Table of Contents

1. Season Structure

2. Registration - Fees

3. Car Assignment

4. Livery Requirements

5. Pre Season Qualifying

6. Drop Rounds / Attendance / Relegation

7. Pre-Race Qualifying

8. Race Starts

9. Race Format

10. Points / Championship(s)

11. Penalties

12. Attendance

13. Red Flags

14. Stewarding Reporting

15. RSVP Instructions (CRITICAL)

16. Rules Of Conduct For Driving

1. Season Structure

General description: This season of World Cup brings significant changes to the series, so please read this rulebook thoroughly. Some (not all) of the significant changes are as follows:

1. 90 Minute Races
2. No compulsory tire requirements
3. Limited starting fuel at 46%
4. No Fastest Lap qualifying grid
5. Qualifying heats

1.1 Day and Time of Events

1.1.1 All events take place on Saturdays.

1.1.2 Races begin at 7:00 PM Eastern Time (New York).

1.2 Season Schedule

1.2.1 There are 12 races (rounds) per season. 2 Drop Rounds.

1.2.2 The season schedule will be available when registration opens.

1.3 Lobbies

1.3.1 There will be only 3 lobbies, with 15 drivers per lobby. The 16th slot is for host and/or broadcaster, should one become available/needed.

1.3.2 Qualifying heats will determine the top 45 driver starting lobbies for the series (see section 5).

2. Registration - Fees

2.1 Registration Form and Fees

2.1.1 Drivers must register using the provided registration form. A link to the form is provided in the GTC Official Discord channel and on the website page for the event.

2.1.2 Past season drivers are given priority over new registrants.

2.1.3 There is a $5 fee this season, to cover broadcasting costs.

2.2 Registration Limit

2.2.1 There is no limit to the number of drivers that can register for the qualifiers.

2.2.2 Full Time Slots: There will be only 45 slots available (first come first serve basis).

2.2.3 Reserve Slots: Drivers who register after the first 45 will be on the waitlist.

2.3 Driver Numbers

2.3.1 Driver numbers range from #0 through #999. Leading zeroes are not allowed (e.g. 02).

2.3.2 No two drivers may have the same driver number. Drivers from the previous season have priority in retaining numbers.

2.3.3 Drivers can request a number in the #Driver Support channel on Discord. Once approved, they will be listed in the official number list on the website in Driver Support.

2.4 Disqualified and/or Not Qualified

Race organizers retain the right to reject registration. Some reasons may include:

2.4.1 Previous bans or disqualifications for improper behavior or driving etiquette.

2.4.2 Not Qualified or no show.

2.4.3 Performance in previous season(s).

3. Car Assignment

3.1 Allowed Cars

3.1.1 There will be 6x GT3 and 6x GT4 cars for the season.

3.1.2 Drivers will use one of the 6 cars in that weekend's class race for the track; however they will only be able to use that car once in the season. Example: if you use the GT3 Aston Martin in any of the GT3 rounds, you cannot use it again in another GT3 round for the remainder of the season.

3.1.3 The list of cars will be made available on the website series page.

4. Livery Requirements

4.1 Livery Requirements

4.1.1 Approved decals: May not contain profane language, pornography, or smoking related content.

4.1.2 Required decals: Must include all required decals as described in the #Livery-Regulations channel on Discord. These include, but are not limited to, official number placards, sponsor logos and series logos.

4.1.3 Required window banner must be used and may only include the official banner decal as described in the images. No other decals may be present on the window banner location.

4.1.4 Required decals shall be placed in the location were indicated on the livery images.

4.1.5 Required decals must be clearly visible in all locations.

4.1.6 Required door placards must have the original background as created and not rotated or skewed.

4.1.7 Required door placard numbers must be white and legible.

4.1.8 Winglet flag decals are required but can be for any country you wish to identify/support.

4.1.9 Class decals are not required but are encouraged.

4.2 Livery Approval

4.2.1 Livery Approval: Livery must be submitted in the Livery Approval section on the Discord event channel. A livery steward will approve or provide changes that are needed to be approved.

4.2.2 Livery steward decisions are final.

4.2.3 Liveries must be submitted for approval before the first race. All liveries submitted must be submitted no later than 24 hours before the first race.

4.2.4 Any changes to liveries must be submitted for approval 24 hours or sooner before any round.

4.3 Livery Penalties

4.3.1 Using unapproved liveries: Drivers that arrive for a race with an unapproved livery will be banned from the next race until the livery is approved AND receive a drive through penalty. If the driver arrives for the next race with an unapproved livery, they will be removed from the series and not permitted to participate in the current round.

5. Pre Season Qualifying

5.1 Qualifying Day 1 (1st Round Heats)

This is subject to change depending on size of driver registration list.

5.1.1 There will be 3 heats on Day One Qualifying.

5.1.2 Each heat will be a 30-minute race, with the same settings as a normal race. With a 5-minute qualifier beforehand. RM tires only. 40% fuel.

5.1.3 The RSVP tool will be utilized and be limited to only 15 drivers per heat that can register.

5.1.4 Drivers can choose which heat they want to participate in. The choices are limited to the number of drivers for each heat and are first come first served. The drivers' names will be hidden to avoid drivers choosing which lobby to be in based on who else is in there.

5.1.5 All heats will be broadcasted live. So, each heat will have a different time slot. Times will be posted on the official website page for the event.

5.1.6 Heat promotion details:

• The top 5 from each heat will move onto the Finals Heat 1.
• The bottom 10 from each heat will move on to the Semi-Finals Heat 1 and Heat 2, in random order.

5.2 Qualifying Day 2 Finals Heat 1 and Semi-Finals

5.2.1 There will be 2 Semi-Final heats and a Finals Heat 1.

5.2.2 Finals Heat 1:

• The top 8 from Finals Heat 1 automatically head to Lobby One.
• The bottom 7 move to the Finals Heat 2.

5.2.3 Semi Finals:

• The top 4 from each semifinal race will head to Finals Heat 2 to compete against the bottom 7 from Finals Heat 1.
• P5-7 from Semis Heats 1 and 2 will advance directly to Lobby 2.
• The remaining drivers will go directly to Lobby 3.
• The 8th place finishers in Semi Heats 1 and 2 will have a chance at a wildcard spot in Lobby 2 for the last open spot. This will be determined by the fastest total race time in the semifinal heat.

5.3 Qualifying Day 3 Finals Heat 2

5.3.1 Finals Heat 2:

• The top 7 finishers will go directly to Lobby 1.
• The remaining 8 will go to Lobby 2.

6. Drop Rounds / Attendance / Relegation / Promotion / Reserves

6.1 Drop Rounds

6.1.1 There will be a total of 12 rounds for the season, and all drivers will drop their 2 worst performing rounds (or missed round).

6.1.2 All points will be scored on the 10 best rounds per driver.

6.1.3 The last 2 rounds cannot be a drop round.

6.2 Attendance

6.2.1 Drivers that miss more than 3 rounds will be dropped from the series and replaced with a reserve driver.

6.3 Relegation

6.3.1 The bottom 3 finishing drivers from Lobby 1 and 2 will be relegated to the Lobby below them after each race. This would include any driver that didn't or couldn't show up.

6.3.2 An example of this is if someone misses a round (which could be their drop round), they would be one of the bottom 3 drivers from that round and would be relegated to the next lower lobby. If more than 3 drivers miss a particular round in a single lobby, the bottom 3 would be based on their previous round's performance.

6.4 Promotion

6.4.1 Top 3 finishing drivers from Lobby 2 and 3 will be promoted up to the next Lobby after each race.

6.5 Reserves

6.5.1 Reserve drivers may be called up into the series into Lobby 3, in order of their qualifying times from the open qualifier.

6.5.2 Drivers may not request another driver to drive in their place. This includes teammates.

6.5.3 Reserve drivers are not guaranteed a full-time spot, unless a full-time driver misses a 3rd round. The highest placed reserve driver will be offered the first full time open spot.

6.5.4 If more than 1 full time spot becomes available, the next appropriate reserve driver will be offered the full-time spot.

7. Pre-Race Qualifying

7.1 Qualifying

7.1.1 Each race will have a 10-minute qualifier before the race. So, the lobby will be set up as Practice/Qualifying/Endurance.

7.1.2 Lobby qualifying settings will be setup with the same conditions as the race.

7.1.3 Continuation time for qualifying will be 60 Seconds.

8. Race Starts

8.1 Race Start - Grid Start False Check Set By Fastest First (normal procedure)

8.1.1 When all drivers are checked into the race, the lobby host will issue a 2 min warning before starting the race.

8.2 Green Flag Start (failed normal start due to tech issue or red flag)

8.2.1 When all drivers are checked into the race, the lobby host will sort the grid BY HOST to get the proper running order.

8.2.2 The race will then start again as normal.

8.3 Weather

8.3.1 Some races will have rain, and those races will be known at the beginning of the season.

8.3.2 Actual weather forecast will be shared 1 hour before the lobbies open.

8.3.3 To keep things fair, only the Race Director (Chris Ball – PresidioDog) will know the extent of a lobby's wet weather settings ahead of a wet race and will not share the details with anyone until the weather report is shared.

8.3.4 Rain will not last an entire race, as such, the wet weather may be at the beginning, middle or end of the race.

9. Race Format

9.1 Endurance Format

9.1.1 Races are Endurance; therefore, the lobby will be set with a timer. All drivers will have a max of 180 seconds (3 min) to complete the race on their final lap.

9.2 Required Tire Compounds

9.2.1 There are no compulsory tire requirements, run what you want, when you want.

9.2.2 Dry weather racing compounds available are RH, RM, RS.

9.2.3 Wet weather tires will be made available in every race: IM, WW.

9.3 Pit Window for Fuel and Tires

9.3.1 There is no pit window. Pit whenever you like. However, there will be a limit to the starting fuel percentage.

9.4 Lobby Settings

9.4.1 Race Settings:

• Grid is set by the pre-race qualifier
• Grid Start, Fastest First, BOP on, Tuning off, Brake Bias allowed
• Slipstream Real, Damage Heavy
• Fuel is x1 and Tires x3, Grip Real
• Brake Balance Allowed

9.4.2 Penalty Settings:

• Shortcut Weak, Wall collision None
• Correct vehicle off, Car collision off
• Pitlane cutting on, Ghosting off
• Flag rules ON

9.4.5 Driving Options:

• Countersteering Assist prohibited, all others assist no limit.

9.4.6 Misc Settings:

• Refuel speed is default 1L/sec
• Initial Fuel 46 Liters

10. Points / Championship(s)

10.1 Driver points

10.1.1 Drivers are awarded points for their final position placement and bonus points.

10.1.2 A FL (Fastest Lap) bonus point of 1.

10.1.3 A PP (Pole Position) bonus point of 2.

10.2 Points Distribution

10.3 Resolving Ties in the Final Scores

10.3.1 A tie is 2 drivers with the same point totals at the end of the series. We will go to the finishing positions, and the driver with the highest average finishing position will take the lead points. First, we will look for a P1 finish, and if both drivers have equal P1 finishes, we will go to P2 finishes, if both drivers have equal P2 finishes will go to P3 finishes and so on.

10.4 Award(s)

10.4.1 Each class champion will receive the GT Champions Winner's Coin.

11. Penalties

11.1 Shortcut and Pit Lane

Shortcut penalties are set to weak and pit lane penalties are on.

11.2 Contact Incidents

11.2.1 Contact/Punting: Any contact that culminates in damage to another vehicle may be given a drive through, or other penalty in the next race. If the contact happens in the final round, stewards reserve the right to adjust time/position according to the severity of the incident.

11.2.2 Aggressive driving: Aggressive drivers will be given 2 warnings, after which they will be removed from the series. Aggressive driving can mean anything from dive bombing, pushing, or unsafe maneuvers.

11.2.3 Steward Review: Contact incidents will be reviewed by the stewards after the race. Contact incidents will result in penalties based on the severity of the incident.

11.3 Types of Penalties

11.3.1 Drivers may receive drive through penalties, time penalties, position penalties, or race disqualifications, depending on what the stewards determine is appropriate. The stewards may disqualify a driver from a season outright depending on the severity of an incident.

12. Attendance

12.1 Missed Rounds

12.1.1 Missing a round falls under section 6.3.2.

12.1.3 Any driver that runs the pre-season qualifier, and qualifies for the full time spots, must run the first round, or they may lose their full time spot in the series. This decision is left up to the discretion of the race director(s).

12.1.4 Drivers are required to be in their assigned lobby 10 minutes prior to the posted race start time, 7pm ET. This is to facilitate the effectiveness of the remaining sections on Section 12.1 AND for the race to start on time.

12.1.5 If a driver has not entered the lobby by the required time (6:50pm ET), they must message the lobby host in Discord or PSN direct message that they intend to join or are having trouble joining. If driver is not receiving a response from the lobby host, they may try and contact another driver that they know to be in the lobby, and request for them to message the host as well.

12.1.6 Race start can be delayed by the lobby host under the following conditions, and only for a maximum of 10 minutes (7:10pm ET):

• Drivers having technical difficulties in connecting with the lobby, AND are already in contact with the lobby host (refer to 12.1.5).
• Lobby host network issues.
• Broadcast team is having technical difficulties.

12.1.7 The races will start at 7:10pm ET, regardless of broadcaster issues or a driver failing to enter the lobby. No exceptions.

13. Red Flags

Organizers and hosts can, according to their own discretion, call red flags or race restarts.

13.1 Red Flags

13.1.1 Red Flags MAY be called by lobby host or broadcaster, for major incidents on lap 1.

13.1.2 Red flags may ONLY be called by the broadcaster or lobby host, and generally only during the first lap and first sector, unless a significant event occurs, and is left up to the lobby hosts discretion.

13.1.3 Red flags are called if 1 or more cars are stuck on the grid.

13.1.4 Red flags may be called if 1 or more drivers are DC'd on the 1st lap. A DC means their account left the lobby, not just the track.

13.1.5 Only 2 red flags can be called for any one round. After the 2nd is called, the next start goes, regardless of conditions.

13.1.6 Drivers that call a red flag in party chat, are not official. Only the host or broadcaster may call red flags. If drivers exit the race, and an "official" red flag has not been called, then they will be given a DNF. So to be VERY CLEAR, if a driver is involved in an incident, and says "red flag" or "red" or similar in the chat, and exits the track, or a group of drivers call "red" and leave the track, without the broadcaster or lobby host calling it, they may receive a DNF, and may receive a penalty for doing so.

13.2 Canceled Rounds

13.2.1 Canceling a round is the discretion of the lobby host.

13.2.2 If there are significant network issues, the host may cancel the round completely.

13.2.3 A maximum of 30 minutes will be used to get a race going to keep on schedule. If the race cannot start within 30 minutes from the original start time, the round will be canceled.

13.2.4 If a race has completed more than 50% of the race distance/time, and the lobby fails, the finishing order will be set to the place on track for each driver (only if there is a broadcast or other evidence to show the order).

13.2.5 If a race has completed more than 50% of the race distance/time, and the lobby fails, and there is no solid view of the grid order, the race will be cancelled and zero points will be awarded for ALL rounds.

13.2.6 The race organizer(s) will make the decision if the race will be re-scheduled or not.

14. Stewarding Reporting

Stewarding is an important part of organized competition. Stewarding rules are located on the website here: https://gtchampions.com/stewarding/

15. RSVP Instructions - CRITICAL INFORMATION

15.1 RSVP Description

15.3.1 GTC uses a Discord RSVP tool, for a number of reasons:

• Allows drivers to indicate with they can or cannot attend a race
• Allows drivers to see start times in their own time zone(s)
• Allows GTC Race Directors to see who will be participating

15.3.2 If a driver is having trouble using the RSVP feature, they must contact a @Staff member for help BEFORE the RSVP window closes.

15.3.3 Drivers who do NOT rsvp in time, will be demoted to the lowest lobby position, and replaced by a reserve driver if one is available. IT IS THE DRIVER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO RSVP AND WILL NOT BE GIVEN A PASS. It is important that drivers take a screen shot of their rsvp if they feel there could be an issue. The rsvp system sends out Discord messages to all drivers in the World Cup role, reminding them when the rsvp will close. They are given a 24 hour notice, and a 1 hour notice when rsvp is closing.

16. Rules Of Conduct For Driving

16.1 Unsafe Re-Entry

Drivers recovering from an accident or returning to the track have no right of way until they reach the apex of the following corner.

16.2 Blocking Moves

Drivers are allowed to move once in an effort to defend a corner. Moving again is considered blocking and may be penalized.

16.3 Lapped Cars (BLUE FLAG)

16.3.1 Going a lap down: Lapped (or being lapped) drivers must make reasonable effort to let lapping drivers pass unimpeded, by staying on the racing line and not "defending".

16.3.2 Unlapping: Lapped drivers are allowed to "unlap" themselves. If a lapped driver has significant pace over the driver in front of them that is on the lead lap, they may overtake them. The lead lap driver is NOT responsible for yielding to a lapped driver. The lapped driver must make a safe overtake under normal race conditions.

16.4 Qualifying Conduct

No blocking, dueling, or contact is permitted during qualifying. During qualifying, drivers who are not, during their present lap, able to set a personal best lap time, may not impede other drivers. Slipstream in qualifying is allowed, but drivers may not, on the approach to a new timed lap, wait to follow another car or give draft.

16.5 Brake-checking

Slowing down needlessly with another car two (2) virtual meters or less behind is prohibited.

16.6 Waiting/Self-Penalizing

A driver who recognizes their own responsibility for a racing incident and who slows down to return position to the wronged driver is considered to have partially or fully self-penalized, and this should factor into the stewards' decision on the incident.

16.7 Unprofessional Conduct

16.7.1 Drivers may not engage in bullying or pestering behavior toward other drivers who have right of way, such as repeated slight contact, or flashing their headlights.

16.7.2 Drivers who use the in-game chat system in a way that distracts other drivers will be penalized accordingly.

16.7.3 GTC Stewards have the right to penalize drivers that appear to be blocking or slowing down other drivers on purpose or by accident. Stewards have the right to penalize a driver if they appear to demonstrate a significant slower pace after overtaking.

Release Notes

02-FEB-2026 - 9.4.1 – Race Settings • Grid Start, Fastest First, BOP on,tuning off (Brake Bias Allowed)