6.2 KiB
GridPilot Race Management
A unified system for running modern iRacing leagues with team formats, automated series structures, and clean penalty handling.
1. Overview
GridPilot Race Management defines how racing works on the platform,
independent of league size or community style.
It consists of three pillars:
- Team Leagues — real constructors-style multi-driver competitions
- Automated Leagues — structured series (e.g., F1-style) that GridPilot can mirror
- Penalty & Protest System — clean dispute resolution without Discord chaos
GridPilot's goal is to make league racing consistent, fair, and meaningful,
without forcing admins into complexity or drivers into mandatory social interaction.
2. Team Leagues (Constructors Format)
Most iRacing leagues treat teams as cosmetic.
GridPilot treats them as primary competition units, like real motorsport.
2.1 Team Structure
A team has:
- Team profile (logo, colors, description)
- Captain / co-captains
- Roster of drivers
- Recruitment status
- Participation history
- Team stats + points
Teams exist platform-wide — not only inside one league.
2.2 Team Participation in a League
Teams can:
- register for seasons
- assign drivers to race slots
- have different drivers each week
- score parallel points from every contributing driver
2.3 Constructors-Style Points
GridPilot supports multiple team scoring methods:
- All Drivers Count (every finisher scores team points)
- Top X Drivers Count (top 2, top 3, etc.)
- Weighted Points (e.g., top driver counts 60%, next counts 40%)
- Custom Rules per League
Admins choose their model.
GridPilot handles the math, standings, history, and transparency.
2.4 Team Rivalries & Identity
Built-in:
- team standings
- driver contribution breakdown
- cross-season performance
- team “form” (last 5 races)
- recruitment visibility
Team racing becomes a core part of the platform, not an afterthought.
3. Automated Leagues (F1-Style Mirror Systems)
Some admins want complete freedom.
Some drivers want structured, official-feeling series.
GridPilot supports both by providing the option for auto-generated leagues.
These are not forced; they are templates admins or communities can adopt.
3.1 What Are Automated Leagues?
An automated league is a predefined series template provided by GridPilot that mirrors real motorsport.
Examples:
- F1 World Championship (same tracks, same order)
- F2 / F3 / F4 analogs
- GT3 European Sprint Cup
- IMSA-style multiclass
- DTM-style format
Users don’t need to invent formats — they pick from proven structures.
3.2 What an Automated League Includes
A template defines:
- car class
- track calendar (pre-set schedule)
- race format (practice, quali, race)
- scoring system (e.g., FIA F1 points)
- bonus points (fastest lap, sprint race, etc.)
- team size (e.g., 2 drivers like Constructors)
- DNF rules
- drop rules (if any)
- penalty rules (warnings → time penalties → DSQ)
Admins can tweak details OR run it 1:1 as provided.
3.3 Session Generation
GridPilot can automatically:
- create the full season
- populate all race settings
- optionally generate sessions via browser automation
- clearly list required content for admins
This is still admin-controlled automation —
GridPilot enhances, not replaces, human oversight.
3.4 Why Automated Leagues Matter
For drivers:
- familiar formats
- real-world relevance
- stability
For admins:
- less planning
- less overhead
- instantly “professional” structure
For GridPilot:
- predictable competition ecosystem
- consistent feature usage
- scalable community engagement
4. Penalty & Protest System
A clean, structured way to handle disputes — core to GridPilot fairness.
4.1 Driver-Protest Flow
Drivers can submit:
- race
- involved drivers
- replay timestamp(s)
- explanation text
- optional clip/video links
GridPilot stores everything in a clean UI.
4.2 Admin Review Tools
Admin sees:
- list of protests
- timestamps
- notes
- links
- driver details
- race context
Actions:
- no action
- warning
- time penalty (+5s / +10s / +30s)
- points deduction
- DSQ race
Everything updates automatically.
4.3 Automatic Classification Updates
Time penalties:
- re-sort results
- adjust finishing positions
- recalc points
- update team standings
Penalties:
- logged in history
- visible on driver/team pages
- part of season record
4.4 Consistency & Transparency
GridPilot helps:
- keep decisions structured
- avoid DM drama
- maintain fairness
- preserve season integrity
Admins stay in full control — GridPilot handles presentation & recalculation.
5. What We Must Consider (Key Constraints)
5.1 Content Ownership
Automated leagues need:
- admins (or bot accounts) who own the tracks
- 1 owned car per allowed class
- iRacing credits to host sessions
GridPilot cannot bypass iRacing content rules.
5.2 Avoiding Splits (Very Important)
Splits destroy community identity.
GridPilot must:
- keep leagues small (20–30 drivers)
- allow multiple parallel micro-series (F1-A, F1-B, etc.)
- unify standings across micro-series through stats (optional)
We scale horizontally, not vertically.
5.3 Admin Optionality
Automation is optional.
Manual control must always be possible.
5.4 Don’t Replace Community
GridPilot provides structure — not social control.
Discord remains important; we complement it.
5.5 Avoid excessive complexity
Penalty rules, team formats, automated templates —
all must stay simple, configurable, and not overwhelming.
6. GridPilot Race Management Summary
GridPilot provides:
- professional team racing
- structured constructors scoring
- predefined (or custom) league formats
- optional auto-generated F1-style calendars
- clean protests and quick penalties
- automatic standings
- minimal admin workload
- consistent racing identity
- scalable competition model
We don’t replace iRacing —
we give league racing the structure, fairness, and identity it has always lacked.