[section last updated 09.09.08]
Section XIV.
In the heat of battle, it may be common for the drivers to try to cut the apex as close as possible. In some cases, either the lead or chase car may be in a situation where the front nose of the car body makes contact with the corner dot. There is an important difference between an “Apex Jump” and an “Apex Hop.” On the Outside Line portion of a course layout, drivers may encounter similar situations where, in an attempt to drift as close as possible to the wall, their rear bumper actually makes contact with the wall. This is known as “kissing the wall” and may go either way as far as scoring goes, relative to the other driver’s performance during the lap. Situations like this will be dealt with as follows.
A. Apex Hop – A vehicles front wheels ride over a track dot or lift off the ground as a result of contacting a track dot, but the vehicles rear wheels remain in contact with the ground while drifting.
1. In the event that a LEAD CARS nose “hops” the apex of a corner while drifting (and the rear tires still are in contact with the ground), but does not lose speed or control of the vehicle, this is referred to as an “Apex Hop.” This incident may be disregarded if the judges choose to (normally the lower-skill level classes get the benefit of less-restrictive judging when it comes to an Apex Hop, and higher-skilled classes get penalized)
2. If the CHASE CAR also nose “hops” the SAME corner in the midst of applying pressure to the lead car (without contact), both incidents effectively cancel each other out, and therefore is disregarded.
3. If either car “hops” any corner in the midst of a tandem battle, the judges will have to take the incident into consideration when formulating a lap score.
B. Apex Jump – A situation where the entire vehicle “jumps” over the apex of a corner (all four wheels leave the ground) while drifting.
1. In the event that a LEAD CAR “jumps” the apex of a corner while drifting, this is normally considered a driver error, and should work against the lead driver when formulating a lap score. (normally the lower-skill level classes get the benefit of less-restrictive judging when it comes to an Apex Hop, and higher-skilled classes get penalized)
2. If the CHASE CAR also “jumps” the SAME corner in the midst of applying pressure to the lead car (without contact), both incidents effectively cancel each other out, and therefore is disregarded.
3. If either car “jumps” any corner in the midst of a tandem battle, this is normally considered a driver error, and the judges will have to take the incident into consideration when formulating a lap score.
C. For definition purposes, “Kissing the wall” is defined as barely scraping/skimming the rear bumper along the outer track barrier while drifting. The rear bumper area does not visibly deform, the angle of drift does not change, nor does the intended drift line.
D. For definition purposes, “Hitting the wall” is when the car makes contact with enough force that the vehicle abruptly loses speed, spins, or changes drift angle and direction beyond the original intended drifting line – regardless of whether or not the driver maintains control after contact, and/or if the rear bumper area visibly deforms because of the contact.
E. During tandem battle, if a either vehicle “kisses the wall” but maintains speed and drift angle, the incident will not be counted as an error – but may play a factor in scoring, relative to both driver’s overall performance during the lap.
F. If a car comes in contact with ANY wall so severe that it causes the vehicle to abruptly lose speed, spin, or change directions beyond the intended drifting line, it is considered a driver error by the judges. This applies for both qualifying and tandem battle.
G. Judges have the final say on apex jumping and wall contacts being considered during the formulation of lap scores.