Cactus Drift Series 2022 Rules

Cactus Drift Series 2022 Rules

Cactus Drift Series 2022 Official Rules

TandemRC Competition Format

*IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FINAL ROUND YOU MUST HAVE COMPETED IN AT LEAST ONE ROUND AT BOTH TANDEM AND KANSEI*

Drivers Meeting

  • There will be a Driver’s meeting before both qualifying and Tandem battles explaining the objectives and overall rules of the respective event.
  • It is each competitor’s responsibility to be present and paying attention at the Drivers Meeting(s).
  • In the event a competitor misses the Drivers Meeting, it is the responsibility of the Competitor to become informed, not the event organizer’s responsibility to make sure they are informed
  • Respect the announcer and your fellow competitors. Everyone please be quiet and pay attention. Even if you know it all, there are people who do not.
  • Questions will be asked for at the end of the meeting, please hold all questions until then.

Qualifying – Single (Individual) Run

  • Order of qualifying will be based on the sign-in sheet. A predetermined slot will be chosen before sign-ups open. This will be the first qualifier and the order will continue from that point on a loop.
  • Each competitor will be given 2 consecutive runs
  • The best score of the 2 runs will be used for the qualifying score
  • Each run will be scored based on 3 categories; Clipping Zones, Style Boxes, and Overall Style
  • Three Judges will be used at each round. The highest scoring run will be added and averaged between the three judges.
  • In case of a tie score FOR TOP QUALIFIER POSITION ONLY, Judges can call for One (1) additional qualifying run from each competitor.
  • In the event of a tie score for all other positions, the better secondary score will be used to break the tie. If both are equal, sign-up position will be the final determining factor
  • Crashing, Spinning, Mechanical Failure, etc. will result in an automatic ZERO for the run

Bracketing

  • Brackets will be determined based on each competitors best score achieved during qualifying

Tandem Battles – Standard Bracket Style (Single Eliminations)

  • Starting brackets will be determined by the competitor’s performance / score in qualifying
  • Each battle will consist of 2 runs. Competitors alternate Leading and Chasing. Driver 1 will always lead first.
  • The battles will be judged in accordance to the set of rules and guidelines listed
  • The winner of each battle will advance to the next round. The loser is eliminated from the competition
  • The Top 4 will consist of 2 battles each. The losers of each round battle each other for 3rd and 4th place. The winners of each round battle each other for 1st and 2nd place

How Runs Will Be Judged

Lead Car Objective

  • Run the Qualifying Line (Demonstrated during the Drivers Meeting)
  • All Clips and Zones should be passed through completely.
  • The Lead Car is allowed one (1) wheel off the track. More than one (1) wheel off is considered a crash.
  • Smoothness of the line will be considered. (Corrections after committing)
  • Lead Car MUST go on Green Light. Not before. No waiting. Three (3) bad starts will result in a ZERO for the run. (No Taylor Hull’ing allowed)
  • Erratic line or extreme changes in speed can be deemed “Unchaseable” and will result in a ZERO for that run.
  • Line, Speed, Angle, and Style will all be considered by the judges.
  • Gap Rule – In the event the lead car leaves the chase car behind, the judges will consider the angle of the lead car. LESS ANGLE THAN SPECIFIED BY THE PREVIOUS CLIP OR ZONE WILL RESULT IN AN UNCHASEABLE LEAD.
  • Lead car should not brake during an acceleration zone. (No Forsberg’ing)

Chase Car Objective

  • Use the Lead Car as a moving Clipping Point. Follow the Lead Car’s Line.
  • Maintain close proximity to the Lead Car while following the line set by the Lead Car. A two (2) car gap or less for 75% of the judged course is a good guideline. 
  • Proximity takes priority over matching angle. However, not enough angle will be a deduction.
  • Smoothness of the chase will be considered by the judges. (Adjustments in speed and angle)
  • The Chase Car does NOT need to pass thru the Clipping Points and Zones.
  • The Chase Car CANNOT interfere with the line of movement of the Lead Car
  • The Green Light Rule does NOT apply to the Chase Car. The Chase Car can start ANY TIME.
  • The Chase Car should never pass the Lead Car unless the Lead Car spins or crashes. If this happens, the Chase car should continue their run if they can cleanly pass.

Style

  • Initiation – Aggressive, realistic movement during initiation will be awarded higher Style Points
  • Early Initiation – Initiation BEFORE the marked Initiation Zone will be awarded higher Style Points
  • Tight Transition – Close, tight transitions will be awarded higher Style Points (Chase Only)
  • Speed – The ability of the Lead Car to put a gap between their car and the Chase Car will be awarded MINIMAL points and will still be judged on Style. This means sacrificing initiations, angle, line, transitions, etc. for speed will yield a lower judged score. Achieving all of them, including speed will yield Maximum Style Points.

Contact Between Vehicles

  • Contact is allowed as long as the direction and movement of the Lead Car is not disturbed or limited. The slightest “bounce” will be deemed a **collision.
  • If the Lead Car slows abruptly enough to cause a **collision outside of a ***Decel Zone, the Lead Car will be deemed at fault
  • If the Lead Car Brake Checks and causes a **collision, the Lead Car will be deemed at fault
  • If the Lead Car over-rotates and causes a **collision, the Lead Car will be deemed at fault
  • If the Lead Car stalls and causes a **collision, the Lead Car will be deemed at fault
  • If ANY of the above listed situations are created by the Lead Car, but avoided by the actions of the Chase Car, the judges will take this into account when comparing runs.

** Collision – Contact between cars with enough force to cause either or both cars to bounce or be disturbed (even slightly)

*** Decel Zone – The last 5 feet of a straight going into any turn which needs speed to be scrubbed to navigate, or any area designated as such during the drivers meeting

Track Boundaries

  • Will be clearly shown with rails or lines on the ground
  • Lead Car is allowed one (1) wheel out of bounds at any given time (5A)
  • Two (2) or more wheels out of bounds is considered a crash for the Lead Car ONLY (5A)
  • Chase Car is allowed to go off course IF the Lead Car’s line promotes this (5A)
  • Contacting track barriers RESULTING IN A CHANGE OF DIRECTION BOUNCE will be considered a crash
  • Contacting track barriers NOT resulting in a change of direction bounce will be considered Maximum Style Points. Everyone loves a wall ride

Battery, Mechanical Condition, Repairs, Maintenance, etc.

  • Low Battery Condition or Mechanical Failure is NOT a valid reason for Restart. This will result in an automatic loss for the round
  • Battery swaps (Trackside) ARE allowed while waiting for the next round
  • Tire changes after passing tech are NOT ALLOWED
  • Any foreign substances on tires, tire warmers, etc. are forbidden and will result in disqualification
  • Body can not be changed after passing tech.
  • Addition or removal of items to / from the car is not allowed after passing tech. ie. Weight reduction / adjustment

Chassis

  • EVERY CAR MUST RUN THE COMPETITION HANDOUT TIRE (REAR ONLY, any tire allowed on front)
  • Modifying, grinding down, scuffing tires on non-track surface is not allowed. If tires show signs of unusual wear or scuffing, the competitor must PURCHASE a replacement set of the Designated Spec Tire. No Refund of Entry Fee will be given if the competitor declines to purchase the replacement set. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
  • Body must be 1:10 scale, non-open wheel, commercially produced and sold.
  • All chassis must be 1:10 Scale, RWD
  • Lighting is optional. Judges may request they be turned off if they are distracting
  • Metal bumpers and crash bars are not allowed outside of the body
  • Maximum weight fully loaded with body is 1100g measured at the rear wheels
  • Wheelbase – Min. 240mm / Max. 275mm
  • Overall Width including body – Max. 230mm
  • Overall Length including body – Max. 490mm
  • Maximum Height of any part of the car / spoiler – 180mm
  • Front bumper / core support – Maximum height measured from surface to bottom of panel 20mm
  • Rear bumper / core support – Maximum height measured surface to bottom of panel 30mm
  • Maximum “poke” of tires measured from the outer edge of the tire (Tread surface) to the top outer edge of the wheel arch 5mm
  • Protrusions beyond the rear-most panel of the body cannot exceed 25mm (Including spoiler)
  • All bodies must be painted. 
  • Dark colored wheels ARE allowed. There MUST be at least 1 highly visible radial line painted in a contrasting color. Judges approval required,will be checked during tech.
  • Absolutely no sound generators allowed. This includes zip ties, long screws, or anything intended to generate noise. This is the competitor’s responsibility, not tech, and a reason for disqualification.

Sportsmanship

Respect The Judges Calls

  • If you are driving, there is no possible way you can see everything the judges see. REMEMBER THIS!
  • If you do not agree with a call, The Driver MUST contest it IMMEDIATELY. There is no way for the judges to recall specifics after watching 30 more runs after yours. Also, once the next run has started, we will not “Undo” what has already taken place.
  • The judge will review ONLY A SINGLE contested incident. Stabs in the dark will not be tolerated and will be disregarded.
  • Horseplay (Donuts, Revving, etc) is prohibited during the competition AT ALL TIMES.
  • Complaining about the judging will not be tolerated in person or online. It is YOUR responsibility to contest any call immediately.
  • Each judge is volunteering their time and effort to make this possible for everyone. Each judge is committed to judging without bias and they come from various teams, tracks, etc. We will have at least one judge from each location out of the 3 possible judges.
  • There may be bad calls. Even professional sports have bad calls. Remember, the judges are doing the best they can. They are only human. Give them a break.
  • Under no circumstances is it acceptable to contact the judges outside of the venue to discuss/question calls made during the competition. They all have lives outside of R/C, and will be available when they are doing R/C things.
  • Publicly bashing the judges will be cause for a one (1) comp suspension (First Offense). Repeated offenses will result in a ban.
  • Judges are allowed to compete, a replacement judge from another team/location will be subbed in during their round(s).

Miscellaneous

  • Every car must be on the track at the beginning of their Run Group, and must remain on the track until the Run Group is finished
  • Drivers must be given priority over spectators / non-active drivers for driving location
  • Judges have priority over all for viewing location
  • When the round is in play, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WALKING AROUND, REACHING ON THE TRACK, OR ANY OTHER ACTION ALLOWED, ON OR OFF THE TRACK WHICH CAN BE DISTRACTING TO THE DRIVERS, JUDGES, ANNOUNCER, ETC.

 

Rules for Competing in the Finals

  • Must have competed in at least 1 round in each region (1 at Tandem, 1 at Kansei)

 

*TandemRC and KanseiRC reserve the right to modify/update these rules at any time.

 

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