Racing Etiquette

Speed, Strategy, Respect! 

 You’re on the grid, heart pounding, ready to launch. But before the lights go out, there are a few essentials you need to master. From race session flow to tactical prep and on-track etiquette, this guide gives you the edge to race smart, and earn respect while doing it. Because racing isn’t just about lap times and overtakes, it’s about how you carry yourself when the pressure’s on. Whether you're in Free Practice or defending into Turn 1, your behavior on track defines your reputation. Let’s break down the unwritten rules that separate the clean racers from the chaos-makers.

Free Practice

Use this space to get used to the car, the track, and try to find the input for getting your tire pressures right under the weather conditions present in the server. You can race against people in free practice, as long as you don’t excessively block other racers.

Qualifying

Use your mini-map to judge whether people on a fast lap are close when exiting the pits. If you get blue flags during qualifying, that means someone on a timed lap is approaching you. Please let them pass your car. When starting a flying lap yourself, make sure there is about a 2-3 second gap between you and the person in front to make sure you don’t hinder each other.

Starting Procedure

There are two procedures: a short one where all cars are released simultaneously and drive in double-file to the start. Then there is a lengthy, full lap warm-up procedure (recognisable by it starting on the grid). In this case, cars are released one by one as they drive single-file to the end, where they need to start driving double-file again. 

Follow the instructions of the widget on the screen. Cars are ghosted, so you don’t have to worry about bumping into anyone. Another tip: holding your brakes is a better way to warm up your tires (and brakes, duh) compared to merely weaving. Use this to your advantage!

Turn 1

The race starts with people driving two or even three or four wide towards the first corner. However, the corner offers space for only 1-2 cars wide at most. This means that there will be an accordion-effect of people trying to find their place for the first corner by braking A LOT earlier than you would expect. It’s a good thing to start lifting and braking to anticipate this. You don’t want to be that person, causing a multiple car crash on the first turn, right?

Lap 1

The whole first lap will be a continuation of small accordion-effects. The field will be very nervous as it stretches out to a single thin line.  There will be some clutches or groups of drivers fighting for position, and inevitably, there will be a big crash at some point. Be prepared for this to happen and chances are it won’t happen to you. Still, make sure to slow down to maximise your chances of evading death. After all, a great first lap is a foundation for a great race.

Dueling

Once the tension has eased, you can try to find your pace during the race. This will also be when you either start gaining on the car in front of you or losing the lead to the vehicle behind you. It is the responsibility of the vehicle behind to make a clean(-ish) pass. Rubbing is racing (no pun intended), but crashing isn’t. 

Only make a move if you fully believe you can make it stick rather than bumping someone for the sake of battling. This also means that you shouldn’t poke your nose into someone’s rear at an unrealistic place and then be surprised when your opponent blames you for crashing the both of you. When you crash, you not only end your race but potentially the race of multiple drivers as well. Be respectful of each other. The result isn’t as important as you think.

It’s the fun you can have getting to the end, which is the significant bit, but first, you need to get to the end!

Blue Flags

Contrary to Formula 1 regulations, back-markers in GT racing don’t have to move out of the way under blue flags. They are allowed to, but they don’t have to. In GT racing, blue flags are meant as a heads-up that a faster driver is approaching and wants to pass. It is up to the faster driver to make this a clean pass. The backmarker, however, is not allowed to block the move of a quicker driver. On the relative MFD-menu page, orange names are a lap ahead of you. Blue names are a lap down. If you want to let a faster driver by, don’t suddenly brake. 

Get off the racing line first, then just lift. The best way to let people pass you is to go a bit deeper into a turn/hairpin by braking later, drifting wider on straights, or both. This minimizes time lost on your end if you let someone pass!

Penalties

Understanding all the penalties associated with GT racing is the most crucial aspect of sim racing in which you need to be thorough. ACC has an automated penalty system for corner-cutting. This system measures how fast you go through a micro-sector after you’ve had four wheels over the white line and compares it to the fastest time you have set through that micro-sector.

If you’ve gained time, you get a warning. If you lift (and thus lose time), you won’t get a warning. This system needs time to calibrate (you need to put in fast, clean micro-sectors) at the start of a race, so be careful of warnings early on. Four warnings result in a Drive-Through penalty. Serve the drive-through within three laps or risk being disqualified. Watch out though; speeding in the pitlane causes you to get a 30-second Stop & Go penalty. When you serve it, make sure that “Serve Penalty” is checked on the MFD-menu page for the pitstop.

Finishing

If you crashed, got a penalty or are otherwise at the back of the field, it might just be enticing to quit the race and join another server. Please refrain from doing that and use the remaining time to build your experience driving clean laps and just to have fun driving without any pressure. Someone in front might have a spin offering you a chance to battle with them. 

Not only is it more fun for the entire lobby when everyone stays inside the server for the duration of the race (and tries to make it to the finish), you also get bonus Trust points for making it there. This could off-set the OBWP you may have earned earlier on, and makes sure that you can get into higher-rated servers later! Data Analysis is also a massive part of ACC and sim racing in general. 

There are some excellent software packages to track your race rivals’ telemetry in the same session as you in real-time with live timing, such as Race Sync for example. Use them to your advantage.