INTRODUCTION · FUND RAISING The tournament will also raise funds for UNICEF’s Covid-19 response fund, helping to generate some positivity in a very difficult time across the world

I N T R O D U C T I O NIn the absence of real life international sporting tournaments this summer, sim racing is stepping up to fill the space with its own, inaugural, Cup of Nations.

Drivers from all over the world will join together to represent their country in a knockout tournament, racing across multiple disciplines and classes for international glory!

F U N D R A I S I N GThe tournament will also raise funds for UNICEF’s Covid-19 response fund, helping to generate some positivity in a very difficult time across the world.

It is not mandatory to make a charitable donation, but we request that you make a voluntary donation upon registering to take part in the qualifiers. We also request that all participants promote the cause and the donation links on their social media channels during the timeline of the tournament.

A UNICEF Tiltify page will be launched and opened for donations during the week of the qualifiers.

P R I Z E F U N DThe ‘VCO Cup of Nations for UNICEF, presented by Acronis’ carries a prize pool of £7500, which will be divided as follows:

1ST PLACE NATION = £4000

2ND PLACE NATION = £2500

3RD PLACE NATION = £1000

*Each nation’s prize will be divided equally between the four representing drivers

Q U A L I F Y I N GTwo hot lap challenges will be held o n July 1/2 and July 5/6, with each driver’s single best score from either qualifier deciding the top four drivers to represent each nation.

The top 16 scoring countries will qualify for the VCO Cup of Nations tournament, held over two days on the weekend of July 25/26.

G R O U P S TA G E ( D A Y 1 )Nations will be split into four groups, seeded in order of qualifying scores:

There will be three Group Stage races featuring ALL countries from ALL groups racing together. Each teams’ points are applied in its group table. The top two scoring teams in each group (8 teams) will progress to Finals Day

The 3rd & 4th-placed nations in each group (8 teams) will ALL contest ONE playoff race, with the top two scoring teams in this race advancing to Finals Day. The other 6 teams will be eliminated from the tournament.

H E R E ’ S H O W I T W O R K S

G R O U P A G R O U P B G R O U P C

1

8

9

16

N A T I O N 1

N A T I O N 8

N A T I O N 9

N A T I O N 1 6

2

7

10

15

N A T I O N 2

N A T I O N 7

N A T I O N 1 0

N A T I O N 1 5

3

6

11

14

N A T I O N 3

N A T I O N 6

N A T I O N 1 1

N A T I O N 1 4

G R O U P D

4

5

12

13

N A T I O N 4

N A T I O N 5

N A T I O N 1 2

N A T I O N 1 3

S E M I - F I N A L ( D A Y 2 )The 10 teams will be drawn into five semi-final ties, seeded by Group Stage points

There will be ONE semi-final race with all 10 teams. The winner of each tie will advance to the final. The five losing teams will go to a playoff race, with only the top nation advancing to the final. The other four teams will be eliminated.

S E M I – F I N A L S

S E M I 1

1

10N A T I O N 1

N A T I O N 1 0

S E M I 2

2

9N A T I O N 2

N A T I O N 9

S E M I 3

3

8N A T I O N 3

N A T I O N 8

S E M I 4

4

7N A T I O N 4

N A T I O N 7

S E M I 5

5

6N A T I O N 5

N A T I O N 6

F I N A L ( D A Y 2 )The six countries to make the final will compete across four races, with combined point-scoring, to crown the VCO Cup Of Nations Champion

E N T R YRegister your entry for the VCO Cup Of Nations qualifiers:

0 0 p t

0 0 p t

N A T I O N 1

N A T I O N 4

0 0 p t

0 0 p t

N A T I O N 2

N A T I O N 5

0 0 p t

0 0 p t

N A T I O N 3

N A T I O N 6

V C O C U P O F N A T I O N S F I N A L

https://racespot.wtf/CONSignUp

The sporting regulations have been created to ensure the quality of driving in the tournament upholds sporting integrity and creates an entertaining show. We ask that all drivers read it carefully, and ask any questions to the Race Control team prior to the event.

Race Control for this tournament will be operated by Racespot.

I N T R O D U C T I O NThis supplementary rulebook has been developed for the ‘VCO Cup of Nations for UNICEF, presented by Acronis’, taking place from July 1st to 26th.

The event will run with live stewards throughout, who are a team of individuals with many years’ experience working important, high-pressured events. This supplementary rulebook has been developed with that fact in mind, to provide drivers with clarity as to expectations for the event, as well as the range of penalties that may be offered for failing to adhere to the regulations set out within this document.

It is important to note that these regulations are supplementary to the iRacing FIRST Sporting Code but take precedence in this instance. They have been developed specifically with this event in mind, and in recognition of the many challenges running a special event such as this.

E V E N T F O R M A TD AT E T I M E

Q U A L I F I E R 1 F O R M U L A R E N A U LT 3 . 5 D O N I N G T O N PA R K

July 1 Asia/Australia, 1900-2100 AEST / 0900-1100 UCTAsia/Australia, 2100-2300 AEST / 1100-1300 UCTEurope, 1900-2100 CET / 1700-1900 UCTEurope, 2100-2300 CET / 1900-2100 UCTNorth America, 1900-2100 ET / 2300-0100 UCTNorth America, 2100-2300 ET / 0100-0300 UCT


S P O R T I N G R E G U L A T I O N S

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C A R S & T R A C K SThe ‘VCO Cup of Nations for UNICEF, presented by Acronis’ will use 10 different cars, from the road, oval and dirt disciplines. Due to the knockout structure of the tournament, every driver will not use every car. But you should make sure that you have all 10 cars installed and ready to use.

The tournament will use 10 of the iRacing tracks. Due to the knockout structure of the tournament, every driver will not use every track. But you should make sure that you have all 10 tracks installed and ready to use.

While all the cars and tracks will be announced on July 13, details of which cars will be used on which tracks will not be revealed until the morning of each day of competition (Group Stage on the July 25 and Finals Day on July 26). This is to minimise the opportunity for competitors to conduct extensive testing of each combination in advance.

D AT E T I M EQ U A L I F I E R 2 B M W M 8 G T E S PA



G R O U P S TA G E July 25 1600-1930 UCT

F I N A L S D AY July 26 1600-2000 UCT

Both qualifiers will run as hosted sessions in iRacing, with windows open at different times for each timezone - North America, Europe and Asia/Australasia.

Each qualifier will be a four-lap hot lap session, with the fastest single time counted.

Each qualifier will run on two consecutive days, with back-to-back two-hour windows each day for each region.

A driver can attempt the qualifier in each of their region’s sessions, which means a maximum of four attempts at Qualifier 1, and four attempts at Qualifier 2. Only the best single time in each qualifier will be counted.

G R O U P S TA G EThe Group Stage, consisting of three races and a playoff, will take place on July 25.

The 16 teams will be seeded into four groups of four teams each. For the three Group Stage races, all teams will race on track together, with their points earned deciding the standings within their group. After the three Group Stage races, the top two teams in each group (totalling eight teams) will advance to Finals Day.

The Group Stage Playoff Race will consist of ONLY the third and fourth-placed teams in each group (totalling eight teams). All teams will start the playoff with 0 points. At the end of the playoff, the top two teams will advance to Finals Day. The other 6 teams will be eliminated.

Some races have fewer than the full four drivers per team racing in them, so not every driver will contest every race The number of drivers competing for each nation in each race in the Group Stage is as follows:

Race 1 - 3 per country / 3 drivers Race 2 - 3 per country / 3 drivers Race 3 - 2 per country / 4 drivers (driver swap) Playoff - 4 per country / 4 drivers

P A I N T S C H E M E S / L I V E R I E SDrivers will have the paint scheme provided for each car they will race. Every car will carry the livery of the country it represents. Drivers should install the paint pack to their iRacing paints folder, especially if they are streaming their POV of the tournament.

Q U A L I F Y I N G C O U N T R I E S A N D D R I V E R SQualifiers for the Cup of Nations will select the 16 teams and 64 drivers. There will be two stages to qualifying, the first on July 1/2 and the second on July 5/6. On these dates, sessions will be hosted around the clock for drivers to run in.

Qualifying will be solo and drivers will have four laps to set a time. Driver and team selection will be decided by combined points scoring from the two qualifiers. The top 250 drivers (based on the single fastest laptime) will score points (250 for fastest, 249 for 2nd, etc). The top four drivers of each country will have their points counted towards their nation’s total. Following the conclusion of both stages of qualifying, the top 16 countries in the points standings will qualify for the tournament. The top four drivers in cumulative points for each country will be selected to compete, with the fifth being available as a reserve.

F I N A LThe Final will take places on July 26 (the same day as the semi-final) and will consist of four races. All teams will once again be wiped to 0 points.

Race 1 will have solo qualifying.

The grid for Race 2 will be based off points from Race 1, with the teams/drivers with the least points starting at the front.

The Race 3 grid will be based off the points standings after Races 1 and 2, with teams/drivers with the least points starting at the front.

Race 4 will have solo qualifying.

The number of drivers competing for each nation in each race in the Final is as follows:

Race 1 - 4 per country / 4 drivers Race 2 - 2 per country / 2 drivers Race 3 - 4 per country / 4 drivers Race 4 - 4 per country / 4 drivers

S E M I F I N A LThe Semi Final, consisting of one race and a playoff, will take place on July 26.

The 10 teams will be seeded into five semi-final ties, head-to-head with one other team, based on scoring from the Group Stage. All teams will start the semi-final with 0 points.

H I G H E R S E E D L O W E R S E E DS E M I - F I N A L 1 1st in Group Stage points 2nd place in Group Stage Playoff

S E M I - F I N A L 2 2nd in Group Stage points 1st place in Group Stage Playoff

S E M I - F I N A L 3 3rd in Group Stage points 8th in Group Stage points

S E M I - F I N A L 4 4th in Group Stage points 7th in Group Stage points

S E M I - F I N A L 5 5th in Group Stage points 6th in Group Stage points

There will be one race event to decide the semi-finals. The team with the highest points total in each tie moves on to the Final (totalling five teams).

The five remaining teams will again have their points wiped to 0 and will compete in a playoff race. The one team with the highest points total following the playoff race will advance to the Final. The remaining four teams will be eliminated.

The number of drivers competing for each nation in each race in the Semi-Final is as follows:

Race 1 - 4 per country / 4 drivers Playoff - 2 per country / 2 drivers

J O I N I N G T H E S E S S I O N / F R E E P R A C T I C EOnce the session has launched, you are asked to join as soon as possible. Drivers should be in the session within 5 minutes of it launching, and any difficulties entering the session should be communicated to the Race Control team. It is important that drivers participate in the 1st free practice session, to enable the production team to test overlays and check liveries are working as expected.

Drivers are not allowed to leave the server once they have joined. Drivers leaving the session will not be allowed to rejoin Free Practice, and may receive additional penalties. Drivers with legitimate technical issues should endeavour to contact the Race Control team directly as soon as practically possible.

D R I V E R S B R I E F I N G & C O M M U N I C A T I N G W I T H R A C E C O N T R O LA drivers briefing with primary info will be sent to competitors no later than 24 hours before the tournament. An hour before the start time of the first race qualifying session, we will have a question and answer period on the Racespot Teamspeak.

Primary mode of communicating with race control will be through the iRacing text and voice chat. It is expected that behaviour over the voice and text chat is professional. If a driver abuses these communication channels, Race Control will remove their ability to use them.

Due to the format of the event and time sensitivity all race control decisions are final and not appealable.

H O S T E D S E S S I O N I N F O R M A T I O NSessions will run through the iRacing hosted system with each session being password protected.

P O I N T S S Y S T E MThe points awarded will be different for each race, since races have varying numbers of cars and teams competing.

The points awarded to each race will only be announced on the morning of each day of the tournament, at the same time as the car & track combinations are revealed.

D R I V E R S E L E C T I O NIn the races where fewer than four drivers per country can race, it is up to each team to decide which drivers enter or miss each race.

The same driver cannot sit out consecutive races. For example, Group Stage Races 1 and 2 have three drivers per team, so it cannot be the same driver that misses both races

I N C I D E N T R E V I E W & P R O T E S T P R O C E S SThis section outlines expectations for those on track, and potential penalties for transgressions to the rules.

The penalties in this section are guidelines, and may not take into account all circumstances. In the event that there are issues of sportsmanship, Race Control reserves the right to issue penalties outside the scope of this section, including disqualification from the event.

Incident Review

Race Control may decide to review any incident on track, where it is felt that one driver has unfairly gained an advantage over another. This does not require a protest to be submitted by another team.

In reviewing an incident, Race Control will follow the following three principles to determine if a penalty should be awarded to a driver:1. Was there a definable incident on track?2. Was there an advantage gained by a specific driver?3. How severe was the advantage gained / how severe was the disadvantage to another driver?

Penalties will be applied as soon as possible once a decision has been made by Race Control. Because of the tight nature of the event, incidents in the last five minutes of a race will be reviewed after the race has concluded, and any penalties applied either to the following race or the tournament points standings.

If Race Control believes that a penalty should be awarded, it will use the following scale to distribute a penalty. Race Control reserves the right to apply a harsher penalty for a second offence, or, an incident that takes a driver out of a prize paying position.

P E N C O D E D E S C R I P T I O NN F A No Further Action.

P 0 1 WarningThis is for the most minor of infractions. A driver will be allowed to accrue three warnings over the course of the event before receiving a either a PP04 / PR03 Penalty

P R 0 2 Return PositionA driver will be required to give the position gained back at the earliest opportunity (and within one lap of being issued by Race Control). The driver will also accrue a P01 Warning. If this takes the driver over the warning threshold, a PP04 / PR03 Penalty will be applied in lieu of this penalty.

P R 0 3 Drive Through PenaltyA driver will receive a black flag and be required to drive down pit road at the speed limit. A driver will have to serve this within three laps of being issued.Should this penalty be issued in the last three laps of the race and the driver choose not to take it, iRacing will automatically calculate the time that a driver will lose.

P R 0 4 Stop And Hold Penalty (30 seconds)A driver will receive a black flag and be required to drive down pit road at the speed limit. The driver will then need to remain in their pit stall for 30 seconds. A driver will have to serve this within three laps of being issued.Should this penalty be issued in the last three laps of the race and the driver choose not to take it, iRacing will automatically calculate the time that a driver will lose.Because of the severity of this penalty, it will only be issued where a significant transgression has occurred, but not one that would warrant disqualification.

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D R I V I N G S TA N D A R D SGeneral Rules

These rules apply at all times during the event, regardless of session. They provide a general set of expectations of all drivers. These have been created to protect the professionalism of the tournament.

Voice & Text Communication

Voice communication ‘in-game’ must be kept to a minimum at all times, but particularly during qualifying and the race. This includes the use of macro text options being ‘spammed’ in driver chat, as well as turning on voice communication button, even if nothing is said.

In particular, it is not acceptable to argue with other drivers over voice or text chat in sim, during or after, the race. There will be appropriate channels where grievances can be raised to Race Control, and it is not fair on other drivers to race in the middle of an argument. Failure to comply will result in a driver’s in game chat being disabled.

Drivers will be allowed to use voice communication in their own normal channels, for spotters, etc.

Entering / Exiting Pit Road & Car

Drivers should not drive through pit stalls, and especially not through other drivers. Drivers who drive through multiple pit stalls may be assessed a penalty by Race Control.

P E N C O D E D E S C R I P T I O NP R 0 5 Disqualification

The driver will be disqualified from the tournament and will not be able to take any part in the remainder of the races.

P R 0 6 Time Penalty Time will be added onto the driver’s race time, and any positions that this will take them behind will be lost.

Appeals Process

All incident reviews and penalty decisions will be final. Due to the compact nature of the tournament schedules, there will be no appeals.

Driving On Track - Reasonable Speed

Drivers should maintain a reasonable speed at all times when on track, and not drive in such a way that has the potential to impede other drivers, regardless of if drivers are impeded or not. This includes the following:• Not moving onto the racing line when manoeuvring onto track from the pitlane, until at a reasonable speed• Not deliberately slowing down on track to impact upon any other car

For the avoidance of doubt, ‘reasonable’ is seen as:• 75% of racing speed in Sectors 2 and 3 of an outlap.• 75% of racing speed at all other times whilst a driver is on track.• Returning to 75% of racing speed as soon as possible after a spin / other on track incident, as and when safe to

do so.

This will be reviewed based upon a driver’s fastest lap time in either practice or qualifying.

Drivers who do not maintain reasonable speed will receive a P.01 warning as a minimum penalty, with additional penalties if they are deemed to have impeded other drivers (PP02 - PP04).

Flashing Lights Entering / Exiting Pit Road & Car

The flashing of lights should be kept to a minimum. Drivers who contravene this set of rules will first be issued an informal warning. Consistent abuse will result in a driver being awarded a P01 warning for each transgression.

Practice / Qualifying Rules

When the track is ‘closed’, drivers must not venture onto the track. This includes waiting by the red light at the exit of pit road. Drivers will be informed by Race Control when the track is ‘closed’, and when a ‘Green Flag’ has been waved to open the track up for practice. Drivers may receive between a P01 - PP04 penalty for transgressions, increasing in severity during the event.

Drivers must remain in the session whilst the track is closed, and may not leave the session, as this could allow additional practice opportunities. Drivers will receive a P01-PP04 penalty for transgressions, increasing in severity during the event.

Drivers who are not at full racing speed must not impede a driver on a fast lap. Drivers should stay off the racing line, and use in-sim controls to ensure that they are not impeding a driver into tighter sections on track. A PP02-PP05 penalty will be provided to drivers for transgressions, increasing in severity for multiple offences.

Drivers on a qualifying lap should consider the racing rules later in this section. Drivers may receive a PP02-PP05 penalty for causing a situation which impacts on another driver, and / or causes a collision.

Racing Rules

Drivers are reminded that it is the responsibility of the passing driver to execute a clean and safe pass. Even if it does not create a spin or a crash, Race Control reserve the right to review incidents where a driver is placed at a significant disadvantage due to an ‘unjustifiable risk’. This would include:• A late move, forcing a driver to move off the racing line to avoid an incident• Moving sideways in a corner to move another driver off line• Not allowing room for a driver to make, run through, or exit a corner.

Off Track Incidents

Drivers are reminded that the white lines around the race track indicate the boundary of the race track. Drivers who go off track will receive a 1x in-sim, which will be monitored by Race Control. Drivers who accrue more than 10 off track incident points in a race will instantly be subject to a review by Race Control, which may result in a P01-PR03 penalty. This will be dependent on if any time has been gained, and the impact on other drivers via the off tracks.

On Track Incidents

Drivers should slow down for any incident on track, as displayed by an in-sim Yellow Flag. Drivers who attempt to gain an advantage by not slowing down for an incident ahead may receive a P01-PR04 penalty. This will depend on the amount of time gained, and the risk to other drivers by failing to slow down appropriately.

In the event that a driver is involved in an incident which forces their car to spin or crash, they are not allowed to rejoin the racing line until such a time that it is safe for them to do so. Even if the fault for the initial incident rests with another driver, a driver who fails to rejoin the track safely will receive a PR02-PR04 penalty.

Retaliation of any sort is not accepted. Drivers who attempt to seek revenge on another driver on track will receive a PR05 penalty, and will be immediately disqualified from the event.

Damaged Race Cars

Drivers who are unable to maintain an acceptable racing speed may be alerted by Race Control that they are driving too slowly. In this case, drivers will be required to bring their speed up to an acceptable speed within two laps (Typically 107% of the fastest driver on track).

In the event that a driver is unable to meet the necessary, acceptable speed after these two laps, they will be issued with a black flag, and must return back to pit road. Drivers failing to obey this black flag, or who return a damaged car back onto track after the black flag will receive a PR.05 penalty (disqualification).

Damaged cars MUST return to pit road if they are likely to become lapped traffic on the following lap. Race Control will communicate this information to drivers in this situation.

Cooldown Rules

At the conclusion of each race, drivers must return their car to pit road, unless the session advances before they are able to do so. Drivers who pull off track and exit the sim instead of returning to pit road may receive a PP04/PR06 penalty.

Drivers are not allowed to crash into other drivers, even after all others have passed the start/finish line. Drivers who do so will be investigated and may receive a PP04/PR06 penalty.

T E R M S & C O N D I T I O N SRead the full tournament terms & conditions and privacy policy:

https://www.racespot.tv/vco-cup-of-nations/

Documents

INTRODUCTION · FUND RAISING The tournament will also raise funds for UNICEF’s Covid-19 response fund, helping to generate some positivity in a very difficult time across the world