ZakStunts rules for 2003

This is a FAQ about the rules of the 2003 season. Consider this the final one, if there are changes, I'll note everyone.

Brief summary of the competition system

• The main league is divided into two section, professional, and amateur. There's a secondary league for those who have tons of time, racing there has no effect on the other (main) league.
• Professional league is limited to 10 racers, amateur has no limits. Secondary league neither, it's open and common.
• You can only join the professional league, if you finish in the first two in the amateur, ANY month in the year. At the beginning of the season the top 10 of 2002 is invited to the pro.
• You can join the amateur whenever you want. Last two from the pro are relegated to amateur EVERY month.
• Points are the same in pro&am: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 for the top 8. Only your 10 best results count a year.
• If you don't send in a replay at the pro you get 0 points that month, and you're relegated to the amateur. If 6 racers do so, all six are relegated, and top 6 from amateur goes to top.
• Amateur division, and secondary league uses a system called "fading scores".
• You don't lose anything if you change the league during the season, nor when you change it back.
• Winners receive awards in both sections and leagues
• Team race, secondary league, and the whole community is one, and unite. There's no separation.

General rules for those who have never raced here

• Every month you must race on the given track with the given car, no modifications allowed.
• You must save your replay, and send it to my email address, whenever you want.
• If this is your first replay, attach some personal information (name, country, email, birthdate, team, and maybe a picture)
• It's ALLOWED to rewind your replay when crashed or made a mistake, and continue from that point, even if the program says it's not allowed. Just save it at the end, and send. This is because some security and time-saving reasons.
• You should use Stunts version 1.1 from Broderbund, you can use any other version, but then you'll be in a handicap, and I'll notice it on the scoreboard, to prevent misunderstandings.
• Racers may anytime suggest changes or new rules, me too, and if most of the active community members accept it, then rules may change. Anytime.
• There may be some intresting/fun sub-competitions during the season. They have nothing to do with season's scores.

Rules for teams

• It's highly recommended for you to join or form a team. It greatly improves your racing skills, and your motivation to race.
• Teams consist of minimum 2,  maximum 6 racers. You can join any team if allowed, but if you joined one, you can't leave it through the year, only with losing all your team points, so consider it twice, before joining. 1 player teams are allowed until 1 month duration, but if you dont find a mate in a month, you may abandon your team, or join another one. If team consist of one member, and that member changes team, his points goes to another team (like racer without team)
• If you form a new team, every member must send me a confirmation email, and the team's name, possibly a team logo.
• Team members may share their knowledge and replays, but it's forbidden to race in the name of an other teammate, or to use a part of your mate's replay for continuing.
• On a given track every member of a team must use a different coloured car, and the same one from the first replay until the final one.
• I gladly host any team headquarter on the server, if there's a need for it.

Racing schedule

• There's a track released in both leagues every month during a year, so there'll be 12 of them.
• All times on site are in GMT+1
• The new track and car is announced on the first day of the month, or some hours before, if there's a delay, I'll notify you.
• A race is from the first day of the month 0:00h until the last day of the month, 21:00h. (deadline) The last 3 hours of the month is updating time.
• The last two days of a month are quiet days. If you send your replay, it won't be shown on the scoreboard, only after the deadline.
• Replays RECEIVED after the deadline are disqualified.

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Now the deep water begins, the explaining of the scoresystem. If you are a new racer, you don't have to read this, only if you are intrested.

Introducing dynamic scoreboards

• Dynamic scoreboard system allows the racers not to lose anything, when changing between the two divisions. It's possible because only the racer's current division and time acheieved each month is stored in the database, so if a racer changes from the amateur to the pro a month, ALL his PREVIOUS scores disappear from amateur's monthly archives, and appear at the pro's archives, and changes all the points got before by other racers.
• An example: in January he was 3rd in the amateur, in February he wins it so changes to the pro. Then he'll disappear from January's amateur scoreboard, the 4th there will be the 3rd, the 5th the 4th, etcetc, and their points change according to this. The driver who was promoted appears in the pro scoreboard of January, at the place he achieved with his time, and the points change there too according to this change. Of course then the relegated driver from pro goes to the amateur, and changes the points again at both scoreboards.
• So you don't carry on your points, but you carry on your achieved times. And of course if you change back into your previous league, you re-appear there.
• With this system you can never perfectly predict the standings next month. You may like it, or not, I hope you'll.
• At the Season's Results during the year those count as pro, who are racing at pro that month, but at the end of the season, those count as pro ONLY, who have raced AT LEAST 4 months in the pro league. Any other racer finishes at the amateur.

Main competition, professional division scoring

• The 10 members of the pro get the following points each month, according to their times:  

1st	10	6th	3
2nd	8	7th	2
3rd	6	8th	1
4th	5	9th	0
5th	4	10th	0

• Not sending a replay a month results in 0 points that month, and an immediate relegation to the amateur division
• Additional points are awarded for those who lead the scoreboard the most a month. The driver who was there the most time gets +2, the second one gets +1 point. This is associated with the pro division, you don't carry it to the amateur. Counting starts with the beginning of the second day in the month, and ends with the quiet days
• At the Season's Results, your points are SIMPLY ADDED TOGETHER. Only your 10 best months count. This allows racers to take a rest (altough they'll be relegated then), and also allows victory for racers whio couldn't join in January.

Main competition, amateur division scoring

• The 8 racers finishing first get points each month according to their times:

1st	10	5th	4
2nd	8	6th	3
3rd	6	7th	2
4th	5	8th	1

• After I see how many racers joined in January, and see their activity, I may decide that the top 12 gets points each month. 16 racers starting in the amateur in January are required for this. In this case, I'll inform you about the new points given here.
• Additional points are awarded for those who lead the scoreboard the most a month. The driver who was there the most time gets +2, the second one gets +1 point. This is associated with the amateur division, you don't carry it to the pro. Counting starts with the beginning of the second day in the month, and ends with the quiet days
• At the Season's Results only your 10 best months count. Racers can take 2 months rest, without any consequences, and also allows victory for racers who join later in the season.
• At Season's Results (and only at amateur competition), we use a new system called "fading scores". Because this has not been ever tested, I may change it during the season, with racer's permission, but only if very-very-very much  necessary. The main aim of Fading scores is to make it worth for newbis joining in the middle of the season. It works the following way:
• The points got from your last 4 races are not modified. The points got on 5th race of yours backwards in time (for example if you sent a time every month, in May this month will be January) are multiplied with 0.9, the 6th with 0.8, 7th with 0.7, 8th with 0.6, 9th with 0.5, and the 10th with 0.4. Only 10 best months count, so no need for more. I hope you understand why we use this. If not, feel free to ask.

Main competition, team scoring

• Team scoring is not associated with the leagues. This is possible because of the dynamic scoreboard.
• Team scoring is not associated with your positions got in a league. It's associated with your times acheieved.
• Each month, there's a combined scoreboard availble, where pro's and amateur's are listed together, and classified according to their times. It's possible that the 10th in pro is 16th on this list, because 5 amateurs have better time than him.
• This table is the base for team scoring, and this table uses the Nascar pointsystem. It's the following:

1st	175	10th	134	19th	106	28th	79	37th	52
2nd	170	11th	130	20th	103	29th	76	38th	49
3rd	165	12th	127	21st	100	30th	73	39th	46
4th	160	13th	124	22nd	97	31st	70	40th	43
5th	155	14th	121	23rd	94	32nd	67	41st	40
6th	150	15th	118	24th	91	33rd	64	42nd	37
7th	146	16th	115	25th	88	34th	61	43rd	34
8th	142	17th	112	26th	85	35th	58	44th	31
9th	138	18th	109	27th	82	36th	55	45th	28

• Of course team points also depend on the number of team members racing that month (not constant team member number). It's the following:

1 racer	points*1.6	4 racers	points*0.52
2 racers	points*1.0	5 racers	points*0.43
3 racers	points*0.68	6 racers	points*0.36

• If you leave a team, that team can keep the points you earned for them, but if you join a new team, you don't carry on anything, it's only allowed in the beginning of the year (possibly until march), so choose or found your team carefully. So please, avoid changing teams during the season.
• If someone racing since 3-4 months joins a team, he carries all his previous results. This is because I can't say you must join a team at the moment you join the competition, you have to know some people and teams first.
• Bonus points which are associated with divisions doesn't count in at the team race.
• At Team's Season's Results I simply add monthly points together.

Secondary competition scoring

• There's no team race at secondary competition, nor division listing, it's just fun for those who have more spare time than the average
• Secondary competition track & car is not made by myself, I only manage it.
• All scoring (monthly, seasonal, etc.) is just the same as at the main competition, amateur division, so I won't list it here again. The only thing which is not similar, that here are no "leading time bonus" points awarded.