Which car will you be driving this week?


  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .

Skid_Marc_

Staff member
Admin
Welcome, drivers, to the start of 2018 Season 3!!


A new season brings an opportunity to try new cars! Are you going to be making a switch? Remember that you have four weeks to try different cars before you are locked into using just one! Also, don't forget about #PracticePals every Monday and Wednesday night (8:00 PM EDT / 0100 GMT)


A really solid schedule this season, imo! This season looks a bit different than some of the previous seasons!

Round 1 - Twin Ring Motegi East Circuit Q M
Round 2 - Circuit Park Zandvoort Grand Prix Circuit Q M
Round 3 - Road Atlanta Full Circuit
Round 4 - Interlagos (Autódromo José Carlos Pace) Grand Prix
Round 5 - Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix**
Round 6 - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Endurance Pits**
Round 7 - Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit
Round 8 - Suzuka Circuit Grand Prix
Round 9 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Round 10 - Watkins Glen International Boot
Round 11 - Circuit Zolder Grand Prix
Round 12 - Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit


**Round 5 and Round 6 will be reversed, due to the iRacing 24 Hours of Spa taking place the weekend of Week 6.


The season will kick off this Friday with a night race on the 3.4km (2.112 mile) 11 turn "Twin Ring Motegi - East Course" layout!

In real life, the ring is a multi-motorsports facility located just outside Motegi, Japan, and about 140 km north of Tokyo. The circuit earned it's name due to the facility containing two race tracks, or rings; a 2.49 km (1.55 mi) asymmetrical oval and; a 4.8 km (2.98 mi) 14-turn road course. However, unlike a Roval, the two tracks are completely separate from each other, and the road course runs the front stretch in the opposite direction of the oval. The track was built by Honda in 1997 in an attempt to develop their oval open-wheel package for American open-wheel series, and the oval circuit hosted it's first race in 1998 (Honda didn't win their first oval race at the track until 2003, when Dan Weldon took the victory while driving for Andretti-Green Racing in a Honda-powered Dallara). It is the first banked oval of it's kind in Japan, with the turns banked 10°. The Indycar's returned to the oval annually until 2010. In 2011, an earthquake damaged the oval, forcing Indycar to use the road course, and Indycar hasn't returned to the circuit since.

The road course, in contrast to the oval, is considered one of the flattest in the country, with very little banking in the corners, and the only elevation changes in the circuit necessary to allow the road course to pass under the oval, both on the back stretch, where the road course leaves the oval infield, and in Oval T1, where the road course returns. Motegi's road course also borrows inspiration from the U.S., featuring a tight "start-stop straight-hairpin" layout, which is a stark contrast to other circuits in Japan like Suzuka and Fuji. The track hosts two Super Formula (formerly Formula Nippon) events each year, as well as the Season Finale of Super GT (GT300 is GT3 homologated), Super Taikyu (GT4 and TCR homologated), and MotoGP each visiting the track at least once per year.

The track has an estimated seating capacity well over 130,000, but the inaugural event was limited to 55,000, and the official seating capacity has been capped at just over 60,000 spectators. This is due, not to a lack of space, but instead a lack of access to the race track. TRM is located in a bowl at the top of a hill, and there are only two two-lane roads to the race track. On top of that, Motegi is a small town (14,000) with relatively few accommodations for food and lodging. The track has also been criticized for it's lack of sight-lines. Because part of the road course exits the infield, the parts outside of the oval are completely obscured from sight, including two of the best passing opportunities on the race track. In iRacing, the track is most notable for it's lack of grip, and troublesome viewing angles, mostly due to iRacing usually hosting races at this track at night.

2017 SuperGT GT300 (GT3) Pole Lap (GP Circuit): 1:49.174 - Haruki Kurosawa - Mercedes AMG GT3

East Layout Track Record: Lamborghini Murcielago - 1:35.73


League Format:

League consists of 3 sessions as follows:
  1. Open Qualify Session: Full Fuel - 7:30 PM EDT (60 minutes). Drivers must record a clean lap within 103% of the fastest recorded lap time. Those who cannot do so are placed at the tail end of the field for the Qualify Race.
  2. Qualify Race (Inverse Grid "Opt In"): Full Fuel - 8:30 PM EDT (30 minutes = 10 minute Warm Up + 20 minute Sprint Race). "Opt In" Inverse Grid based off results from Open Qualifier. Drivers outside of the 103% rule are automatically placed at the tail end of the field. (No Pit Stop)
  3. Main Race (Grid determined by Qualify Race): Full Fuel - 9:10 PM EDT (60 minutes = 10 minute Warm Up + 50 minute Race). Grid is set by results from Qualify Race. One Pit Stop is required for tires only at the 25 minute mark.
Pit Window: 5 minutes in duration. Drivers must pit for tires within this window or incur a penalty. Pit Stop is only required in the Main Race.

Fast Repair: One fast repair is available. If taken outside of Pit Window Driver must perform a drive through penalty within Pit Window.

Scoring:

Championship Standings

What makes Band of Others League unique is our ongoing commitment to provide scoring options that allow Drivers of all pace to score well.

All bonuses (and penalties) are geared toward rewarding people for clean driving and participation.

Scoring is % based on number of laps completed. All Drivers must complete 90% of the Leaders laps to achieve maximum points.

Qualify Race Scoring: Positions 1 - 10 score. First place scores 10 points for race win with each lesser position scoring less one point. Race winner is also afforded 1 bonus point for race win.

Main Race Scoring: Race winner is scored 50 points + 1 bonus point, all positions following are scored -1 point from the previous position.

Bonuses: Qualify and Main Race only.
  • + 1 point for Race winner.
  • + 3 points for Race finish.
  • + 5 points for Race finish with 0 incident points.
  • + 10 points for 8 Race participation (proposed) Test Season Only
  • + 10 points for 16 Race participation (proposed) Test Season Only
  • + 25 points for referring a friend (proposed) Test Season Only. NOTE: Both Driver and friend MUST complete 8 Race minimum for either to score bonus.
Penalties:
  • - 3 points for every 10 incidents.
  • Car contact resulting in loss of control (drive through penalty).

NOTE: All drive through penalties MUST be served within 3 laps of offence.

Open Setups:

If you have a good setup please post it here.

If you are unwilling or unable to share your setup with other League Drivers then you are not permitted to use it during League events.

Car Selection:

All Drivers have until Week 4 to test different cars and still be scored in League.

Starting Week 5 you must commit to one car for the remainder of the Season else you will not score points.

After Week 5, you are allowed to change your car at any time in the season, but you will forfeit any points scored in a race not completed in your Week 5 car.

See you on the track!
 
Last edited:

Deb

Moderator
Not sure if I'll race Friday, getting ready for VLN on Saturday and I don't know Motegi, although I really like that it is night, wish they would do that more often :)
 

Kenadian

Staff member
Site Admin
So are we running daytime or nighttime?

My guess is daytime is better for League but please let me know if you have an opinion that differs.
 
Both are ok for me but for people who don't know track good or this layout day is better but of course..with night temps ahaha :D
 

Nejtun

Moderator
Night time is my choice, so few tracks have a night option anyway, it mixes things up a bit, that plus TRM is like frozen glass in the daytime, no.grip.at.all
 

Noodleguitar

Moderator
Nice to see the first race of the season go off successfully, with a decent amount of drivers.

Sorry about my inconsistent driving for those who were forced to witness it. I was especially tired in the main race, and learning a track while tired is apparently a bad idea. The carrots didn't help much in keeping me awake.
 

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