1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series - Rules

 
   
  
CART 1988 Mod

In this series we use the CART 1988 Mod and this 1.6 patch. 
**Please install these items in order and delete any previous versions before installation to avoid online mismatches**

You will find detailed information about the mod and cars in the readme, which is found at: rFactor\Gamedata\Vehicles\Indycar1988\1988 CART Readme.pdf

  
Car Selection

Three chassis series are available for full-time drivers (i.e. Lola, March, Penske), with several firms supplying engines (Chevrolet, Cosworth, Judd, Porsche and Buick). Goodyear is the lone tire supplier. Please refer to the mod's readme pdf for important performance information before making a full-time drive selection.

Once the entry list is opened (March 12), drivers will list their top three full-time selections (in order of preference). They can change them any time, but only the latest post will be taken into account. On March 19th, the admins will assign drives based on the choices made, taking into account which combinations will yield the best attendance and tightest competition. Drivers must be realistic in their choices, because the admins reserve the right to refuse any car for a driver deemed to fast for it or if of unknown sim racing level. This limitation will also apply to cars that become free during the season and the extra, non-full season cars at each event.

When car selection opens, a driver can post their selections and those of someone else who can't be online when the thread opens -- providing:
1) They only post selections for themselves and a maximum of one other driver 
2) The other driver doesn't post later with a contradicting selection

During the season, switching from one full-time drive to another is permissible -- but only under the following process:

1) Any full-time drive that goes vacant will be offered on the forum to full season drivers that want to change their car, on a first come-first serve basis. Admins still reserve the right to refuse a car to a driver who is deemed to fast for it.

2) Should the drive still remain vacant 24 hours later, it will be offered to the waiting list drivers in order of who has the most one off starts.

3) The drive made free by the full season driver who changes his ride will go through procedure 1)

For certain exceptional cases we can allow sharing a car between two drivers, i.e. they are free to arrange between themselves who drives at each event.

At all races, at least one open car will be available as a one-off drive for HSO members who are not committed to the entire schedule, but would still like to take part occasionally.  These one-off drives will be announced in individual race threads.  Like the full-time drivers, one-off drivers will be eligible for championship points (see "Points System"). If a full-time driver declares himself/herself absent for a race, their car will be available for said race as a one-off drive. If a full-time driver gives up their drive for the season, the car in question goes through the three-step process listed above. One-off drivers cannot switch from one car to another once they have made a selection for a particular race. Similarly, full-time drivers already confirmed for a particular race cannot abandon their full-time ride for a car that suddenly becomes available after the fact. Drivers with a secure full-time drive are not allowed to jump into another car that happens to be open at a particular race, unless they are switching to that car full-time or abandoning full-time driving in favour of one-offs. If a full-time drive is vacated awkwardly close to a particular race, the admins may choose to offer the car as a one-off for said race, then reallocate it as a full-time drive after the race is complete.

A full-season driver missing one race without any explanation on the forum will have their car freed and made available for someone else. If a full-season driver is absent for two races in a row or four races in total, they will lose their drive, even if they declare their absence each time. For those on the waiting list who wanted to commit to full season and did not get a ride, we will count how many times they effectively appear to do a one off, which will score for preference towards getting a full time drive that becomes available (after said drive clears procedure 1 listed above).  The driver(s) with the most one-off starts have 24 hours to claim a car from the time it is made available to them; if they say no or do not respond, the next driver(s) on the list have 24 hours to claim it, and so on.  If everyone on the waiting list declines the car by saying no or letting time expire, it will be open to anyone as a full-time drive or as a one-off in the next scheduled race.  The waiting list is only for drivers who have no full-time drive, not for full-time drivers looking to switch cars. A car swap between two full-time drivers can be requested, but must be cleared with the admins.  If a former full-time driver asks to join the waiting list, they will be placed in the last tier with a "0" for one-off starts, irrespective of what drives they had before. Full-time starts do not count as one-off starts.  Under no circumstances can a driver have their name attached to more than one car at a time (i.e. driving a one-off car one weekend while at the same time having a full-time drive booked in advance for subsequent races).

   
Championship Rules

The championship will be run over fourteen rounds.

  
Points System

Points will be awarded to the top 12 in each race according to following chart.  

Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th
Points	20	16	14	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1

  
Both finishers and non-finishers can score points.  
One bonus point is awarded for pole position, and one bonus point for the most race laps led.

There will be one drivers’ championship, as well as the informal "Triple Crown" (a driver winning all three 500 mile races will be declared Triple Crown Champion).

  
Qualifying

On road courses, a one-hour qualifying session will determine the race grid. 

On ovals, qualifying will consist of a two-lap shootout for each driver. This 5-minute session will be a "private" one as per rFactor's rules, which means each driver will be alone on the track although everybody will run simultaneously. Each driver will be allowed a maximum of four laps : one warming up lap, two qualifying laps, and the slowing down lap. Any driver covering more than four laps will have his qualifying time disallowed and will be put at the end of the qualifying order. The Indianapolis 500 grid will be determined by the traditional 4-lap Pole Day on a date prior to the actual race weekend. Special qualifying instructions for select races will be disseminated one week prior to said races.


Event Schedule 

All meetings will be held on Sunday nights (all times given as CET)

Road Course Schedule 
20:00 – Qualifying Session (60 minutes)
21:00 – Drivers' briefing and warm-up
21:10 – Race start 

Oval Schedule (except for Indianapolis)
20:00 – Free practice (45 minutes)
20:45 – Qualifying Shoot-out (private session, 5 minutes, 2 flying laps)
20:50 – Drivers' briefing and warm-up
21:00 – Race start

Race server password : hso88


Race Start Procedure

The start will be given flying behind the game-controlled pace-car (special formats will be outlined for 500 mile races).


Full Course Yellow Procedure (En français en dessous)

This series will see the appearance of the Full Course Yellow procedure. When rFactor judges that a situation is risky (a car stopped on the track, a spin on a speedway etc..), he will throw a Yellow Flag. From the time this Yellow Flag is thrown, overtaking is forbidden, but if you have doubt about your position, rFactor will tell you where you have to be when you will cut the start/finish line. 

When the Safety Car is out, you must keep a normal pace until you reach the the line of cars behind the SC. Otherwise you'll get a penalty. Same when you exit the pitlane under yellow, you have to be quick enough to rejoin the SC.

/!\ On oval track the leader will have to be careful to not overtake the Safety Car when the latter is exiting the pitlane. /!\

*** VF ***

Ce championnat est marqué par l'apparition de la procédure de Full Course Yellow. Quand rFactor jugera qu'une situation est à risque (une voiture arretée au mauvais endroit, un tête à queue sur un ovale) il sortira la voiture de sécurité. Une fois cette procédure lancée, il est interdit de dépasser. Si vous avez des doutes rFactor vous dira de toute façon ou vous placer une fois que vous aurez franchi la ligne de départ/arrivée. 

Lorsque la voiture de sécurité est sortie, vous devez conserver un rythme normal jusqu'à ce que vous rejoigniez la file des voitures derrière le SC, sinon vous risquez de vous voir infliger une pénalité. Même chose lorsque vous ressortez des stands, vous ne devez pas trainer pour rejoindre la voiture de sécurité.

/!\ Sur les ovales, le leader devra faire attention à ne pas dépasser la voiture de sécurité lorsque celui ci est en train de sortir des stands. /!\


Restart Spacing Rule (En français en dessous)
 
On restarts, all cars must be no more than two car lengths apart, and single file.
Failure to observe this rule during the race could result in a post-race penalty.  

*** VF ***

Lors des restarts, toutes les voitures ne doivent pas être séparées par plus de 2 longueurs de voiture et sur la même file.
Tout manquement à cette règle peut entrainer des pénalités après course.


Training Server

A training server running on the next scheduled track will be online permanently. Password : hso88

  
Behaviour on track

A few behaviour rules :

- as for all HSO races, it is required you use your real name both in-game and on the forum. Thank you.

- Chatting is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN in race session. It is allowed in qualifying sessions for technical issues only.

- Drive Through : If a driver has to do a drive through, even if there is no pit lane speed limit, he has to drive through the pitlane at 100km/h max (60mph). If he doesn't respect this, he will get a 30s penalty at the end of the race.

- If you have a spin on the course, it is YOUR responsibility to make sure the track is sufficiently clear before you rejoin the race.

- Respect the red condition at the end of the pitlane.

 
Application and Interpretation of the Regulations

The admins alone are qualified to solve any problems raised by the application and the interpretation of the present regulations.

Entry list opens March 12th at 20:00 CET?

I guess that's tough luck for those poor souls that are on their respective stint during the 6 Hours of Silverstone

David Jundt wrote:

Entry list opens March 12th at 20:00 CET?

I guess that's tough luck for those poor souls that are on their respective stint during the 6 Hours of Silverstone

Someone hasn't been reading properly It is not first come first serve. You will have a full week to post your 3 choices.

I wish BTCC had been like that

Although I am quite happy just watching there

Planning to only enter the triple crown races, but one-offs at Michigan and Pocono are only 2 cars. Hope I can make it

Richard Coxon wrote:

Someone hasn't been reading properly

Oh, and it wasnt me!!

What represents the CoG height in the manual?

Center of gravity. Some cars had a higher one at the expense of bigger, more efficient ground effect-tunnels. This results in a different handling, worse at low speed, better at high speed when the ground effects start producing downforce. A high CoG also means the car is easier to control, but has more load transfer.

Sensitivity means how sensitive the underbody is to changes in pitch, roll and yaw. High sensitivity means the car loses grip when the bottom is not as constant in distance/angle the track surface, i.e. when the car rolls or pitches in corners and under braking, accelerating, etc.  Cars with high sensitivity will require stiffer springs to keep the body more constant and not moving around as much, as will be more tricky to drive over bumpy surfaces, when the underbody is constantly changing heigth and angle to the track. This affects mostly the March 88C, a car with very good downforce, but slightly hampered by high sensitivity.

Once you go through all the combos you will realize that, with the exception of the Penske, which is quite balanced, all other combos will be better at one type of track or another, so the field is really well matched. In this situation, regularity will be the key to any championship options because you have to do well in the tracks where your car is good, and mitigate the not so good results in tracks where you don't have the advantage.

In any case, the differences are not big between the top models (PC17, March 88 and Lota T8000) and moderate to the March 87 and Lola T8700. The March 86 is however more behind, but in the hands of a top driver it can still aim for top 5-10 finishes.

A couple of little updates that can improve the look of the mod are contained within the Vehicle\Indycar1988 folder.
A. Change the spinner to a  chequered floor.

1. Make a copy of  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\showroom.mas

2. Rename  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\showroom-cart1988.mas to showroom.mas

3. Move  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\showroom.mas to  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\showroom.mas

4. Overwrite the original file.

To return to the original spinner,
delete Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\showroom.mas and rename the copied version back to showroom.mas.


B. Change the damage display HUD to a CART88 shape.

1. Make a copy of  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\rFHUD.mas

2. Rename  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\rFHUD-cart88.mas to rFHUD.mas

3. Move  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\rFHUD.mas to  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\rFHUD.mas

4. Overwrite the original file.

To return to the original rFHUD, delete Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\rFHUD.mas and rename the copied version back to rFHUD.mas.

David Sabre wrote:

A couple of little updates that can improve the look of the mod are contained within the Vehicle\Indycar1988 folder.
A. Change the spinner to a  chequered floor.

1. Make a copy of  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\showroom.mas

2. Rename  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\showroom-cart1988.mas to showroom.mas

3. Move  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\showroom.mas to  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\showroom.mas

4. Overwrite the original file.

To return to the original spinner,
delete Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\showroom.mas and rename the copied version back to showroom.mas.


B. Change the damage display HUD to a CART88 shape.

1. Make a copy of  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\rFHUD.mas

2. Rename  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\rFHUD-cart88.mas to rFHUD.mas

3. Move  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\Indycar88\rFHUD.mas to  Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\rFHUD.mas

4. Overwrite the original file.

To return to the original rFHUD, delete Rfactor\GameData\Vehicles\rFHUD.mas and rename the copied version back to rFHUD.mas.

For the sake of functionality, will there be any update released to fix the fact that under the "vehicle select" window, it shows all the cars of all the mods I own?

This is mainly a problem because it makes the load times really, really long.

Quote :

For the sake of functionality, will there be any update released to fix the fact that under the "vehicle select" window, it shows all the cars of all the mods I own?

Yes it will. In any case, a dedicated install of rfactor lite is the recommended way to go.

Quote :

Yes it will. In any case, a dedicated install of rfactor lite is the recommended way to go.

What is a "dedicated install?"

Bob Wilson wrote:

Quote :

Yes it will. In any case, a dedicated install of rfactor lite is the recommended way to go.

What is a "dedicated install?"

It's essentially that you use one rFactor Lite install per mod that you want to run

Some mods (for example f178 and f191 actually clashes causing your rfactor install to not work) so yiu can avoid such issues by doing the above

Written on my phone

Jonatan Acerclinth wrote:

Bob Wilson wrote:

Quote :

Yes it will. In any case, a dedicated install of rfactor lite is the recommended way to go.

What is a "dedicated install?"

It's essentially that you use one rFactor Lite install per mod that you want to run

Some mods (for example f178 and f191 actually clashes causing your rfactor install to not work) so yiu can avoid such issues by doing the above

Written on my phone

Thank you Jonatan.

David Sabre wrote:

B. Change the damage display HUD to a CART88 shape.

Thanks Dave, always slightly annoying to drive an openwheeler with the tintop image. Have to use this for some of my other installs as well.

In the 88' mod, noticed in the loading screen there's a pic of Swede Savage coming down pit road from the 73' USAC mod, maybe change that to a scene from the 88' season.

The 88 indy track is provisional, it will need some (minor) revisions for the race, like the load screen you indicate and probably a new AI.

Just testing with different tracks, your right the AI could use a bit of tweaking, also Indy itself in all years presented is a bit choppy framerate wise to me, other tracks from HSO seem ok.

John Fuqua wrote:

Just testing with different tracks, your right the AI could use a bit of tweaking, also Indy itself in all years presented is a bit choppy framerate wise to me, other tracks from HSO seem ok.

Indy is a very heavy track on frame rate compared to others, you may want to lower your track detail settings.

Lowering the detail was the first thing I tried, Indy is still a little choppy that way

JP never completely finished his mammoth project (Hence the wrong load screen, etc) and part of that would probably have been an optimization that lowers details in the track depending on what you choose in the menu. As of now I think that many items are not yet set in the SCN of the track to dissapear at lower detail levels, hence the small or inexistant difference you notice because they remain there. I'm not sure if that will or not be solved by May, because it requires a big amnount of work and thus an amount of time we likely won't have. We'll see.

The tricksen will be released later? Like in the 1991 series?

tricksen? What is that?

The tracks will be released later? If so yes.

Alberto Ibañez wrote:

tricksen? What is that?

The german autocorrect was taking plane ^^ I did not mean "to play tricks", i meant tracks.