If a faster car comes up behind me and wants to unlap itself, even if I'm some way down the field, I'm not obliged to let that happen, is that correct? (Although it may be in my interest to let him through to get him out of my mirrors). And if the other guy is a mid-race joiner, he shouldn't even be trying to pass, is that also true? Earlier today a guy (who on viewing the replay did turn out to be a mid-race joiner) crashed trying to pass me when I was on the tail of another car for about 10th place with a couple of laps to go, and seemed to suggest his crash was my fault for not leaving him room. I'm normally quite accommodating but in this case I didn't want a lapped car between me and the guy I was chasing so I held my racing line. The impact cost me a couple of seconds so I was not able to catch back up again. No great loss but I wanted to check I had the correct understanding.

I say report the mid-race joiner. He has no bisness to interfere the race going on, and even less to mess up with a fight for position.

There should not be any unlapping from mid-race joiners in CTRA servers. You join mid-race, you stay "invisible" for the rest of the racers. Joining mid-race is only allowed to let the joiner to get to know the track, maybe set a lap to improve ones starting position.

You should allow a person who wants to unlap himself through, if he's clearly faster. There's no reason not to let someone unlap themselves if they show a desire to do so, and as you say it's probably better than him hanging out on your rear bumper.

Midrace joiners are not part of the race at all, and should be avoiding the actual race participants like the plague. They're not permitted to interfere in any way with the race in progress, and if they do and they are reported they will be severely penalised.

[edit] What sokke said ^^^ (slow typing today)

That's fine, and confirms my understanding. I checked the replay and the other guy had previously pulled well out of the way to allow the leaders through but then started to comfortably un-lap himself from some of the (real) back markers who were perhaps struggling with car damage. I think I must have been the first of the mid-pack he got to and maybe he thought he was racing for position, so I guess I will give him the benefit of the doubt on this occasion and make a note for the future.

It did make me think however, whether there is a case for an on-screen warning to pop up to confirm to the car behind, that the car in front is indeed a lap or more ahead. Kind of an opposite to a blue flag, perhaps in orange. If you have tyres or suspension display switched on, then you can't see the race order so I could see it being an easy mistake to make. Having been given such a warning, everyone knows where they stand and if the guy behind wants to make a lunge he is in full possession of the facts before doing so. I.e., "overtake this chap at your own risk". Does that sound possible?

You can see that someone is more than a lap ahead on the minimap as well, so that shouldn't really be a problem.

True. I guess some folk choose not to look at it or maybe if they're new haven't understood the colour system. Or they're just plain crashers.

Its a side effect of PBittis, Midrace joiners should be "ghost cars".

Call me casper

some of the faster / "better" drivers just show no respect towards slower drivers and/or newbies.

it's like "it's 10th position and you're a slow loser anyway". Maybe these are the same guys insulting you for losing your car in front of them...
It's definitely not a league of gentlemen.

I think generally the reporting feature should be used more frequently... it's just so complicated - I'm never sure if I had picked the right race unless I checked my clock during the race, really . I think sending in your own recorded replay would be easier.

Quote from Bandit77 :

I'm never sure if I had picked the right race unless I checked my clock during the race, really . I think sending in your own recorded replay would be easier.

Just store the replay, go to the CTRA site, download the replay of the stored report and see for yourself if it is the right one. If it is, submit it.

Quote from Bandit77 :

I think generally the reporting feature should be used more frequently...

Definitely

Quote from Bandit77 :

it's just so complicated - I'm never sure if I had picked the right race unless I checked my clock during the race, really . I think sending in your own recorded replay would be easier.

It's not complicated at all. Yes, it takes a few seconds to verify that you have actually selected the right replay, but that's it. Sending in your own replay is out of the question, as your own replay can be affected by lag on your connection.

And really, when creating a new report it says "the currently ongoing race", "the last race to have finished", "the race before that", etc... or something along those lines. They can't really make it any more clearer than that IMO.

Like Z said, download the replay attached to the report in your MyCTRA and see if it's the right one. Shouldn't take more than 1 or 2 minutes tops.

Quote from Bandit77 :

some of the faster / "better" drivers just show no respect towards slower drivers and/or newbies.

Hear hear. I was nudged off track yesterday by an admittedly faster driver (for position, not unlapping); he'd got half way past me, moved across to take his line for the corner and clipped my front wheel in doing so knocking me into the guy on the other side of me as well. After the race he claimed "I was past you, it's your problem then". Looking at his CTRA stats, a good portion of wins, but many yellows and a poor finishing record; seems to be a common theme with fast but aggressive drivers. To my mind making a clean pass involves a duty of care to the car you passed, and not leaving him in a position where he has nowhere to go or where he could lose control and take you out further along.

Quote from modelmotorracing :

Hear hear. I was nudged off track yesterday by an admittedly faster driver (for position, not unlapping); he'd got half way past me, moved across to take his line for the corner and clipped my front wheel in doing so knocking me into the guy on the other side of me as well. After the race he claimed "I was past you, it's your problem then". Looking at his CTRA stats, a good portion of wins, but many yellows and a poor finishing record; seems to be a common theme with fast but aggressive drivers. To my mind making a clean pass involves a duty of care to the car you passed, and not leaving him in a position where he has nowhere to go or where he could lose control and take you out further along.

you report it....we deal with it


you don't report it - we can not do anything

Absolutely... but I was able to rejoin and only lost 11th for 12th or something like that so it wasn't really a big deal, not really worth reporting but I've made a note to watch out for him in future - I was just using it as an illustration of Bandit's point.

So drivers in a low position dont report, thus fostering a poor attitude by race leaders to those at the tail of the pack? I would encourage you to report next time regardless of your own position, it's not the position the admins care about, it's the poor drivers with bad attitude .

Quote from Becky Rose :

So drivers in a low position dont report, thus fostering a poor attitude by race leaders to those at the tail of the pack? I would encourage you to report next time regardless of your own position, it's not the position the admins care about, it's the poor drivers with bad attitude .

+1 absolutely correct