21.05.25
RACING RULES AND REGULATIONS
● This document outlines the core principles and rules of Bongo racing.
● While intended as guidance for both drivers and stewards, this document provides the basic structure and processes involved in all Bongo racing leagues and events.
● Bongo racing reserves the right to update this document as the need arises.
1 League Structure
1.1 Registration
1.1.1 Registration procedure as well as registration opening/closing will be announced in the Bongo Racing Discord server
1.1.2 Where applicable drivers will be required to choose a racing number on a first come, first served basis. If your racing number has already been allocated, you may enter into negotiation for use of that number directly with the driver holding that number. However the driver allocated that number will have the final say.
1.1.3 Where driver numbers must be chosen mandatorily it is the responsibility of that driver to always use that number when taking part in a league event. Failure to enter the event with the correct, allocated race number will result in a DISQUALIFICATION for the offending driver post race.
1.1.4 Adjustments to registration details can be negotiated with a Bongo admin.
1.1.5 If registrations are closed, drivers can apply to an admin to be placed on reserve list.
1.1.6 Registration opportunities may open up as the season progresses. In these cases priority will be given to reserve drivers.
1.2 Tier Allocation
1.2.1 Where applicable tier placement will be decided by a ‘shake down’ event that will help Bongo admins place each driver in an appropriate tier. Shake down details will be detailed in the Bongo Discord server.
1.2.2 Drivers may be moved between tiers while the season is ongoing if it's clear they have been misplaced. The admin team is free to move drivers to a higher/lower tier. This could be because they are clearly too fast for their split, or that they are unable to experience close racing due to being too slow. Moving drivers will only be done when it improves the competitiveness of all tiers involved.
2 Racing Rules
2.1 Clean racing
2.1.1 Race cleanly at all times. No contact should occur between cars on track, and as a driver you are required to do your best to avoid this from happening. Accidents can happen, but if you are at fault for causing a collision, you are likely to be penalised.
2.1.2 Deliberately crashing into another car will result in a 6-month ban from our leagues, events and servers. Repeat offenders will be permanently excluded.
2.1.3 If lag (connection issues) is the cause of an incident, when it is obvious that your car's lag is the cause of another driver going off, this would still be classed as an unfair overtake. Please be more careful around other drivers if you are regularly involved in lag-related incidents.
2.2 Overtaking
2.2.1 Don't be too aggressive when trying to overtake. As the chasing car, it is generally your responsibility to not make contact with the car in front.
2.2.2 Overtaking another car on the track, when under yellow flags, is prohibited/not allowed. An exception to this rule is in place, when the other car drives very slow due to damage and/or was involved in the incident causing the yellow flags. When a driver overtakes another car under yellow flags, they are supposed to return the position. This rule only applies during race sessions.
2.3 Defending
2.3.1 Dangerous weaving and blocking is not allowed. Do not force a chasing car off the track or into a situation where they are forced to go off the throttle or on the brakes. If the attacking car is alongside you going into a corner (generally if the attacking car's front wheels is alongside or ahead
of the defending car's rear wheels), you must adjust your line to avoid contact.
2.3.2 Do not leave it too late to defend a move. Make your move clearly and fairly. If you move too late and the car behind has no time to react, it is not them who will be blamed.
2.3.3 Dive-bombing without establishing sufficient overlap before the turn-in point should be avoided and may be subject to a penalty. If the attempting Driver gets out of control and causes contact or time loss to another Driver, the penalties applied may be harsher than normal.
2.4 Corner cutting/track extending
2.4.1 If you overtake another driver with all four wheels off track, or as a consequence of cutting a corner, you must slow down and give the position back. Failing to do so will likely result in a penalty.
2.4.2 The odd misjudgement of a corner can happen, but if you accidentally gain an advantage by going outside the track limits without getting a warning by the game, you are expected to back off to an extent that clearly negates any advantage gained. Failing to do so may result in an enquiry being opened for the stewards to review by any impacted driver
2.4.3 If a driver is reported to the stewards for a breach of this rule, it is up to the stewards' discretion as to whether they feel the driver has abused the track limits to an extent where a penalty is justified, and if so what type of penalty is appropriate to be handed out. This will depend on the severity and frequency of the cuts. The bottom line is, if you want to make sure you are not in danger of being awarded a stewards penalty, make sure you don't gain time from leaving the track limits throughout qualifying and the race.
2.5 Qualifying Etiquette
2.5.1 Where possible, you are expected to build a 2-3 seconds gap early in the out lap and maintain this gap. Manage pace to ensure no build up of cars is forming behind due to excessive slowing. It is not allowed to sit on the car aheads' bumper for the entire out lap to then create a gap in the final sector, due to the cars behind building gaps.
2.5.2 Overtaking is not permitted during qualifying while the cars involved are on a hotlap, with the exception of the car in front leaving the track completely, crashing or yielding. Should you wish to allow a car to
overtake in this session, you must actively move from the racing line and yield in a safe and controlled manner.
2.5.3 In qualifying, it is your own responsibility to find free space on the track when starting a hot lap. A car on a hot lap does not have to yield for a faster car approaching from behind. If you are on an in or out lap, however, you have to let cars on a hot lap pass you without blocking them.
2.6 Spatial Awareness
2.6.1 If you spin off whilst the pack is close, rejoining the track immediately is ill-advised. Staying still is the best option until the other cars have avoided you. It is far easier to avoid a stationary obstacle. If you spin off whilst one or more competitors are close, you have to prioritise safety over minimal time loss, which might include braking until the control of the car is regained. Failing to do so may result in a penalty.
2.6.2 If you for whatever reason leave the track, rejoin in a manner that is predictable, safe and in no way a danger to other competitors. Realign your car with the direction of the track as much as possible before rejoining the track.
2.6.3 Using the in-game spotter, an external app like the crew chief or at least having the proximity arrows enabled is strongly advised. This helps the drivers to be aware of their surroundings
2.6.4 In case of yellow flags and/or an incident happening in front of you, you have the obligation to slow down by going off-throttle if the situation is safe enough or by braking to avoid any collisions. Failing to do so may result in a penalty even if you're not responsible for the incident in front of you. This rule only applies during race sessions.
2.6.5 In case you get spun by another driver or spin on your own close to other cars, you are expected to hit the brakes. If you get spun and hit the brakes within an acceptable time, you are protected from penalties derived by further collisions. If you do not hit the brakes within an acceptable time and get collected by other cars you will likely be penalized.
2.7 Pit exit and pit entry
2.7.1 Cars on a qualifying hot lap have the right of way, cars that reset to the pit during qualifying must let the hot lap cars through before entering the track. During the race, cars exiting the pits have the right of way and must
be allowed to exit back onto the track. During the race, do not cut off the pit exit when a car is leaving the pit lane.
2.7.2 Every track has a pit entry and a pit exit lane designated by a solid white line. If there is a car within these boundaries, either entering or exiting the pits, passing cars are not to cross the lines and move out of the way of the car entering or exiting the pit lane. This is especially important on tracks whose pit exits intersect with the racing line - Paul Ricard and Spa, as an example. Should any incidents occur while a car is in the pit entry or pit exit line, the passing car will be held responsible.
2.7.3 A car is considered to be in the pit exit or entry zone when all four wheels are within the white lines.
2.7.4 Once the car has left the pit exit boundaries, it is no longer under "protection", and as such is considered to have rejoined the race. Any incidents that will happen beyond the pit exit line will be no longer considered in favour of the car leaving the pits.
2.7.5 Use of turn indicators is strongly encouraged to signal entering the pit, especially on tracks which have a very tight pit lane entry starting right after the final corner of the track (Paul Ricard, Monza, Suzuka, Zolder are examples of this).
2.7.6 Stay within the white line when entering and exiting the pit lane. The game allows a small tolerance in speed limits while travelling in the pits. You are not allowed to exploit that tolerance while driving in the pit lane. We let the game enforce speed limits and penalties - within its tolerance - while cars are crossing the pit entry line and are still significantly slowing down, but once the car is slowed down the pit limiter speed must be observed. Failing to do so is a reportable offense which will lead to penalties. Pit entry speeding limits and penalties are at the same time, in the more extreme cases, enforced by the game and may lead to non-reversible penalties. If you cause a dangerous situation by crossing the pit entrance or exit line, or if this is done in a way that blatantly gains time or track position, you will be penalised. Taking out the pit-limiter marker is a punishable offense.
3 On Track Regulations
3.1 Being Lapped
3.1.1 We are running with the in-game rules & flags system, which means that the game should alert you with a blue flag when you are about to be lapped. When receiving a blue flag or know that a car is going to lap you and is approaching from behind, you should prepare to let them pass, without interfering with their race, when safe, within the next few corners. In single class races, this is done best by the car that is being shown a
blue flag moving off the racing line and easing on the accelerator on a straight, or lifting / braking early, and/or giving up the inside line to a corner to let the lapping car pass. The exception to this rule applies when the car being lapped has completed their mandatory pit stop, and the car approaching to lap them has not yet completed their stop. In this, and only this, situation the car being shown the blue flag has no requirement to move out of the lapping cars way, and may stick to the racing line until the lapping car attempts a pass. However, when the lapping car goes for a move, the blue flagged car should not defend in any way. The lapping car should announce their attempt of overtaking by clearly moving towards the inside of the upcoming turn and/or shortly flashing their headlights.
3.1.2 As a means of helping with blue flags, we advise the leaders to flash their lights at cars due to be lapped. This should not be done excessively. This is their cue to inform them that the driver on the lead lap is about to go for a move on the driver being lapped. Flashing your lights at a competitor you are racing for position is not to be used as a "distraction technique" or in anger at an incident.
3.1.3 If you are faster than a car that has lapped you already, you are allowed to try and unlap yourself. Immediately after unlapping yourself, you are allowed to try to build a gap to the car behind giving you blue flags. If you don't manage to do so within one lap, and are still receiving blue flags, you must adhere to them as per rule 3.1.1.
3.2 Pit Stops
3.2.1 When applicable a pit stop must be served after the official widget start and earliest at the end of lap 1. A mandatory pit stop must also be served before the final lap of a race. This takes into account the potential for having been lapped. Failing to observe this rule will cause a race DSQ.
3.2.2 Auto pit limiter will be disabled in all Bongo league races
3.3 Driving in different conditions
3.3.1 For races that take place at night time, all drivers are required to have their headlights on in order to make your car visible to others, and to make the road more visible for you. If you're involved in an accident which damages both of your headlights, you must return to the pits immediately for repairs. Please also make sure you have a button assigned to turn the headlights on.
3.3.2 The above rule about having headlights on also applies to running in the fog and in the rain.
3.3.3 During rainy conditions, having the rain lights turned on is mandatory.
3.3.4 For races with rain or a chance of rain, please make sure you have a button assigned to turn the wipers on, or have the auto-wipers feature turned on.
3.3.5 Be aware that when driving in difficult conditions you may think that the owls are not what they seem. We assure you this is not necessarily the case.
3.4 Return to pit box
3.4.1 If at any point in qualifying you want to return to the pit box, please do this off-track or manually drive to the pits without impeding other drivers on a hot lap.
3.5 Formation lap/start
3.5.1 Drivers are at all times supposed to strictly follow the instructions given by the race organiser. Where start procedures differ from the use of any in game instructions, drivers will be informed during the race briefing. Failure to adhere to stipulated start procedures will be penalised.
3.5.2 Any attempt to deploy squirrels, hamsters, or other pocket-sized fur missiles as a method of signalling a sketchy overtake will result in an immediate and eternal ban from the sacred ‘Tales of the Riverbank’ holographic shrine in the relaxation chamber. Repeat offenders may also be required to publicly apologize to the Society for the Ethical Treatment of Rodents while dressed as a giant cheese wheel.
3.6 Restarts
3.6.1 In case of a major incident involving a massive number of cars in the first lap of the race, or general problems with the servers, the coordinator is allowed to announce a session restart at their own discretion. The decision made by the coordinator should not be discussed during the race.
3.6.2 Any incidents happening before the restart, are still reportable and will - if reported - be reviewed normally by the stewards.
4 General Behaviour
4.1 Communication
4.1.1 All drivers are expected to be in the allocated Discord server Voice Channel before the race briefing begins. Not being up to date due to not attending a briefing cannot be used as an excuse for any rule infringements.
4.1.2 Drivers are free to use other voice chat channels or mute any chat once the briefing is complete.
4.1.3 Once the briefing is complete, drivers are expected to no longer use the in-game chat function until the race has ended (for all drivers).
4.2 Etiquette
4.2.1 Shouting, name-calling and generally speaking rudely is not acceptable. Drivers who are a disruptive influence in the comms will be penalised accordingly, or in extreme cases removed.
4.2.2 Respect the other drivers. Keep a friendly atmosphere and treat your fellow drivers as equals, regardless of them being quicker or slower than you.
4.3 Race etiquette
4.3.1 If you are involved in an on-track incident, don't overreact. It may be frustrating, but you need to stay calm and get on with it. Losing out due to another driver's mistake or recklessness is no excuse for retaliation or acting against the rules.
4.3.2 If another driver does something you feel is against the rules, report it using the incident form after the race rather than argue about it over the voice chat or in Discord post-race.
4.3.3 If you are having a bad race, don't act foolishly. As a driver, you have to accept that some races will be better than others and you can't always have it your way. If you are unable to enjoy the racing due to not always being at the front, this is not the place for you - there are many drivers in the league, and someone will always have to be at the back.
4.3.4 Wait until everyone has finished the session, both qualifying and race, to discuss the race.
4.3.5 After crossing the finishing line, the same rules are in effect. Crashing into each other is not allowed post race or any other particular time during the race event.
4.3.6 Penalties will be applied to drivers who knowingly take out brake marker boards and other signs that could be used as reference points.
4.4 Rage-quitting
4.4.1 Deliberately quitting the race in any way - whether that is by quitting through the pause menu, getting yourself disqualified or deliberately crashing your car - is not allowed, unless you have a very good reason to do so. Accepted reasons for quitting could be that you are a danger to other drivers on track due to poor driving or connection issues. Quitting because you "couldn't be bothered" or due to being angry at something - rage-quitting, in other words - are not good reasons.
4.4.2 Excuses such as 'poor driving' and 'connection issues' will be monitored. These are not ‘get-out of jail free’ cards if you can't be bothered. Poor driving is occasional, if perhaps life has been unkind or you haven't had as much time to practice. However, turning up each week having not practiced, and therefore not enjoying your racing because you're struggling will see you put under review. We don't expect every driver to complete a certain amount of practice each week, but we expect you to be able to control your car and be safe on track.
4.4.3 Connection issues can strike anybody, but drivers who are continually unable to race safely due to connection will be reviewed - see Connection and Lag.
4.4.4 Repeatedly quitting the race before it has finished, without an acceptable reason gives the Bongo team the freedom to remove you from the league. This may also mean that you will not be accepted in the league for the next season.
5 Participation
5.1 Completing races
5.1.1 To be eligible for being classified points after a race, you must have completed at least 75% of the race. The amount of laps the winner of the race drove, is considered to be 100%.
5.1.2 The rules pertaining to ‘drop rounds’ in a season will be clarified in the Bongo Discord server on a per season/league basis.
5.2 Connection & Lag
5.2.1 It's an unfortunate aspect of online racing that having a stable connection can be critical to being able to race closely with other cars. While we understand that not everyone can have perfect connections, and that occasional lag can't be avoided, we reserve the right to ask a driver to step down from the league if their connection is causing too many issues for other drivers. Coordinators reserve the right to disqualify a driver during the race if their connection poses a serious danger to other cars on track.
5.3 Withdrawing from a League
5.3.1 Commitment and good communications are very important at Bongo Racing. If you have to pull out of a league while the season is ongoing, please let a member of the Bongo team know. If you leave by simply not showing up for the races, without informing anyone, the coordinators reserve the right to remove you from the league.
5.3.2 Consistent ‘no shows’ may also result in you being removed from the league in order to offer opportunities to reserve drivers.
6 Incident Reports
6.1 Incident Report Form
6.1.1 The incident form can be used to report incidents and other rule violations that occur in qualifying or race sessions.
6.1.2 The stewarding panel reserve the right to reject incident forms that do not include the following information:
● Car numbers of the drivers involved
● Lap number of incident
● Time stamp
● Description of the incident
● The incident date
● The incident track
● Where applicable the race number (e.g. Race 1, Race 2, reverse grid race etc).
6.1.3 Acceptable incidents that can be reported include:
● Racing incidents: If you feel another driver has caused an incident - eg. hitting your car, forcing you off the track, or generally driving too aggressively - you should report this to the stewards for investigation.
● Dangerous driving: If a driver rejoins the track in an unsafe or dangerous manner, or drives in a way that is a danger to other cars, you should report it to the stewards.
6.1.4 You should only report incidents that you are directly involved in. A breach of rule violations such as abusing the maximum speed allowed in the pit lane, where no other driver may directly be involved, can be considered an exception to this rule. The stewards will in such cases on a per case basis determine whether a report was rightfully made.
6.1.5 Reports should be submitted within 72 hours of the race finish. Reports received after this time may not be considered
7 Stewarding
7.1 The Stewarding Panel
7.1.1 A stewarding panel will be held as soon as feasible after the race where the stewarding group will evaluate and process any incident reports and award penalties that will be added to the race results.
7.1.2 As part of the function of the stewarding panel all Lap 1 incidents will be analysed and reviewed irrespective of a report. Any infringements identified on Lap 1 will carry a higher tariff of penalty.
7.1.3 Where possible the stewards meeting will be recorded and made available to the community. These recordings will, wherever possible, remain unedited as a means of promoting transparency and offering an insight into the stewarding process. While this may be a painful experience for the viewer, we reserve the right to administer that pain unreservedly.
7.1.4 A driver can appeal a stewarding decision by contacting a member of the team directly. The appeal will be brought to the attention of the panel and will be reinvestigated if deemed necessary. We discourage drivers from discussing stewarding discussions openly.
7.2 Race Penalties
7.2.1 The stewards have a variety of penalties that may be applied to punish drivers who break our racing rules, depending on the severity of the violation. An example of the available penalties received in the stewards panel are sorted below, in order of severity and will depend on the Stewards decision.
● 5-60 Second penalty for - Driving in a dangerous or unsporting manner.
● 5-15 Second penalty for - Causing a minor avoidable collision.
● 20-45 Second penalty for - Causing a moderate avoidable collision.
● 45-75 Second penalty for - Causing a significant avoidable collision.
● 75 - Race/Qualifying Ban - Causing a major avoidable collision.
7.2.2 The stewarding panel may adjust the severity of the penalty in circumstances including but not limited to:
● Returning the position after an avoidable collision may result in the time penalty being reduced. Stewards encourage giving the position back or an attempt at waiting.
● If the consequences of a penalty are worse or not as bad as the contact itself, the time penalty may be higher/lower than the usual punishments mentioned in the overview above.
● Not slowing down when clearly witnessing an incident in front of you, may result in an increase of the time penalty.
7.2.3 The stewards reserve the right to increase/decrease penalty severity on a per incident basis. Note: that penalties may be added together in the event of multiple violations in a race, which could result in higher penalties, license points, race/qualifying bans etc.
7.2.4 The stewards may also use the Warning system where the infringement is evaluated as not meeting the time penalty threshold. Warnings will be cumulative across a season and consistent Warnings will result in license points penalties (Driver’s License accumulations below).
7.3 Drivers License Penalties
7.3.1 The Driver’s License points system is a way of keeping track of a driver's record of breaking the rules of clean racing, and to more severely punish repeat offenders. Driver’s License Points will not be influenced by external circumstances related to an incident, they will only be given for the severity of an incident. As mentioned above, Lap 1 incidents will carry a more severe penalty. Driver License Points may or may not be applied alongside race penalties, as per the list below.
● 0 to 2 points - Driving in a dangerous or unsporting manner.
● 1 point - Causing a minor avoidable collision.
● 2 points - Causing a moderate avoidable collision.
● 3 points - Causing a significant avoidable collision.
● 4 points - Causing a major avoidable collision.
7.4 Driver’s License accumulations
7.4.1 At the start of a season the number of points on a driver's license will be reset to zero and increase to a maximum based on the particular league (usually 12). Below is a guide to the implications of license point accumulations
● If a driver accumulates 5 points, they will be awarded a Qualifying ban
● If a driver accumulates 10 points, they will be awarded a Race ban
● If a driver accumulates 12 points, they will be removed from the league
● If a driver accumulates 4 or more points during one event, they will be awarded a Race Ban.
7.4.2 Every third warning a driver receives, automatically results in 1 license point.
7.4.3 Any penalties will be aimed at the person who has done wrong - we cannot compensate anyone else as a result of someone's actions. All penalties are discussed by the Stewards Panel before being issued and the driver will always be informed of the outcome. The Stewards Panel is completely neutral and will not include anyone who may be affected by the incident in question with race results or championship points.
