I've been pulling off the racing line when I get a blue flag. People are appreciative of that. If you don't get out of the way immediately, the comments start to fly. I haven't had that happen to me though as I get out of the way.

I went to the CTRA-X web page and their policy is to not get off the racing line. Oops. Here it is:

6.0 Blue Flag - Lapping
If you are blue flagged, you are expected to not resist an overtaking move by the car behind. You should hold your normal line and drive in a predictable manner. It is against the CTRA rules to pull over or stop on the track to allow another car through.

So if I don't pull off line, people are going to get angry, but if I do and something happens the powers that be will get angry at you. What's a slow guy to do? I know I know, get faster ... easier said than done. Gotta go, I just got another blue flag

If you feel more comfortable when you pull off the racing line and let the leaders pass you should do that IMO.

They don't have the right to complain if you stay on the racing line and don't hold them up when they try to pass, though.

When someone's coming up to overtake you, the last thing they need is for you to drive in an unpredictable or erratic fashion. If you follow the normal racing line, then you'll be easy to predict.

The driver who's overtaking you needs to choose his moment to overtake. It's his responsibility to choose a good time. You can help him by braking gently and earlier on approach to a corner, or to accelerate less hard out of a corner or chicane complex, or simply ease off on a straight. These are all predictable actions. Leaving the normal racing line is not, however. The overtaking car should expect to have to be the one to deviate from the normal racing line to perform his manoeuvre.

Oh, I forgot to mention the official CTRA convention:

If the person who is a lap ahead starts spamming with "BLUE FLAG GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" at all, in doing so he relinquishes his right to be allowed through. You may continue to race such a driver through each segment while he's spamming. If he reports you to the CTRA for failing to allow him through, the report will be dismissed.

I haven't seen a blue flag spammer in CTRA since i started playing again.
Obviously the message is getting through at last

now i didnt even know that, i like that one, should teach them a lesson

Quote from The Moose :

I haven't seen a blue flag spammer in CTRA since i started playing again.
Obviously the message is getting through at last

you get them more on lower servers were there are more people being lapped

Quote from The Moose :

I haven't seen a blue flag spammer in CTRA since i started playing again.
Obviously the message is getting through at last

how many time have you actually had someone behind you close enough to lap you? no wonder you ain't seen the messeges


Seriously thou....I have not seen any Blug Flag Spammers since leaving Race 1 back before the X system was launched...

or is it that I just don't go on the non-CTRA server where all the Blug Flag Spammers seem to drive

I see it tons, too bad I'm not on track.

If I'm behind someone who won't get out of the way, then can I spam him?

Yes. If you want him to race you.

Otherwise I would recommend reporting.

Besides they are NOT required to "get out of the way". YOU are supposed to go around them.

Read post #3.

Quote from March Hare :

Besides they are NOT required to "get out of the way". YOU are supposed to go around them.

Read post #3.

True .

I'll rephrase that to blocking .

I'll just report then - safest option.

Quote from SamH :

If the person who is a lap ahead starts spamming with "BLUE FLAG GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!" at all, in doing so he relinquishes his right to be allowed through. You may continue to race such a driver through each segment while he's spamming. If he reports you to the CTRA for failing to allow him through, the report will be dismissed.

And with that, we have highest-authority-granted immunity from inconsiderate hotlappers

Cheers for that, Sam, and the rest of the detail too

Sam

I have another problem regarding blue flags and mid-race joining. Now, i'm not the fastest driver out there, and sometimes I find myself fighting to get near the car in front of me, or even having a little battle with them. Now it often happens that some fast driver mid-joins the race, someone who is clearly faster than me and the one i'm battling with.

If I would not be fighting for position i'd let them go past, but when I am fighting for a position then I won't since it always breaks up the fight. Though often they just squeeze their car somewhere making me lose time on the driver I'm fighting with and often ending the battle I had. I find this highly frustating, more so because the mid-race joiners get the message they should give full cooperation under blue flag.

So are they allowed to interfere in this way with a race, eventhough they are much faster?

Perhaps it should be made more clear to the drivers concerned that they are not allowed to interfere, since the message doesn't come through.

I find this also a lot still on CTRA. I treat them like they are not there sometimes. I dont mind hitting them. They should only pass me when they are tons faster and they wont have a fuss with me. I dont need them in my mirror/bumper for laps interfering with fights that do matter for the end results.

I mean why the hell join a race thats in last 2-3 laps anyway.

Quote from SpikeyMarcoD :

I mean why the hell join a race thats in last 2-3 laps anyway.

The CTRA servers run a 'concurrent qualifying' system, where your fastest lap in the previous race sets the grid for the next one.

This is why people join with a couple of laps left, to set a time.

@ I will try get a fast or decent lape in for a decent place on next starting fiel but I will not interfer with other drivers who are fighting for position.

Well they should never interfere an ongoing battle. If you are on somebodys tail all the time and its not for a position it's damn annoying as i cant get closer to the one i should be fighting with because i have to look in my mirror 24/7.

And for the aliens amongst us starting on the back of next race is just as good. Then it IS for positions so there is no problem.

Quote from stry90dis :

So are they allowed to interfere in this way with a race, eventhough they are much faster?

No they are not allowed to interfere.

Quote from CTRA Rules :

6.1 Blue Flag - Waved
If you have joined mid-race, you are there solely by the grace of the race marshals. You are forbidden from participating in the current race. You must not interfere in any way with the race in progress. You may not overtake any car that is participating no matter how much faster you are, unless it is absolutely clear that the driver is pulling off the track and retiring. You MUST hold position on the track that in no way interferes with the progress of cars that are involved in the current race.

Could the rule be more clear?

A few times, we've had a situation where a mid-race joiner has rightly pointed out that he's much faster than people in the race. For sure, he's on a fresh set of tyres and the racers have done as many as 20 laps or more on their tyres. That doesn't mean that someone who isn't involved in the race has a right to mess with them, get in their way, overtake, hold them up.. nosir!

Quote from Bean0 :

The CTRA servers run a 'concurrent qualifying' system, where your fastest lap in the previous race sets the grid for the next one.

This is why people join with a couple of laps left, to set a time.

Yep, this is the reasoning behind allowing them to join. We try to create an opportunity for the concurrent qualifying, but sometimes the nature of the beast means it's just not possible to get a good lap in without interfering with the ongoing race. C'est la vie it's unfortunate but they'll just have to join the rear of the grid and set position for the next race instead.

Perhaps it should be stressed that it is an opportunity for concurrent qualifying, not a right to set a fast lap when you join after the race has started.

Is it completely forbidden, then, even to pass a considerably slower driver - carefully and safely - on a straight if you've joined late? The way the rules read, it is, but I just thought I'd check this, because deliberately running slowly to stay behind could be more dangerous sometimes.

Sam

It sounds like you're describing a scenario where the slower driver is effectively retiring anyway, so there shouldn't be an issue. A driver whose car is damaged to the point where he's a danger or an obstruction on the track is expected to make his way to the pits anyway. I don't think there are many instances where the situation you're describing would arise, otherwise, so I would say that you should err on the side of caution and not overtake.

I think he means, for example, catching a lone UFR not fighting for position with anyone after you have midrace joined in a GT1 car.

Quote from SamH :

It sounds like you're describing a scenario where the slower driver is effectively retiring anyway, so there shouldn't be an issue. ...

i don´t want so sound arrogant, but this happend a lot to me...

i do a mid-race join and try to set up a good lap for the next
race. i catch some slower drivers, they see me, pull over and
let me pass them...

but first i look at the position of the driver ahead and if he´s
fighting for the win or the podium i stay way behind him,
independent from his speed. some drivers get nervous if you
are big in the their rearview mirror, so i try to avoid this.

and when you stay behind, leave a larger gab, you can easily drive
a fast lap, next lap