Sporting FAQ¶
Sporting Questions
Teams with questions concerning the Sporting Regulations should send them by email to didi.cazzago@ext.sro-motorsports.com and jacquie.groom@sro-motorsports.com. Answers will be posted on the messaging app and this website so that all teams can see them.
Please note that this is our interpretation of the regulations, checked where appropriate with the race director or technical director but not validated in any way by the event Stewards. Competitors must therefore understand that this is provided for information purposes with the intention of assisting them, but it does not over-ride or supplement any Sporting, Technical, Supplementary or other Regulation and it remains the competitor’s sole responsibility to ensure that they are in compliance with the regulations at all times.
At the technical Pitstop, are we ok to wait with Skates at the working lane? Not putting under the car, just waiting, of course only 4 allowed mecs. Just to be ready to place the Skates as soon as fueling is done.?
Yes confirmed."
After the technical Pitstop in the garage,can I place the car outside parallel without skates? So pushing with tires mounted outside parallel to working lane ?
Yes, confirmed."
Since the time for short refueling is 0s according to the latest BoP release, does it mean it is forbidden this year or will we receive an update on the short stop maximum time ?
At the moment it is 0s, which would mean no short refuelling. If this changes it will be given in the BOP."
Is Set 5 allowed in Night practice if we want to use it after using it only in PQ ?
Yes you can use it after pre-qualifying if you want, although not in Qualifying. "
In Qualifying, if a red flag is deployed, are we under Parc fermé conditions ? Can we remove the tyres from the car and put them back in the heating hut at any time or should we wait for RD instructions to do it ?
You are not in parc fermé. Article 41.5.5 on Qualifying says you can put them in a heating cupboard in case of a red flag."
In case of red flag, can you confirm there is no additional penalty if we box after the red flag deployment : Only to join the track after the end of the first lap after the race has been resumed ? ?
You effectively lose a lap, which is your penalty."
Can we pit after the red flag, stop the car in front of the box under parc fermé conditions, and at the three minutes, put the car in the box and begin the Technical pitstop (if we are in the window) ? If yes pit in time will be taken in consideration ou just the beginning at the 3 minutes ?
You could only start the technical pit stop once the race has restarted, in accordance with article 47.1 e). The time would start from the restart of the race until you cross pit exit."
Is it mandatory to use the sets used in Qualifying at the first stint during the race? (Same as Paul Ricard) ?
No you can use any set of tyres within your 30 set allocation included set 5 used in pre qualy."
In endurance pit lane, 5 mechanics can push the car into the box BUT when you fully (Or partially?) cross the white line can anyone else help or when you cross the red line instead ?
Inside your garage area, you have no further restrictions."
Could you please confirm that the EDS for Spa applies if the Safety Car has been on track or if a long Full Course Yellow at any time during the relevant stint. ?
Confirmed."
During a pit stop, when I have finished changing the tyres, can I do other operations while still refuelling ?
No, you have to wait until the refuelling is finished and the refuellers have left the working zone before starting any other operations than those permitted at that time."
Is it correct that if a car enters after 61 Min and 59 Sec, the Stint time will be rounded down to nearest min as per Art 13.3 Suppl. Reg. and therefore it is a valid stint with the MDT of 61 minutes? ?
Yes, confirmed. Please note the MDT for this event will be confirmed by the Stewards."
When a blue flag is shown to a driver during the race, how long has a driver to let by the car behind ?
Appendix H to the International Sporting Code article 2.5.5 : When shown, the driver concerned must allow the following car to pass at the earliest opportunity."
Is the data engineer allowed in the zone as a 6th member in the working area ? (4 Mechanics / 1 car controller)?
The Data Engineer is allowed to download data without performing any other task. He is not counted among the mechanics so could be in the zone with the 4 mechanics and a car controller. The data engineer does not need an armband but must be properly dressed like other mechanics if in the working zone."
Are we allowed to push the car inside the box without tyres on ?
Yes, there are no restrictions on this in the regulations."
Do we need to follow the text in the supplementary regulations or in the regulations?
The supplementary regulations override the sporting regulations. Any further changes will be in Bulletins from the Stewards or Sporting Notes from the Sporting Board."
Full Course Yellow : can you confirm there will be a minimum of two FCY laps ?
By general agreement, when there is a long full course yellow, the race director always tries to give at least two laps under full course yellow in order to allow all car to pit under the same conditions."
Wave-By Procedure emergency pit stops: When do you consider that a car proceeds to the pit lane?
For consistency purposes with the Red Flag procedures, this would be when a car has committed to the pit lane by leaving the track. In case of questions or doubts , this will be checked by GPS and camera."
In the Endurance pit lane, during the technical stop, can we remove and/or place the tyres back in the car inside the garage whilst we do the technical stop ?
Once you put the car in the garage, you may work on the car as you wish (with the exception of refuelling, of course)."
How many laps do I need to do in pre-qualifying?
You must do eight full laps from timing line to timing line (41.5.2). They do not need to be done in one go, but in and out laps do not count."
During the technical pit stop with brake change into the garage, can we tighten the new tires inside the garage or do they have to be tighten/changed only in the working area?
You can tighten them in the garage."
Where can I find the official published form, to push the car with 5 Mechanics into the garage at the Endurance Pit lane?
It’s article 4.2 of the Supplementary Regulations : For safety reasons, in the Endurance pit lane only, an additional mechanic may help to push the car into the garage. This mechanic is not authorised to do anything else during that period. The team is also allowed to use a chock of wood to block the car."
What are the rules for RedFlag in Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4 regarding Skates?
Article 41.5.3 applies : Skates may be used to move cars in the working lane during or between qualifying periods from the start of Q1 until the start of Q4, but must not be used during Q4 or to put the car into parc fermé at the end of Q4."
During a technical pit stop, when can we clean the windscreen, change the drinking bottle etc ?
During refueling at the beginning of the pit stop you can do the operation during refueling so cleaning the windshield etc, when you start the brake change you have to follow the procedure listed in the art 39.3."
Are pneumatic screwdrivers authorised for the technical pit stop?
Yes, but you cannot bring an extra air bottle into the pit lane."
(Note that the timings for the technical pit stop have been amended from 4 to 5 minutes)
Can we use the skates in the pit lane ?
To clarify, you cannot put skates under the car while refuelling. Once the nozzle, refueller and refuelling equipment is out of the working zone, you may place skates under the car. This does not affect moving the car at other moments."
Are the 2 carry-over sets of tyres from the Spa Test additional to the 30 mentioned in the regulations ?
Article 30.4 states : “ A maximum of two sets of dry-weather tyres bought for the Official Test Session may be marked for use during the Competition as part of the 30 sets as referred to in Article 29.8.”
For the technical pit stop, can I adapt the procedure in article 39.3 if I am just changing two pads ?
The procedure in article 39.3 has to be followed in full. You have two options : either you follow exactly the procedure in article 39.3 to change pads in the pit lane, or you put the car in the garage to be free with what you want to do.”
When does article 39.4 apply ?
The normal pit stop procedure is fuel/tyres then other operations, including putting the car in the garage for repairs. The fuel is always at the start of the stop. However, if you have serious damage to the point that refuelling could be dangerous, you can use article 39.4 to put the car in the garage, repair and then refuel after.”
If you are in your box completing repair work and this is in the technical stop window, can you at this time also change the brakes, in order to satisfy the 5- minute technical stop?
We count any pit stop over the 5- minute mark which takes place during the technical pit stop window as a technical pit stop. So as long as you came in for the stop after the start of the 12th hour, and the stop lasts for more than 4 minutes pit in to pit out, this counts as your technical. However, if you come in with damage before the start of the window, and are still in there after the window starts, it doesn’t count.”
What repairs can we do in the pit lane ?
You can do repairs in the pit lane if they can be done without using tools. Otherwise you have to put the car in the garage.”
Is using tape allowed under 'repairs without tools' in the context of article 39.2 ?
You can use tape. But you can't use any tools such as scissors to cut it...”
Is there a limit on the brake operations we can do in 39.3 ?
As long as you follow the full procedure as detailed in 39.3 it is OK”
Do we need to respect the refuelling time when doing a technical pit stop ?
You have to respect the minimum or maximum refuelling time at any time you refuel. We monitor the time, not what you are doing.”
Can we have four orange armbands over the line ?
You can have a maximum of four mechanics over the line at any time, so four orange is OK, as long as you don't have any green armbands over the line at the same time.”
Is the clock on the gantry the official time?
No, the only official time is that on the timing screens.”
As we can't drive through the pit lane to reset the stint time, what constitutes a pit stop according to article 20.1 ?
See article 20. 1. The minimum is to stop in the working lane, switch off the engine, switch it on again and rejoin the race.”
Can we refuel while on skates ?
No ! Skates and refuelling do not mix !”
Which procedure do we have to follow if we have to use a jump battery to re-start the car (external assistance), while it is forbidden ?
In terms of using a jump battery to start the car, which is not allowed as the car has to leave without external assistance, the procedure to follow would be as follows, but to be confirmed by the technical scrutineers and under their supervision. First inform technical who have to send someone to supervise then use the battery to start the car. Remove the battery. Switch off the engine / car then start the car with no external assistance."
Which procedure do we have to follow if our backlit panel is reported not to be working ?
If you can repair, repair. Otherwise if you need to repair the backlit panel,you may add LED lights to see if this sorts out the problem. However, they should be fixed under the supervision of a technical scrutineer. If the number still does not show up enough, you may be called in again. And you must remove the additional lights when the backlit numbers are no longer in use."
How are penalties calculated for a short technical pit stop ?
If you do a pit stop of 4:55 or over, it will be considered as a short technical pit stop. If you don’t do another stop in the technical pit stop window of over 5 minutes, then you’ll get at least a stop and go of 5 seconds. However, if your longest stop is 4:54, it will not be considered a technical pit stop, and if you don’t do another stop of over 4:55, it will be considered you didn’t do a technical pit stop."