RD Le Mans Series Season 5 (rFactor 2)

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Yoeri Gijsen

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RaceDepartment
presents...

7kj4.jpg

Virtual World Endurance Championship 2013

WELCOME

... to the new endurance series of RaceDepartment! We are happy to announce the Virtual World Endurance Championship, which is the successor of the long standing RaceDepartment Le Mans Series starting in October 2013.

In this thread you will find all the important information about this season, including instructions, schedules, procedures, rules and links. Make your way through and be informed!


NEW FEATURES

There are good reasons we've chosen a new name for this series and one of them is the bulk of new stuff we've got in store for you. The main change is the move to rFactor 2. In doing so we are amongst the first endurance leagues using this game and we're proud of it. rFactor 2 gives us a range of new features that we have not experienced before, such as changeable weather conditions and changing grip on the road surface. Like previous season we're also be providing livetiming and a broadcast. We are excited about this and we hope you are too!


VWEC NEWS

Please keep a close eye on the VWEC 2013 | News & Announcements thread in this forum. That is where the staff does the announcements regarding rules, updates, downloads and much more. Check it regularly.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTACT THE STAFF
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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CALENDAR, RESULTS & STANDINGS

PRE-SEASON TESTS
rFactor 2 ShakedownSeptember 7, 2013 - 19:00 GMT
Restart, Rejoin & Livescoring September 14, 2013 - 19:00 GMT

ROUND 1 – 6 Hours of Sepang
DEADLINE New Entries – September 13, 2013, 23:59 GMT
DEADLINE Line-up & Skins* – September 20, 2013, 23:59 GMT
Test RaceOctober 5, 2013, 19:00 GMT (start)
Qualifying October 12, 2013, 11:00 GMT
Race - October 12, 2013, 12:00 GMT (start)Unofficial Race

ROUND 2 – 8 Hours of Bahrain
DEADLINE New Entries – November 1, 2013, 23:59 GMT
DEADLINE Line-up & Skins* – November 3, 2013, 23:59 GMT
Test RaceNovember 9, 2013, 20:00 GMT (start)
Qualifying November 16, 2013, 12:00 GMT (start)
Race - November 16, 13:00 GMT (start)RESULTS

ROUND 3 – 12 Hours of Losail
DEADLINE New Entries – November 29, 2013, 23:59 GMT
DEADLINE Line-up & Skins* – December 1, 2013, 23:59 GMT
Test RaceDecember 7, 2013, 20:00 GMT (start)
Qualifying December 14, 2013, 12:00 GMT (start)
Race - December 14, 2013, 13:00 GMT (start)RESULTS

*The “DEADLINE Line-up & Skins” is the deadline for teams to provide a valid driver line-up for the official race in the linked thread and the deadline to provide a skin (car livery), if it wasn’t already submitted. Reserves are kindly requested to submit their skins as well.


POINTS DISTRIBUTION

This season the points distributed at the finish line reflect the length of the race. The longer the race, the more points you can score. Points are rewarded per class.

V-WEC2013PDS.png


STANDINGS

As usual the standings will be kept per class and updated after each race. Click HERE to view the standings.
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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CARS & CLASSES

This season of the Virtual World Endurance Championship will feature three classes each comprised of one car. The limited availability of cars in the summer of 2013 has lead to the following decisions. All classes will be made entirely of GT cars, using cars created by ISI. There will be no prototype classes as there are simply no suitable cars of sufficient quality available at the time of writing.

GT1
Nissan GT-R GT1

GT2
Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2

GT4
Nissan 370z

Traction Control will be available on all vehicles with Off, Low, Medium and High settings.

Total grid size: 40
The composition of the field depends on the amount of applications per class. The staff nonetheless aims to enter sufficient cars in each class to create a competitive field in each of them.

CHOOSING A CLASS
First of all, you are free to apply for a license in any class you like. There are no restrictions. Before you do however, we advise you to test all cars on one of the track from the calendar to grasp what you are getting yourself into. Note that you are allowed to use traction control (F8) as this may affect your choice. Consider also the following

If you are a new and inexperienced team, go for the GT4 class. The Nissan 370z has the least horsepower and will handle the easiest. Just what you need to survive.

If you are looking for a challenge in the car, go for the GT2 class. The Corvette is probably the toughest to handle, but rewarding to tame.

If you are looking to win the event overall, go for the GT1 class. The Nissan GT-R GT1 is the fastest car in the series. It doesn’t suit everyone, though, as being the fastest comes with additional responsibilities in traffic.

Take you pick!
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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TEAM OWNER LICENSE AGREEMENT (TOLA)
... and how to enter a team

WHAT IS THE TOLA?

The TOLA is the agreement between the RaceDepartment Staff and the team owners in the Virtual World Endurance Championship that comes with the license. The license is a startnumber that the team owner obtains when he is accepted in the VWEC either as an active entry or a reserve.


RIGHTS – Things the team owner gets from having obtained a license

The right to enter one car with the designated startnumber in the designated class in all organised events within the series for the duration of the season. NOTE: This right only applies to reserves once they become active entries on the request of the RaceDepartment Staff.

TERMS & CONDITIONS – Things the team owner must do or respect
  • Meet all the driver lineup and skin deadlines. A driver lineup must be announced prior to every race in the designated thread.. A skin must be provided at least once before the deadline of the first event the team enters (and may be update for later events, provided the deadlines are met).
  • Arrange for a minimum of two drivers to drive the car during the official race events (and announce these in the driver lineup). These drivers cannot drive in any other car of any other team in the series during the events they are lined up for. They must additionally be Licensed Members of RaceDepartment.
  • Provide a skin based on the provided template. The skin must include the startnumber. The skin may not contain offensive language or images.
  • Enter the car with the designated startnumber in the designated class in all official race events (excluding test events and qualifying sessions, which are not mandatory though highly recommended).
  • The team owner must make sure he and his drivers are up to date on news, announcements, software, rules and procedures in the VWEC. He also makes sure rules are respected and procedures followed.
  • A team owner can hold no more than two licenses at a time. Additionally he can hold only one license per class.
  • RaceDepartment has the right to revoke any license at any time. Licenses are automatically revoked when the terms and conditions aren’t met by the team owner. The license automatically expires at the end of the season.
HOW TO OBTAIN A LICENSE? – Things the team owner must do to enter a team

Start a conversation with Yoeri Gijsen and provide the following information:

Title
“VWEC 2013 – [your team’s name]”

Message
Team name: (your team’s name)
Class : (your preferred class)
Team racing history: (competitions your team entered in recently)

I declare to have read and understood the Team Owners License Agreement for the Virtual World Endurance Championship.
When you send this message you automatically agree to have read, understood and to respect the TOLA. All applications will be considered, however RaceDepartment holds the right to deny an application or accept it for the reserve list.
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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DRIVER CONDUCT

League Regulations – All drivers must have read and respect the RaceDepartment League Regulations. These are our base rules for driving in RaceDepartment leagues.

Licensed Membership – All drivers must be Licensed Members of RaceDepartment when they enter RaceDepartment servers. Read more about the Licensed Membership HERE.

STARTS & RESTARTS

Starts and restarts follow the same procedure. Starts are used in test events and the race. Restarts are used in the race in case of a server or scoring system crash. The procedure is as follows:

When the Pace Car leaves the pits, all cars may drive out directly behind them. Caution is requested to prevent pit lane accidents.

Each driver drives slowly towards a predefined spot on the track. Your VWEC user interface will tell you where that spot it. When you have arrived at your spot park the car on the right-hand side of the track. Again caution is requested.

When the grid is lined up, the Pace Car will start the formation lap. The VWEC staff will announce this mark. The field follows the pace car when it starts driving.

Overtaking, swaying and brake tests are not allowed. Keep a steady pace, stick with the car in front of you, but keep a safe distance.

If you spin, crash or go off-track, you must move to the back of the grid and start from there. You are not allowed to get back to your original starting position.

The Pace Car moves to the pit lane at the end of the lap. From that moment on the leader dictates the pace. When the leader crosses the finish line, the race starts. No driver may overtake before crossing start/finish.


LAPPING

Blue flag – This flag signals a faster car is behind you. Caution is required, but moving over is not.

The faster cars are expected to look for a proper passing opportunity. They are responsible for initiating a safe pass. Straights are preferred over corners. Corner exits are preferred over corner entries.

Slower cars are expected to keep running their racing line and cooperate with safe passes. Moving out of the way is not advised as it leads to unpredictable situations.

Patience is the key word.


DRIVER SWAPS

A team always uses at least two drivers in an event. None of the drivers is allowed to drive more than 75% of the total race length, not including time spent in the pit box. Additionally a driver can not drive more than four (4) hours in a row and has to take a one (1) hour break after his stint, in which he cannot drive the car in the race server.

To perform driver swaps we use the regular driver swap feature that swaps drivers through the pit menu. Read more about the feature HERE. Teams that use one PC for multiple drivers, must create an in-game driver profile containing at least the last names of the involved drivers (e.g “Smith – Doe”).

DRIVER CHECKLIST – run it every time before you enter the server
  • Downloaded required software
  • Updated SimSync Pro
  • Tested PC performance
  • Spectator mode set correctly
  • Got the password
  • Got the TeamSpeak info
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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DOWNLOADS

This thread will contain all information on required downloads such as the mods, tracks and vehicles. The use of SimSync Pro is still a topic of discussion. More news on that will follow later.

Download and install the following files or packages

Base software
V-WEC 2013 Mods

Remove previous VWEC mods before installing the VWEC Round 3.2 file.
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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SKIN INSTRUCTIONS & TEMPLATES
Templates
GT1 Nissan GT-R GT1
GT2 Chevrolet Corvette C6.R GT2
GT4 Nissan 370z

Instructions

Download your skin, and start skinning. There is a layergroup in there with both Racedepartment logo, and the VWEC logo. You can use that freely if you want. The logo on the back is mandatory, as is the number plate on the side.

When you've finished the skin, upload it to an online storage where the skin can be downloaded. Share the file and put link in a PM to @Marco Bijl and @Stefan Woudenberg. As title: VWEC, #??? [team name]
In the message box the following info:

Number=???
Team="race team"
Driver="driver 1/ driver 2"
Description="race team #???"

And ofcourse the download link to the actual skin.
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

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LIVESCORING & SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION

VWEC Racing Guide - Endurance racing with reconnects - by Marcel Offermans

History

The history of this software is very much linked to the history of on-line endurance racing itself, as its author has been amongst the first to participate in on-line endurance events that involved driver swaps. In those days, NR2003 and its Trans-Am and later GTP mod were the weapon of choice because the community had discovered a way to swap drivers by willingly disconnecting from the server and then reconnecting from a different computer but using exactly the same driver profile. That sparked a series of events and competitions which slowly transitioned to rFactor when that was released. rFactor showed great promise, because it was the first simulation with built-in driver swaps and a real day-night transition. However, with these advantages also came some downsides, as there was no option to reconnect in case your connection dropped. To add insult to injury, there were some hard to fix bugs in the driver swap code which sometimes caused cars to be ejected from the server for no reason. This meant that leagues were struggling with endurance using rFactor and most therefore kept the races fairly short to minimize the number of disconnects.

Then, a couple of years ago, during one of the discussions with ISI, the idea was coined to organize the races in the one session that did allow you to reconnect, the practice session. That meant basically we had to do what all race organizers do: implement a lap counting and timing mechanism ourselves. That, in a nutshell, is what this software is about.

Introduction


So we run a complete race in an rFactor practice session. That means that the standings in rFactor are useless, since the simulation does not know we’re racing and will show us standings that are ranked by the fastest laptime.
Therefore, for all the teams we have a web based scoring solution that will constantly show the right standings, laptimes, remaining race time, etc.

To effectively use this information, very much like in real life, every driver needs a radio connection with his race engineer to keep him up to date on everything that’s going on around him. This includes spotting and reporting accidents that happen on the track in front of the car, keeping an eye on faster cars from other classes and the blue flags that might be shown, and keeping the driver informed about what cars he is currently racing for position. In other words, teamwork is essential here!
Operation

The website consists of several pages. You can either choose to navigate between them, or alternatively keep them open in different windows or tabs. We will discuss each page separately here.

Scoring

This is probably the most important page, because it contains the full standings of the race as well as some general information about the duration of the race.

Let’s start with the general information. It basically shows how much time has elapsed and how much time or laps are still left until the end of the race (depending on the type of event). A very important entry is the “State” of the race: at the start of the event we will always be “formating”, meaning we are not yet racing, but trying to get all the cars in formation in the right order so we can start the race. Then the status can change to “starting” which means that when each car crosses the start/finish line, they will start their race. When that happens, the status will change to “racing”, and then “finishing” when the event is over.

More about that will be described below under “Procedures”.The largest part of the screen is filled with a table.

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Most columns will be self explanatory, so we will only give a short overview here:
  • POS, PIC - The overall position and position in class of the car.
  • VEHICLE, DRIVER - The car and driver names.
  • LAPTIME - The time of the last completed lap.
  • GAP - A rough estimate of the gap to the car in front.
  • LAPS - The number of laps driven.
  • #PS - The total number of recorded pitstops for the car.
  • BESTLAP - The best laptime of this car.
  • BF - The number of blue flags shown for this car, if any.
  • PIT - If the car is in the pitlane or not right now.
  • S - The state of this car (see also the general state), is this car “starting”, “racing”, “disconnected” or “finished”.

In-car Details

When you click on a car in the main scoring page, you immediately jump to a page that shows a lot of details about this car. You can see the current driver. Directly below are for boxes that show penalties, blue flags, and status indicators that tell you if the car is in the pit lane or garage. Below is an overview of your current sector times and lap time, as well as the best times (in a smaller font, directly below). Directly on the right of that is your position. In formation it will also show you the number of meters to your starting position (or a negative number if you drove right past it). Completely at the bottom you see messages from race control, directed to your car.

LiveScoring-GridSpotTracker.png


Procedures

There are a couple of procedures that we want to explain here.

Start and restarts
A race start or restart always begins with all teams in their garage. Race control will then load the correct qualification order, or in case of a restart, the saved game state which is a combination of laps driven and the restart order.


Then, race control will start telling cars to drive out of the pits. Either all at once, or by class. In any case, at this point you should start driving out of the pits, keeping LEFT at all times, towards your starting position that is marked on the in-car details display. As soon as the indicator changes from red to green, you are within range. You should park your car on the RIGHT side of the track and shut off your engine to prevent it from overheating. If you overshoot your position, do not reverse, but drive another lap.

Race control will wait until all cars are “locked into position”. At that point, they will signal all cars to “start their engines” and follow the pace car in a single file. As soon as race control is happy with the positions, they will signal that the race will go green on the next passage of the start/finish line. Remember that no overtaking is allowed before you actually pass the line.


Penalties

Penalties are always shown in your in-car details window, and there you can also see when you have resolved them. How to resolve a penalty, depends on the type of penalty. The most important ones are described below.

Drive through penalty - This one is simple, drive through the pitlane, keep your speed below the limit, but don’t slow down too much or stop. Just drive through the pit lane and the penalty should be resolved.

Rejoin or ESC penalty - These are time penalties, and during a time penalty you absolutely cannot move your car. The best way to ensure that is to not even drive out of your garage. You get this penalty when you either press ESC on the track, or have to rejoin the server after being disconnected. The penalty will always tell you how long to wait, and when it’s okay to start driving again.
 
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Yoeri Gijsen

Premium
INCIDENTS & PENALTIES

How to send in an incident report?
In case you feel the rules have been broken or malicious driving has taken place you can send in an incident report. The staff will then look into the matter. To do so you must start a conversation with Yoeri Gijsen and provide the following information:
  1. Names of the involved drivers.
  2. Lap of the race (from your perspective) and a time stamp of the replay.
  3. A short description of the incident.
Incident reports must always be sent in before Friday 23:59 GMT in the week after the race.

Round 1 - 6 Hours of Sepang
#104 MadCape GT1 vs #105 SimRacingSpain
Avoidable collision caused by #105. Warning. Please mind your braking points in traffic.
#115 GhostSpeed vs #108 GT Competizione - Lap 30 of the former
Intentional and avoidable heavy contact caused by #108. No brakes applied. Disqualification followed by a suspension from the championship for the remainder of the season.

#204 lSd vs #113 OXXO Racing
Avoidable collision caused by #113. No sufficient overlap on 204's turn-in point. Warning. Please be more careful in executing your passes.
#204 lSd vs #115 GhostSpeed - Lap 155 of the former
Avoidable collision caused by #115. No sufficient overlap on #204's turn-in point. Warning. Please be more careful in executing your passes.

The following incidents remain unresolved due to a lack of accurate replay or video footage:
  • #309 Road Bandit vs #115 GhostSpeed
  • #309 Road Bandit vs GT #108 Competizione
  • #309 Road Bandit vs #206 F1C Endurance
  • #309 Road Bandit vs #111 Radicals
  • #301 SimRace Vereniging Nederland vs #207 Project Resistance Racing
  • #202 ME Racing vs #201 RARE Endurance Team
  • #202 ME Racing vs #304 MadCape Racing Team
Note that due to the circumstances this race was driven in and the lack of reliable results coming from that, we have decided to inflict no effective penalties on the teams, with the exception of the #115 vs. #108 incident.

Round 2 - 8 Hours of Bahrain
#104 MadCap Racing vs. #117 RFN Endurance
Lap 21, 0:42
Avoidable collision during an overtaking attempt. The staff decided that #117 should have left more room on the left for the #104 that was clearly still alongside. Drive-through penalty in Losail for 117.

#104 MadCap Racing vs. #215 RFN Motorsport
Lap 76, 0:21
Avoidable collision during pit-in. The staff decided that #215 should have been more careful moving to their pit spot to avoid contact with #104. Drive-through penalty in Losail for 215.

#104 MadCap Racing vs. #207 Project Resistance Racing
Lap 83, 0:58
Unsafe rejoin after an incident. The staff decided that #207 should have more carefully re-entered the track to avoid a dangerous situation. Drive-through penalty in Losail for 207.

#107 Spelen Spedit vs. #208 Scuderia GTItalia
Lap 30, 0:33
Unsafe rejoin after an incident. The staff decided that #208 should have more carefully re-entered the track to avoid a dangerous situation. Drive-through penalty in Losail for 208.

#201 RARE Endurance Team vs. #208 Scuderia GTItaliaAvoidable collision was resolved during race with a Drive-through penalty.

#116 Figjam Racing vs. #101 RARE Endurance Team

Lap 69, 1:16

Avoidable collision during defending. The staff decided that #101 should not have changed lines in the braking zone whilst defending their position. Drive-through penalty in Losail for 101.

Round 3 - 12 Hours of Losail
#209 TXL vs 118 Racefactor Endurance Team
Lap 8
Dangerous pit entry by 118. The staff has decided that the 118 could have chosen a better line to enter the pit lane, despite their car's condition. Warning for the 118.

#209 TXL vs #215 RFN Motorsport

Lap 150
Avoidable collision. The 215 could and should have braked harder. 30-seconds penalty for 215.

#304 Team Marr vs. #302 PRTeam.es

Lap 145 and 167.
Avoidable collision. The staff has decided that the 302 should have adjusted to the braking points of the car ahead more. 30-second penalty for 302.
 
I'm so excited, I,m going to do a pre season offline race with ai. Partner driver lol I am intrigued by car choices. Mainly the prototype. I.e to use stefans car, to wait for ISi. To release theirs which may be the 2003 Bentley or..is there another prototype out there in the pipeline?
 
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