Hi Dave,
I run two clubs, one of them is Digital only at Broadstairs, Kent.
To any newcomer to Digital racing the first experience is that everone crashes in to each other due to cars sharing the same lane. Amusing for the first few minutes! THis is when serious racers might be put off from racing with Digital. The appeal of Digital racing is to be able to change lanes, use the Pit lane, select better racing lines, pass slower cars by changing lane at the right time. So, to add these factors in to the race and to avoid single lane multiple car crashes one rule has to be applied rigidly and without mercy! NO CONTACT.
RULE ZERO: Their is a Race Controller to enforce driver behaviour standards, as follows:
RULE NUMER ONE: NO CONTACT.
Penalty for contact is a drive through penalty.
Penalty for repeated contacts is disqualification from that race.
I enforce this rule rigidly. If a car hits another with a loud 'clack' of plastic on plastic then the offending car is noted and, as Race Controller, I announce the colour or ID of the offending car and 'Drive through penalty'. Driving through the pits means that the car misses the lap counter so he/she goes a lap down.
For persistent offenders, 3 deliberate contacts in one race, the penalty is disqualification from that race and the driver has to drive his car back to the pits.
It is surprising how drivers adapt their one-car-per-lane-no-one get-in-my-way mentality to a more considered driving technique more akin to real racing. Cars don't get so beaten up either -
BUT, as Race Controller, you must be strong about the NO CONTACT rule.
For me, the above rule has been the most important change, adaptation and adoption of rules from standard analogue racing.
Other useful stuff:
Use pit lane track piece with one or two single lane straights as the official marshalling post as the point where crashed cars are returned to the track.
You can have one or more. One is OK. You don't need lots of marshals (ie one t every corner as is traditionally done in analogue race clubs. See points below.
For example: Do not just put a crashed car back in any lane near where it crashed. Put the crashed car in a 'Exit lay-by' (formed by an pit-lane out section). This achieves two importand things:
1/ The driver who crashes knows, as in a real-life race, he could easily lose a lap because the Marshal is going to pick his car up and return it to the provided and nearest lay-be exit.
2/ Point 1/ means that the drivers will now more readily drive within their abilities (unlike one car per lane racing where the driver expects the performance of the marshal to compensate for the drivers short comings!).
3/ A crashed car placed randomly back on a lane is probably going to be involved in a huge crash a split second later! Therefore, the Exit lay-by reduces the chances of more damage. The driver has a duty to exit the lay-by at a safe time without causing contact or accident. Penalty is a drive though!
4/ Crashed cars: A car approaching a crashed car must stop and NOT smash through it . That's CONTACT! Penalty is a driver through - as you would expect in real racing. To enhance this race condition, there is a 'Yellow Flag' option in the C7042 powerbase where, when set, can allow any driver to hit their brake button to invoke 'HALF SPEED' power or 'PAUSE POWER' when an accident happens. This is a pretty good facility when used maturely. It can be abused/mis-used - but the Race Controller will penalise any abusers with a Drive Through penalty.
5/ Points 1 to 4 mean that the cars don't become damaged as easily as one-car-per-lane racing. Drivers race with more care and consideration. Cars stay in the slot longer as drivers race within their own and their car's capabilities.
I hope this helps.
