What are the rules for passing if one wants to race clean?
As far as I know:
The car doing the passing is responsible for maneuvering to avoid contact, as long as it can stay on the track to do so. (In other words, you are not required to run off-track.)
The car being passed can make ONE blocking move and then it is allowed to return to the racing line. This means that you can essentially block twice if you are running on the line, first when leaving the line and then a second time when returning to the line.
The blocking car is not allowed to push the passing car off track. So when blocking a car that is already next to you, you can expect the passing car to move to the side but you need to leave enough room for it to stay on the track.
Also, this only applies when passing for position. Cars being lapped must yield the racing line without hesitation.
Is the above correct?
EDIT: Summary: most people who responded so far thought that it is better to use common sense and stay on the safe side, instead of trying to use aggressive tactics to defend one’s position.
technically blocking isnt being dirty but it is frowned upon and its a good way to start an accident.
If everybody runs their line and stays on their line there should be no wrecks… if im on the inside of the car on the outside i have the inside line and he has outside line.
Let me say this about blocking… it really isnt effective… normally when somebody tries to block somebody its when they are going really slow and when the fast car gets blocked he has 3 choices
Hit the car… possibly wreck both of you
Avoid the block… normally results in you driving off in the grass and then either hope it sticks or have fun flipping
Hit the brakes and hope you dont hit him
All of these scenarios could have been avoided if the no block technique was used
The car from behind about to pass is obviously faster or made fewer mistakes. Anyhow, the car is about to make a pass because you allowed him/her to close in.
If there is a faster car, I stay on line but do not block when a pass is being attempted. I don’t make it easy but also do not initiate any dumb manouevers that jeopardize the fun. I expect the same from other drivers. 95% of the time, I receive same etiquette in response.
If the car in front is being difficult, staying few car lengths behind usually does a good job of forcing a mistake.
I follow along those rules except I don’t do any blocking. You can block me if you like and I’ll try my best to find a better place to pass you clean anyway but if it’s last lap or traffic’s coming I won’t wait for that place and my best to pass you clean might not be my usual best ;).
I’m not that good a driver so I use a lot of grip tunes, generally slower than most of the others on the track but often make it up in the corners. In clean races where I’m outclassed in the straights, I’ll give way and say so to the guy that’s ready to pass me; when I close in on him in the corners, I’ll often say “coming up on your inside” or “coming up on your outside” as an fyi.
I like the Racing Icons lobby, as the smaller cars leave a lot more room on the track; also, the high price of its cars makes for some self-selection. But I also like a lot of the D, C, and B races. If I’m frustrated in a crash-happy lobby and the Racing Icons lobby is empty, I’ll go play tag.
I have a friend that seems to think he’s pretty knowledgeable about racing because he watches some local dirt races and some NASCAR on television. He criticized open-wheel racing for disallowing blocking because he feels weaving about to block makes it more exciting and challenging, even though he also frequently complains that there isn’t enough overtaking…, and frequent blocking would pretty much mean zero passes. Interestingly, last year one of those real racers, NASCAR’s Ryan Newman, said blocking is an open-wheel thing and a “chicken way of driving.” It should be noted that Newman was ignorant since it isn’t an open-wheel thing since rules heavily limit blocking, but at the same time my friend was also wrong since F1 and IndyCar don’t outright forbid blocking.
a nascar fan? ask him how dale got the #3 retired. he was blocking for jr, caused a wreck and died for it. blocking is like playing chicken, you are betting the other person will A chicken out, has the skill to avoid you, has the brakes/grip to avoid you and isn’t going to have the same attitude you just gave him. remember blocking is basically trying to run the other driver off the road to prevent a pass. thats alot to depend on. not every fast car has a skilled driver, sometimes its the tune. a really fast car probably has a hotlap tune on it. i race with no abs and never lock up the tires because the pressure is set below the skid point. i can slam on the brakes and i’m not going to skid, i am also not going to stop on a dime. by brakes are to slow me, not to stop me. i will avoid blockers if i can, if i cant ohh well.
in my openion blocking is as bad as intentionally going into a corner too fast and useing the position ahead of you for the brakes crashing them off the track. if you want people to race you clean you have to race them clean. if you come off line to intentionally not leave them room to pass then dont get mad when they dont have the room you denied them to pass you clean. if you cant pass around them to the right or the left that leaves one option, passing thru you. i dont even expect the lappers to go off line and let me pass. i expect them to hold their line lapped or not. i have a really fast tune on old lemans and i take the right lane knowing the slower traffic will be on line which means in the left lane. even in a straight line at over 260 you dont have much grip if they stay online i can get around clean, if they come off line there is a chance we are both getting taken out because i may not have the grip to miss them. and i come up on them out of nowhere. if they are concentrating on the track ahead of them as they should be they probably aren’t even going to realize i was comming up on them until i am pulling away. i had one guy complain i apeared out of nowhere on the track in front of him and must have hacked the xbox or forza. he had no idea someone was behind him period he didn’t know he was being lapped. he had no idea if it was for position or not. a lapper taking me out dosn’t anger me as much as a top racer causeing me wreck. the lapper may not have had the skill, it was probably an accident. someone at the top probably had the skill and wrecked me on purpose.
basically try not to wreck anyone, be they in front or behind you. dont make hard to pass clean. blocking is cutting them off intentionally. if you take a different line than them thru the corner thats ok, you aren’t comming off line. if on a straight you come off line then you may not have left them an option, their car may hit you no matter what they do.
To be clear, the rules I listed don’t allow you to push the other car off the track.
You can move in front of the other car forcing them to slow down / change a line, but only twice (leave the racing line, back to the racing line)
It allows you to take a more advantageous line even when they are next to you. You only need to leave one car width worth of space on the side. So if they are on the outside, you can still do mid-apex-mid as long as they have space on the outside.
But I understand the general spirit of the responses - it is better not do it because it can cause a wreck.
If a car is running hot on my tail I usually leave room for them to pass since they have the faster car. I feel like blocking is a strategy that really works best for Nascar or other oval types of racing. In the world of Forza blocking usually leads to accidents.
It think the term blocking is being confused with defending, No you are not aloud to block, if you choose to move to the inside before the corner you Must leave room for the other car not just assume you can take the line back. If you choose the inside line you you must also not run the car that is overtaking off the road on corner exit, and the overtaking car must hold the outside line, also if you choose the outside racing line so the overtaking car can take the inside line you then can’t assume you can take the apex. Which ever line you choose you must leave at least a cars width and not move to block. As said blocking is how crashes happen.
Defending your line is fine as long as you hold that line. If your racing a dead heat with someone it is your choice as the leading car to use the inside line or the outside racing line. If you chose the inside line you must stay in your lane until you complete the corner and it is clear to change lines.
When lapping cars or other classes it is the faster cars responsibility to pass cleanly and avoid contact. The slower car should hold its line and not make any sudden moves off of the racing line. If the slower car chooses to give up the preferred racing line it should do so very early and only if it’s safe to do so. Ex: When exiting a corner on to a straight don’t move off the racing line if a faster car is right behind you because the faster car will most likely be jumping out of line to pass you. Ex2: When entering a corner if you choose too give the faster car the inside line stay wide on entry and roll through the corner until they have passed cleanly then rejoin the racing line.
I think the biggest problem we all have is who’s using what racing view. I use the chase view because I like seeing if someone is diving inside of the corner on me and I can try and avoid contact. It’s very hard to tell were cars are in some of the other views witch make close racing much harder.