Cup ideas (secondary road series)

I'd like to hear from everyone else on this idea I've got. Poll is open for a week from today.

Short version:
Run a secondary series in parallel to the main VSRA league schedule, and crown a "Cup Champion." These series would be shorter than the main season, but require more racing; the series would probably feature 2 races a week for two weeks, capped off by a longer "Race for the Cup" in week three.

I built the car list based on what I have. If you've been hesitating to pull the trigger on any of these cars, I can give you a strong recommendation to buy any of the first three cars. They are fast and surprisingly easy to drive (even with the baseline setup).

The Mustang is ponderous in corners, but barrels down long straights and gentle curves like a demon. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but not as steep as the SRF.

To fully appreciate the first three cars, a FFB wheel is an absolute must have. You feel the downforce - it's a true race experience.

The top three cars from the poll will be the first three used for short cup series.

Proposed tracks: for first series (based on track availability and what I own)
1. Lime Rock (wk1)
2. Laguna Seca (wk1)
3. Charlotte (road) (wk2)
4. Watkins Glen (Boot) (wk2)
5. Road America (wk3 Race for the Cup)

Long version: I'll add the long version Monday. I'm about to head out on a coyote hunt and I won't be back til Sunday night.

I'll work out the points system and incorporate incidents into the scoring. If you run a clean race (0 incidents), you'll earn additional points. For every incident you incur while racing, your "Clean Race" award is reduced (based on some multiplier). Base "Clean Race" award to be determined - to earn that award you will either have to be present for the checkered flag or have completed 80% of the total laps completed by the leader.

Weeks 1 and 2 will be short races, no pit required. The Cup race will be longer and require 1 pit. Penalty for failing to pit to be determined.

At the completion of the cup, the driver with the fewest incidents who completed at least 80% of the highest total number of laps will be recognized, as well as the top 3 finishers. The driver with the greatest number of incidents, regardless of lap count, will be given the Cannonball title, and possibly barred from the following cup series.

Anyway, I've got to get going - please chime in with your thoughts and ideas. I may not participate in all the races (schedule dependent) but I'm happy to coordinate the short series racing.

FYI - I'm also thinking about requiring a fee ($5 iracing credits) to use as prizes to the top finishers. But this isn't a strong possibility.

I'm up for a secondary season! I'd love an excuse to work on my Mustang driving skills. I raced in one of the Class C Grand Am races using the Mustang. It was very nerve-wrecking when being passed by a large group of Riley DPs!

What about the Dallara Indy car? I figured if I'm going to have to buy something, it should be something I've wanted to race!

SRVjr wrote:

What about the Dallara Indy car? I figured if I'm going to have to buy something, it should be something I've wanted to race!

I don't own it and don't have any near-term plans to buy it. Sorry

Ok, I'm back and here's the long version (as promised) -- BE ADVISED: this will likely be revised based on your feedback and the lessons learned from actual cup execution

Racing Concept

1. The first two weeks will feature four short races while week 3 will feature 1 "long" race
   
2. Short races will not exceed 20 laps, but will be at least 10 laps
   
3. No pit required for short races
   
4. Long race will be at least 25 laps
   
5. Long race will require at least 1 pit, not to exceed 2 pits
   
6. Race night format will be similar to the format used by the main league: practice, followed by qualification, followed by the race
   
7. In order to participate in a cup, the drivers must register for the series prior to the first race of the cup - no exceptions - this will be done by replying on the associated forum topic
   
8. For the first cup (at least), races will be a single car format (no multi-class, yet)
   
9. For the first cup (at least), all cars will run the same setup (this will be reconsidered)
   

Earning Points

1. Every driver receives 1 point for every lap completed
   
2. The top finisher receives 100 points, while each subsequent place receives 10 less points (ie 1st = 100, 2nd = 90, 3rd = 80, 4th = 70, etc)
   
3. The lowest point award a driver can earn is 0
   
4. Each driver starts each race with a "Clean Driving Bonus (CDB)" of 25 points
   
5. For every incident a driver incurs while racing, the CDB is reduced by 1 point (ie driver finishes race with 12 incidents, his CDB is 13 [25-12])
   
6. The minimum CDB a driver can receive is 0 (CDB will not reduce points awarded)
   
7. In order to receive the CDB, the driver must be present at the checkered flag, or have completed at least 80% of the laps completed by the top finisher (in the event of a dropped connection)
   
8. The CDB will be tracked separately to recognize the driver with the highest total CDB as the "Gentleman of the Cup"
   
9. At the end of the race, the driver is awarded points equal to the sum of the points value of his finishing place, the number of laps completed, and his CDB
   

Scoring the Cup Series

1. At the end of the series, the Cup Champion is determined by points (earned by placing, lapping, and through the CDB)
   
2. The winner of the Cup race (the long race) will be recognized as the Driver Champion (earned by placing first in the long race)
   
3. The driver with the highest CDB will be recognized as the "Gentleman of the Cup"
   
4. In the event of a points tie, tiebreakers are as follows: # of laps completed (over the cup), higher total CDB (over the cup), lowest average lap time over the cup (determined by averaging the average lap time for all races)
   
5. If a tie remains, the top two drivers will share the title of Cup Champion
   

Penalties and other things I haven't worked out
If I'm able to incorporate a race official (or two) for each race, the officials will be tasked to determine if driver on driver incidents warrant a penalty during the race. If this is a go, penalties can include pit lane drive through, stop and go (no fuel or tires), stop and hold for a period of time (determined by an official and his watch), and ejection from the race. This will rely on the in-game replay system and discussion among the officials.

Further, I'm also considering a stronger penalty for reckless (or just plain bad) driving - essentially, if a driver incurs (or exceeds) some number of incidents (number to be determined, likely based on track and grid size) during a race, that driver may be disqualified from the next race (pending a cursory appeal and subsequent decision by the cup officials). Likewise goes for an entire Cup - no need to allow a cannonballer to enter a future cup until he gets his wheels under him.

Alright, that's all I've got (for now) - to be revised, but please discuss. I need your input to fine-tune this concept.

I like the idea, but is this going to run multiple cars or just the one that won the posted poll?

I'm considering a mixed class series, but the primary plan is to rank the vote result and run a side cup for each in that order (ie we would start with the star mazda, move to the mustang for the next cup, and so on).

I didn't get enough response or "I'm down" interest at this point to start the side cups, so I'll hold the plans for now. I still intend to do it, but probably not during this season.