[section last updated 09.09.08]
Section XII.
Drifting isn’t a passing contest. It’s about style, speed, and pressure (for the chase car.) There is no real benefit to passing in drifting competition, because it isn’t a race to the finish line (like in real racing) – it is a competition of driving skill. Likewise, tandem battle involves high speed drifting, in tight quarters, on low-traction tires. There may be situations where cars competing will each perform passing maneuvers and/or multiple driving errors during the course of a lap. These situations are unavoidable (especially in the lower skill level classes) and should be dealt with as follows.
A. Please note that passing by the chase car is generally not encouraged. Unlike timed racing competitions, in drifting you are not required to pass in order for you to win a round as the chase car. The only time passing will be allowed in competition (legal passing) is if the following occurs:
1. If the lead car makes an obvious driver error i.e. a spinout, a crash, or a mechanical failure
2. If the lead car encounters an understeer situation where the lead car goes too wide (washes out) and there is ample room to pass on the inside without contact.
3. If the lead car takes a shallow line through an Outside Line zone area, and there is ample room to pass on the inside without contact.
B. If a driver attempts a pass in tight quarters, or in situations where the margin of error is not favorable, the judges will decide if the pass will be deemed as legal due to an obvious driver error on the part of the lead car.
C. Generally a chasing driver who mirrors the lead cars driving line, aggression, speed, and angle shows more driving skill than simply passing the lead car. This should be taken into account after the lap and the judges are formulating scores. If a chase driver keeps in very close proximity to the lead car without passing or initiating contact, the chase driver should have an advantage in scoring.
D. Any driver who spins out, crashes, or gets their chassis caught on top of a track dot or barrier will get 0 points for that battle lap. If both drivers perform any of these errors during battle, each individual incident cancels each other out. Examples include:
1. Driver 1 spins at corner 1. Driver 2 doesn’t. As of this point, driver 2 has an advantage in scoring. If, on the same lap, Driver 2 spins, then both errors (each made by one or the other driver) effectively cancel each other out. Judging will be based on the rest of each driver’s performance before and after the cancelled incidents.
2. Driver 1 gets passed. Driver 2 gets passed back by driver 1 on the same lap. Both passes effectively cancel each other out. Judging will be based on the rest of each driver’s performance before and after the cancelled incidents.
E. Note that in both examples above, the rest of the lap is still under consideration by the judges, and any error cancellation does not guarantee an even 5/5 score.
F. Each error is not equal in value to another error; multiple errors will be considered by the judges i.e. a spin should be considered a more significant error compared to an understeer situation.
G. For clarity, a “driver error” is defined as:
1. Loss of control – car is visibly out of control and not on the intended line or direction.
2. Stalling – car comes to a complete stop before, during, or after a drift or slows down to a point that the vehicle is no longer “in a drift” on a section of the course that is normally drifted when following the correct line.
3. Abrupt change of direction due to impact – situations of contact when car touches the corner dot or outer wall, and the drift direction, angle, and/or speed are abruptly altered.
4. Spin – car “overdrifts” at an angle so deep that the rear end of the car is leading the front.
5. Understeer – car’s front end goes away from the corner apex (or towards the wall during an outside line), lessening the overall drift angle of the car and causing the vehicle to drift wide.
H. Judges have the final say on what passes/driver errors are considered or not during the formulation of lap scores.