly think that it should be the other way around! After all he was the one that tried to overtake me in lap1, turn1, like he didn’t had 55minutes to do it safely. And this brings me to the two questions I wanted to ask. https://www.simracingonline.co.uk/s..._Online_League_rules_and_Regulations_v1.0.pdf At the start, which one of these rules did I broke? The green is on, I tried to get the better track position (moving left), after a while I see the other driver beside me (I have triples, I saw him perfectly), because of that I stopped moving left, I holded my line until the curve came, the curve came and the driver hited my car while turning right! Simple! Very simple in fact, everyone can see (outside camera, my camera, Rob's camera, etc.). I can’t really see any other way: first contact is his responsibility! And i'm agressive? Let me remind you that I’m not overtaking, the other driver is. But there’s more: I’m from the inside! he cannot ignore my position as he did! So what did I do wrong? I honestly don't know. And that's the reason I came here to ask you this: which one (or more) of these rules did I broke? I honestly think that I did nothing wrong, but I could be wrong... Second question: The term "punting" is defined (by the rules, here and elsewhere) as nose-to-tail (or side-of-the-nose to side-of-the-tail) contact, where the leading car is significantly knocked off of the racing line. This definition is quite ambiguous, I think, in one sense: what does "significantly" mean? A little off the line? Too much off the line? 1cm? 1m? If it's a little off the line, I’m sorry to say but every nose-to-tail touch is punting!! Therefore, all close driving would be next to impossible (at least risky)! If this it’s the case, fine! You just need to say it: everyone that trades paint with another must serve a penalty! But here's the funny part: when the rules decide the penalty to give to a driver that punts another... "they" explain what they truly mean by "punting" or (if you prefer) by what kind of punting (really) deserves penalty, sc., the one that ""punts" another car, either off track or into a spin".. When this happens the result is obvious: you end up overtaking "via punting" which is a pretty dishonorable stuff. And of course, this deserves a penalty. Since I’ve done nothing of this sort to the driver that reported me, I believe no apologies are in order here.. I overtook him, yes, TWICE, the first one with a small "punt" (no off track and no spin), nonetheless I gave him back is position and overtook him again with no "punt" or anything of the same sort. Funny the driver protested me for “participant conduct”… quite funny really! Now, note that I’m interpreting (here, as "in this case") spin as an "uncontrollable spin", i.e., loosing completely the car.. But this could be a wrong interpretation, i.e., there could be a third logical interpretation: punting it's something in between. But, If punting it's something in between (and hence the word significantly) a very small kiss in another drivers car and strong hug that makes him spin or go off track, how does know when to serve a drive-through? When does it end being orange and starts being red? I ask this only for future reference, not for this series. As I did in the past, I will no longer race in this series to avoid future problems. Nigel and Rob, for all their work, deserve better. Cheers Ricardo
Ricardo please dont take it the wrong way we looked at all the replays and decided no penaltys should be handed out only warnings to allow drivers to understand we are here to try and have some good competive racing, dont mistake the warnings as a penalty they are simply warnings i totaly see your side and thats one of the reasons you only got a warning !! .. & yes you are correct the punt rule can seem vague and trading paint is not punting , if you however out break your self and hit the car in front and that car is forced off track then thats a punt .. The last thing we want is drivers not wanting to race Its no fun having to hand out peniltys & warnings but its nessary to keep things from being totaly out of control ! So I hope you understand , And reconsider staying in the championship! This is the last thing we want ! After all your leading the points so far ! Q1. From the replay it seems you swerved 2 times into the car on your outside where his line stayed consistsnt , its to bad you guys spun as it would have been mearly trading paint , your only real mistake was un safe re entry .. for this you got the warning .. but its only a warning ⚠️
