Racecraft
BSA Rules of Racing
1. All cars line-up in grade order, front wheels immediately behind the grade line. Your BSA grade is equal to your club grade. If you race regularly at more than one club, your BSA grade is your HIGHEST club grade. However, in the Grand Final of any BSA Championship cars start in one line, usually all from the blue grade.
2. All races require a Starter (shouter), Scorer and Steward.
a. The Starter’s job is to announce “Drivers ready?” followed by “Go” or a buzzer/bleeper which means “Go.” The Starter will then count out loud the lead car’s laps, 1, 2, 3 etc. until advising “7 last lap”. The result is called for each car completing 8 laps in their own slot. It is the responsibility of all drivers to count their own laps, and ensure they have completed 8 before they stop in the designated area. Cars overshooting the finish line will have to complete an additional lap – unless they are the last car running (LCR), and have an unobstructed track, confirmed or declared by the Steward. (When the track is unobstructed LCR does not need to complete 8 laps.) Cars may not be removed from the track until the end of a race. A driver may choose to remove their car for repairs at the end of a race but cannot expect the Starter to excessively delay the meeting, and so may miss the next race. It is reasonable to allow 60 seconds.
b. The Scorer’s job is to write down the race results as advised by the Starter and, if necessary, clarified by the Steward. On a 4 lane track the finishing points are 4321, 5 lanes 54321, 6 lanes 654321. Deslotted cars (including wrong lane) score 0.
c. The Steward’s job is to monitor the race. Should a driver fail to start the Steward may order a re-start. Should a driver jump the start, the race will be re-started with the guilty driver placed 1 grade further back. Stopping anywhere on the track or deliberate forceful follow-ins will be penalised. The penalty for both offences is a “Warning”, which will be recorded by the Scorer. A second Warning at any time during the meeting will disqualify that driver from that heat/semi/final/GN and relegate them to last place with a score of zero points from that race. A third Warning during the same meeting will null and void that driver from the entire meeting, i.e. zero points and no more racing. The Steward’s decision in any race is final.
3. A typical format consists of 2 races in each lane for every driver. The finishing order is determined by raw points scored, as outlined in 2b above. In heats, each driver is then awarded race points (1st to 6th) of 6,5,4,3,2,1, regardless of the number of lanes. Should there be more than 6 drivers in a heat, drivers finishing 7th, 8th, etc. will all receive 1 point. Currently the top 12 qualify for the semi-finals, with the first 3 in both semis qualifying for the Final. Any ties are decided by, in order, raw points; then, if still tied, heat wins; and finally a run-off in the most central lanes. Drivers placed 4th, 5th, and 6th in the semis score a further 5,4,3 points, to be added to their heat scores. The 6 finalists score 12,10,9,8,7,6, to be added to their heat scores. Grand Nationals (if run) are separate from this and scored 6,5,4,3,2,1.
4. To ensure optimum racing, drivers for the next race must be trackside prior to completion of the previous race – the race Starter should not wait for latecomers.
5. All bumping, boring, and contact between cars is an expected and welcome part of the racing.
6. Drivers may only use one car per heat (if your car is deemed to be damaged through no fault of your own, at the Steward’s discretion, a spare car may be substituted until the damaged car is again trackworthy).
7. If your car becomes deslotted it will not be put back into its lane – it will not be touched, except, possibly, by other cars.
8. If you are fortunate enough to be knocked back into your slot, you may continue the race.
9. If another car is knocked into your slot there are 3 possibilities:
i. Your car is deslotted or fails to move, you do nothing (i.e. you do not drive your opponent’s car).
ii. Your car is still in the slot, you carry on racing; your opponent’s car is officially deslotted even though it’s still going round in your lane.
10. There must never be any shouting at, or abuse of, the officials or fellow racers. Any driver who feels aggrieved should simply make her/his point politely to the Steward, who will then decide on any action (which may be nothing). Remember, the Steward’s decision in any race is final.
11. If, during a race, a lane stops working because of a blown fuse, this is deemed to be “hard luck” to the victim(s), and no re-run will be ordered.
12. If a lane stops working because of a track fault (e.g. broken tape), then the track will be repaired and the Steward will order a re-run of that race.
13. Scrutineering
a. All drivers should get their cars scrutineered on arrival at the venue, and before taking them to the track. (This prevents low cars damaging track).
b. The Scrutineer will inspect your car(s) and they will either pass or fail.
c. If your car(s) fails, the Scrutineer will discreetly tell you why and may even advise you how to rectify any faults. The Scrutineer may wish to call on a member of the Technical Committee to help make this decision, but note that …
d. The Scrutineer’s decision is final.
e. No car will be allowed to race until it has been passed by the Scrutineer.
f. Scrutineering can take place at any time during the meeting and, should you make any changes to a car, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get it re-scrutineered.
g. Any car failing scrutineering (not instigated by the driver, and not caused by crash damage) during the meeting, can make no further progress in the meeting, e.g. 1, a car failing prior to a semi would keep its heat points but be replaced in the semi by the 13th placed driver; e.g. 2, a car failing at the end of a semi or prior to the final would be relegated to last place in the semi, promoting the 4th place car to the final.
h. If a driver’s car fails scrutineering due to, in the opinion of the Scrutineer, willful transgression of the rules, that driver will be immediately disqualified from the meeting with zero points, and immediately suspended from all racing until the BSA Committee has had an opportunity to meet and decide on: guilt or innocence; and then, if appropriate, penalties.
14. Awards!
a. Each BSA round will carry with it a Superstar roof (see separate schedule), earned by the winner of the meeting Final.
b. The host club will provide a minimum of 10 trophies/awards as follows:
i. Top 6 in the Final.
ii. Highest scoring White Top (before the semi-finals).
iii. Highest scoring Yellow Top (before the semi-finals).
iv. Highest scoring Blue Top (before the semi-finals).
v. Highest scoring Junior (before the semi-finals).
c. The top scoring driver over all the BSA rounds will be the “BSA National Points Champion” – this will be recognised by an annual shield, engraved with the winner’s name and number.
d. The top scoring Junior will be crowned the “BSA Junior Champion”.
e. Similarly the top scoring driver over all the BSA GNs will be the “BSA Grand National Champion”.
Updated November 2017