Digital Endurance Championship - Sporting Regulations

Welcome to the Digital Endurance Championship (DEC) Sporting Regulations. The Digital Motorsports Club (DMC) manages this rulebook. It holds the rules for all our endurance events. Endurance racing is a tough test for the car, the team, and the drivers. Our rules are strict, but always fair.

These Regulations work together with the iRacing Sporting Code. All DEC events take place on the iRacing platform. The official iRacing Sporting Code and iRacing's Code of Conduct always apply to our championship, together with this rulebook.

Our rules use four main principles:

Sporting Integrity. We play fair. Only your performance on the track matters.

Transparency. We are open and clear. We can explain every decision we make. We want your feedback and we do not block or delete your opinions. However, all discussions must remain respectful.

Consistency. Our rules do not change suddenly. Our Stewards always handle similar situations in the exact same way.

Sustainability. We look at the future. We use strong technology, custom apps, and a solid organization to give you a stable racing championship every season.

When you join the DEC, you agree to respect these principles and follow these rules.

1.1 Race Control consists of a Race Director and at least one Steward. They monitor safety on the track, use safety procedures, and give penalties. Race Control is present in official sessions as session administrators.

1.2 The Staff can change the rules at any time to make them clearer, add missing rules, or fix technical problems.

1.3 If there is a disagreement about what a rule means, the Staff makes the final decision.

2.1 The official language is English. Everyone must understand English at a B1 level (Intermediate) or higher.

2.2 The Staff uses the DEC web application and Discord for all written messages about the events.

2.3 The Race Director talks to the drivers during the events using the iRacing in-game voice chat.

2.4 When you are connected to an official session, your in-game voice chat must be switched on. You must always be able to hear the Race Director clearly.

2.5 Only Race Control may send voice messages to all drivers. Drivers must not send voice messages to the whole server.

2.6 If the in-game voice chat stops working while the session is still online, the Race Director will use the in-game text chat for official messages.

2.7 If both the voice chat and the session are unavailable, official communication moves to Discord. This is a Red Flag situation, and the Red Flag procedures in Article 11 apply.

2.8 In-game text chat will be disabled in official sessions by default. Only Race Control can use the in-game text chat.

3.1 You must use the DEC web application to register your team and manage your drivers.

3.2 Each entry must have a Team Manager. The Team Manager is the person the Staff and Race Control contact about the entry, and the person responsible for making sure their team follows these rules.

3.3 The Team Manager is not personally punished if a driver breaks a rule on the track. If Race Control or the Staff needs information from the team, or needs the team to take action, they will contact the Team Manager by default.

3.4 Your name in the DEC web application and on Discord must match your iRacing name. The number that iRacing adds to the end of some names is excluded.

3.5 To take part in official sessions, every driver needs: an active iRacing membership, an iRacing account linked to their DEC account, the car they will drive and the tracks used in the season, and at least a Class C licence in iRacing's Sports Car category.

3.6 If your team withdraws its own entry, you may register a new entry for the same season while registration is still open. A new entry fee is due. The Refund Policy decides whether you get your original fee back, not these Regulations.

3.7 If the Staff withdraws your entry or refuses your application, you may not register again for that season unless the Staff invites you to do so. You may appeal the decision under Article 13.

4.1 The Team Manager who registers the car must make sure the correct car number is set in the team's Paint Shop in iRacing. If the number is not set correctly, the car may not be identified correctly in the results, and the car may not be classified.

4.2 Each entry is given a car number for the season.

4.3 If your team withdraws an entry before the entry fee is paid, the car number becomes free for another team to use in that season.

4.4 If your entry fee has been paid, your car number stays with your entry for the whole season, even if the entry is later withdrawn. The number is not given to another team.

4.5 If your entry is disqualified from the championship, your car number stays with your entry for the whole season. The number is not given to another team, because it stays linked to your results, penalties and steward decisions from the events you did take part in.

5.1 Every entry must race with a custom livery. The DEC provides a livery template for every available car. The templates contain specific DEC logos and number plates. You must use the template for your car in all DEC races.

5.2 You must not change, move, cover, or remove the logos and the number plates that are part of the template.

5.3 Your livery must be uploaded and assigned to your car through Trading Paints before the deadline. The deadline is shown in the DEC application.

5.4 The following artwork is not allowed on the livery: advertisements for tobacco, alcohol or adult content; political or religious statements; decals or statements that are inappropriate or provocative; decals that are copyrighted by the FIA, FIA WEC, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the Le Mans 24 Hours, IMSA, the European, American and Asian Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Cup, SRO, Formula 1, the Le Mans Virtual Series, or similar organisations and competitions; and fake decals that look like real companies or clearly point to them.

5.5 It is your team's responsibility to have permission for all artwork on your livery. If your livery leads to legal claims, your team can be held responsible for the costs.

5.6 You may not use a livery that is a replica of, or looks very similar to, a real-life livery from the current year or the past 2 years. The only exception is when the copyright holder gives you clear permission. You must show proof of this permission when we ask for it.

5.7 A tribute livery based on an older real-life livery may not be an exact copy. It must have its own identity. People should describe it as "inspired by" the original, not as a copy.

5.8 Custom helmet and driver suit designs are optional.

6.1 An event consists of Free Practice, Qualifying and the Race.

6.2 All DEC competitions use an "Open Setup" rule. You can change your car setup at any time during the event. There is no Parc Fermé after Qualifying.

6.3 Qualifying is a single session per class, run as lone qualifying. Every driver is on track at the same time, but each of you drives alone on your own copy of the circuit.

6.4 You can only have one car per entry connected to the race server during official sessions.

7.1 The race starts with iRacing's built-in rolling start procedure, led by the pace car.

7.2 When the gridding phase starts, you must place your car on the grid with the "GRID" button within the time limit. If you do not grid your car in time, you must start the race from the pit lane, behind all cars that started on track.

7.3 During the formation lap, follow the pace car and the on-screen instructions from the game. Stay in your pace line and keep pace speed until the green flag.

7.4 During the formation lap, class leaders may leave a gap of no more than 10 seconds to the last car of the class ahead.

7.5 The game monitors the start automatically. If you pass before the green flag or break the pacing rules, you will get an automatic penalty.

8.1 When you are in the pit lane, you must not exceed the pit lane speed limit. The game automatically penalises speeding in the pit lane.

8.2 You must stay on the correct side of the pit exit line when you rejoin the track. You are not allowed to cross the solid white line.

8.3 You must use the in-game driver swap feature to change drivers.

8.4 Drivers are only allowed to drive the car for which they are registered.

8.5 DEC uses iRacing's fair share rule for driving time, as described in the iRacing Sporting Code.

9.1 A car finishes the race when it crosses the finish line on the track after the game shows the chequered flag.

9.2 To be classified in the results, your car must complete at least 90% of the laps completed by the class winner.

9.3 Points are awarded to the team entry based on the final classification. The points depend on the length of the race:

9.4 The team that takes Pole Position in their class receives 3 extra points. The team that sets the fastest lap of the race in their class receives 1 extra point.

9.5 The race calendar, session times and entry fees are not part of this rulebook. You can find all event-specific and seasonal information in the DEC application.

10.1 A track record is the fastest lap set on a circuit layout in a race, for each car class.

10.2 Only race laps count towards a track record. Laps set in Free Practice or Qualifying do not count.

10.3 A track record is held by the driver who set the lap. We also record the team the driver was racing for.

11.1 You must always respect the track limits.

11.2 DEC uses iRacing's incident points system. When your car reaches 4 incident points per hour of race length, Race Control gives you a Drive-Through penalty. After that, you receive another Drive-Through for every extra incident point per hour of race length. Example for a 6-hour race: the first Drive-Through comes at 24 incident points, the next at 30, then 36, and so on.

11.3 There is no incident limit that disqualifies your car. Incident points alone never end your race.

11.4 You must not drive dangerously, erratically, or unnecessarily slowly.

11.5 If you leave the track, you must rejoin safely.

11.6 You must not gain any advantage by leaving the track.

11.7 You are not allowed to drive in the wrong direction. The game detects this automatically and disqualifies you. The Staff cannot undo an automatic disqualification.

11.8 You are not allowed to bump draft any car, including your own teammates.

12.1 You are only allowed to change your direction once to defend your position.

12.2 If the attacking car has its front wheel next to your rear wheel, you must leave at least one car width of space on the track.

12.3 The driver making the overtake is responsible for making it safely.

13.1 The game shows a blue flag when a faster car is trying to lap you.

13.2 The driver of the faster car is responsible for making a safe overtake.

13.3 The driver of the slower car must not make sudden or unexpected moves, and must stay on the normal racing line.

14.1 If your car is badly damaged and you cannot drive back to the pits at close to racing speed, you must not keep driving on the track. Stop your car in a safe place and use the in-game tow function to return to your pit stall.

14.2 The Race Director uses a Full Course Yellow (FCY) if there is a dangerous situation on the track.

14.3 The Race Director will announce the FCY on the in-game voice chat and count down from 10 to 0.

14.4 You must start to slow down during the countdown. When the countdown reaches zero, you must be at the pit lane speed limit with your pit speed limiter switched on.

14.5 You are not allowed to overtake under FCY. You may only overtake if a car has an obvious problem and slows down.

14.6 The pit lane is closed during an FCY. Race Control closes and opens the pit entry in the game. If you enter the pit lane while it is closed, the game gives you an automatic penalty.

14.7 You must keep your pit speed limiter switched on until the Race Director says the track is green again.

14.8 You are not allowed to serve penalties during an FCY.

14.9 The Stewards will never issue a penalty during an FCY.

14.10 Sometimes the game gives you an automatic penalty, and the FCY is still active on the last lap in which you can serve it. In that case, contact Race Control. Race Control will remove the penalty and give it again when the track is green.

14.11 In rare situations, Race Control can use iRacing's built-in Full Course Caution with the pace car instead of an FCY. If this happens, follow the pace car and the on-screen instructions from the game.

15.1 The Race Director uses a Red Flag when the session fails, when there are serious platform problems, or during extreme weather conditions.

15.2 The Race Director will announce the Red Flag on the in-game voice chat (if available) and Discord. You must stop racing immediately.

15.3 If a Red Flag is called while the session is still running, you must reduce your speed to the pit lane speed limit, drive into the pits, and line up in the fast lane in the order you were in at the moment the Red Flag was called.

15.4 You are not allowed to overtake during a Red Flag.

15.5 If the session cannot continue, the Staff will schedule a new session on iRacing. You will find the instructions to join in the DEC application and on Discord. You must join the new session as quickly as possible.

15.6 The Race Director will tell you the new start time and the restart instructions on Discord and the in-game voice chat.

15.7 If a new session is needed, the starting order for the restart is taken from the last completed lap before the session failed. The normal starting procedures in Article 7 apply to the restart.

15.8 If the race cannot be restarted, the results are taken from the last completed lap before the session failed.

15.9 If the race cannot be restarted, the points you receive depend on how much of the race time was completed. More than 75% completed: full points. Between 50% and 75%: half points. Between 25% and 50%: quarter points. Less than 25%: no points.

16.1 Race Control can give you a penalty if you break the rules.

16.2 The most common penalties during a race are a Drive-Through penalty, a Stop & Go penalty, and a timed Stop & Hold penalty.

16.3 If you receive a penalty during the race, you must serve it within three laps. The game shows you how many laps you have left.

16.4 If you do not serve the penalty within three laps, your car is disqualified from the session.

16.5 If you receive a penalty at the end of the race and cannot serve it, the Stewards will change it into a time penalty. This time is added to your final race result.

16.5.1 A Drive-Through penalty that cannot be served becomes a 30 second time penalty.

16.5.2 A Stop & Go penalty that cannot be served becomes a 30 second time penalty plus the length of the stop. For example: a Stop & Go with a 10 second stop becomes a 40 second time penalty.

16.6 The Stewards can also give other penalties. These include official warnings, grid penalties, lap deductions, disqualification, race suspension, or a permanent ban.

17.1 If another driver breaks the rules and it affects your race, you can report it. This is called an Incident Review Request.

17.2 You must submit all Incident Review Requests through the Review Request Module in the DEC application. We do not accept reports through Discord, voice chat, or the in-game text chat.

17.3 You must submit an Incident Review Request within 6 hours of the chequered flag.

17.4 If you disagree with a penalty, your Team Manager can appeal the decision after the race.

17.5 You can appeal if you have new evidence, such as telemetry data. You can also appeal if you believe the Stewards did not follow the rules or our core principles when they made the decision. You must submit your appeal through the DEC application.

17.6 You must submit your appeal within 7 days after the decision is issued. The DEC application shows you the exact deadline for each decision. We do not accept appeals after the deadline.

17.7 Your Team Manager can also appeal an administrative decision made by the Staff, such as a refused entry, a withdrawn entry, or a change made to your driver line-up. The same 7 day deadline applies. It starts when the decision is made.

17.8 You cannot appeal a withdrawal that your own team requested.

17.9 An appeal decision is final and binding: it cannot be changed, and everyone must follow it.

18.1 You must always show respect to other drivers, the Staff, and the community.

18.2 We value your honest opinion. We do not remove or block negative feedback about the game or the organization. However, you must always share your thoughts in a respectful and constructive way.

18.3 Cheating is strictly forbidden. If you cheat, you will receive a permanent ban.

18.4 Cheating includes using software to gain an unfair advantage, hardware modifications, driving on someone else's account, or secretly working together with other teams to change the race result in an unfair way.

18.5 The Staff has the right to investigate suspicious behaviour. If the Staff investigates you, you must cooperate.

18.6 The Staff can ask you to send your telemetry data, game files, or log files. If you refuse to provide this data, you will be treated as guilty.

18.7 You must keep your telemetry data, game files and log files for at least 30 days after an event ends. Keeping these files is your own responsibility. If you no longer have a file the Staff asks for, that counts as refusing to provide it.

18.8 iRacing's own Official Sporting Code and Code of Conduct also apply to you in all our sessions. iRacing can investigate and punish behaviour on its platform, independently from us. Our decisions and iRacing's decisions are separate. Racing on someone else's iRacing account leads to punishment from both DEC and iRacing.

19.1 You must have a stable internet connection to race safely.

19.2 If your connection is unstable, the game can give your car a connection black flag: your car becomes a ghost and is moved to your pit stall until your connection is stable again. Race Control can also force you to swap drivers or disqualify your car if your connection is dangerous to other drivers.

19.3 If you lose your connection, you are allowed to rejoin the session.

19.4 The game treats a disconnection as a tow: your car is moved to your pit stall. The length of the tow makes sure you do not gain or lose track position. Your laps keep counting. After the tow, you or a teammate can continue the race from your pit stall.

20.1 A glitch is a clear bug in the iRacing software.

20.2 Client-side problems are never glitches. This includes your own internet connection dropping, computer hardware breaking, or power failures.

20.3 Human errors are never glitches. For example, if you make a mistake, crash into a wall, and your car gets stuck, it is not a glitch.

20.4 Race Control decides how to handle a problem during the race.

20.5 If you lose laps because of a clear game glitch, the Staff will investigate it after the race. If the Staff confirms it was a game glitch, they can return your lost laps.

If a situation happens that is not covered by these rules, the Staff makes the decision. This decision becomes the standard for future situations. It may also lead to updates or new rules in this rulebook.