Race! Formula 90: Expansion #1 – RF90 Series Championship
Race! Formula 90: Expansion #1 – RF90 Series Championship Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Monaco
Track description
The tiny Principality of Monaco, which covers a total area of little more than two square kilometers, put on its first grand prix in 1929, more than two decades before the world championship began.
A course through the streets of Monte-Carlo was devised by Anthony Noghes, the general commissioner of the Automobile Club of Monaco. Today's circuit includes many of the same roads, although constructions in the city and increasing safety requirements have led to some changes. This includes the section passing along the harbour front, into which Alberto Ascari famously crashed his Lancia during the 1955 race.
In the seventies a swimming pool was built further along the harbour and the circuit acquired four additional corners to dodge around it. A fast chicane was built at the harbour, and this too was changed on safety grounds in 1986.
The Monaco Grand Prix is the one race of the year that every driver dreams of winning. Like the Indy 500 or Le Mans, it stands alone, almost distinct from the sport from which it was born. A combination of precision driving, technical excellence and sheer bravery is required to win in Monte Carlo, facets which highlight the differences between the great and the good in Formula One. The Armco barrier-lined circuit leaves no margin for error, demanding more concentration that any other Formula One track. Cars run with maximum downforce and brakes are worked hard. Overtaking is next to impossible so qualifying in Monaco is more critical than at any other Grand Prix.
The start is on a short straight, driving in a clockwise direction your short acceleration period is rapidly followed by a struggle for position as everyone tries to negotiate the right hand ST. DEVOTE for the first time. This is the most dangerous part of the Monaco Circuit and over the years many spectacular accidents have occurred on this the first bend. Curiously enough this is one of the few bends with a 'run-off' area, if you do have to go straight on here it should be survivable.
Accelerating up the hill from St. Devote into Casino Square is your first chance to go up through the gears, be careful as the road can be bumpy and those white traffic lines are very slippery. Out accelerating someone at the start of the hill is a possibility but further up the race line is much too close to the barriers. Slow down for the tight left and then right through Casino Square and accelerate downhill past the HOTEL METROPOLE.
Keep tight to the right as you approach the HOTEL MIRABEAU this is a favorite spot for late braking if you leave a gap. If you do miss the corner there is a run-off area (try not to miss it). Then forever downward as you take the 30mph hairpin at the MONTE CARLO GRAND HOTEL and the sharp right past the fountains and into the VIRAGE DU PORTIER.
Darkness falls as you enter the tunnel, you are about 40 seconds into the race and it's time to open up and follow the sweeping curve of the tunnel. This is another opportunity to out-accelerate the car in front if he leaves room. Breaking back into the sun in 6th at 270kmh is the fastest you will drive today. Once again keep the correct line as you slow down into the chicane or you might lose a place or two.
The tight left-right of the chicane leads into a short straight and then the swimming pool complex. Keep the right line and you should have no problems here or at the hairpin of VIRAGE RASCASSE. A bad line or trying too hard will finish your race very quickly against the unforgiving track side barriers.
Slightly uphill now into the very nasty right of VIRAGE ANTHONY NOGHES. If you are still on track it is full speed ahead as you climb up through the gears to complete the first lap. Only 77 more laps to go.
Monaco special rules
Monaco braking sections
Note that there are several braking sections on this track with no Late Braking symbol. In these sections you cannot attempt a Late Braking. When your car reaches such a section and finds it occupied by another car with the same number of laps, you have to stop and lose any remaining movement point.
Lapping is always possible by spending 1 movement point per car to lap in that braking section.
Also remember that Banging Wheels allows overtaking in braking sections by spending 1 movement point per car to overtake, making this strategy a very popular one at Monaco.
Monaco pit stop
The minimum number of sections you move back when pitting at Monaco is 9 sections. The combination of the lengthy pit stop and long duration of the race means you have to manage your car wisely with tires being particularly under stretch.
Avoiding traffic is critical at Monaco. Try to leave the pits with free track ahead.
Monaco designer notes
Monaco is the most technical circuit of those I have designed so far. A lot of corners and braking sections make overtaking particularly difficult and the long pit stop time means you have to be extra careful with your consumption of resources.
Another characteristic of Monaco is the length of the race which in the game lasts 28 turns. This has major implications on your pitting strategy as players strive to accommodate two pit stops while at the same time considering anticipating or delaying their pit stop to re-enter the track with clear road ahead.
Robots get particularly challenging at Monaco because they struggle less than humans within traffic and lap more efficiently. Also robots have a big push in the second part of the track with plenty of trajectories available to them at the Tabac, Piscine and Rascasse/Noghes sections.
Humans find the +2 trajectory spot before the Chicane particularly advantageous in order to get a boost before attacking the slowest part of the track. And as always, in the Advanced game, it is critical to collect Track cards by making your selected strategy work hard for you. Save Tires and Banging Wheels are two good choices at Monaco. Some Track cards with their bonus to contest also can turn crucial to accomplish a critical pass in an almost impossible area like the Piscine or the Rascasse/Noghes.
SPA Francorchamps
Track description
Spa-Francorchamps is nestled neatly in the Ardennes forest of Belgium. The 1924 original 15km triangle-shaped circuit was based on public roads between the towns of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot and was used for the Belgian F1 GP until 1970 when it was finally banned due to Jackie Stewart's safety campaign. F1 returned to Spa after a long break and many modifications in 1985 when Ayrton Senna won in a Lotus-Renault. This roller-coaster circuit is the longest of the F1 season at 7,004 meters.
Spa-Francorchamps is described as "the most complete test of a F1 car". It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast, hilly and twisty nature. Spa is steeped in motorsport heritage and is one of racing drivers's most beloved race tracks.
The start-finish straight leads to the 65kmh La Source hairpin. From there the cars accelerate downhill to the famous flat-out 300kmh Eau Rouge before an uphill blind crest to the long Kemmel Straight. Exit speed from Eau Rouge sets the top speed for Kemmel Straight and affects lap times. Eau Rouge is a real test of driver's skills and nerve.
Eau Rouge
The most famous part of the circuit is the Eau Rouge / Raidillon combination. Having negotiated the La Source hairpin, drivers race down a straight to the point where the track crosses the Eau Rouge stream for the first time, before being launched steeply uphill into a sweeping left-right-left collection of corners with a blind summit. Properly speaking, the Eau Rouge corner is only the left-hander at the bottom. The following right-hander that leads steeply uphill, which was introduced in 1939 to shortcut the original hairpin "Ancienne Douane", is called "Raidillon". The corner requires a large amount of skill from the driver to negotiate well and the long straight ahead often produces good overtaking opportunities for the best drivers at the following "Les Combes" corner.
This is how World Champion driver Fernando Alonso describes it: "You come into the corner downhill, have a sudden change of direction at the bottom and then go very steep uphill. From the cockpit, you cannot see the exit and as you come over the crest, you don't know where you will land. It is a crucial corner for the timed lap, and also in the race, because you have a long uphill straight afterwards where you can lose a lot of time if you make a mistake. But it is also an important corner for the driver's feeling. It makes a special impression every lap, because you also have a compression in your body as you go through the bottom of the corner. It is very strange – but good fun as well".
The challenge for drivers has always been to take Eau Rouge-Raidillon flat out. Regular touring cars can take the corner at 160–180 km/h, Formula One at over 300 km/h. This is due to the huge amount of downforce on the cars.
Still, a loss of control in this section often leads to very heavy shunt as usually the rear-end of the car is lost and the impact is most of the times lateral. Eau Rouge has claimed several victims over the years, including Stefan Bellof in a Porsche sportscar, Guy Renard during the 24h of Spa-Francorchamps in 1990 in a Toyota Corolla GT and also caused Alex Zanardi's in 1993 and Jacques Villeneuve's spectacular off in qualifying in 1999, which he described as "My best-ever crash".
At the end of the 340kmh Kemmel Straight is the 140kmh Les Combs, an off camber right-left combination and one of the best overtaking points. Next a short downhill straight to the 180deg Rivage and another downhill 290kmh straight to a double-left hand Pouhon. Next is a series of left and right sweeping turns leading to the 245kmh Stavelot. A long flat out 320kmh back straight includes a flat-out sweeping left turn, Blanchimont, to the right-left Bus Stop chicane and back to the start-finish straight.
Spa special rules
Extreme Trajectory
Extreme Trajectories (ET) are portrayed on the board with a green diamond symbol with a movement bonus printed inside. When a car finishes its movement in a section containing the initial point of an Extreme Trajectory it can choose to occupy this spot rather than a standard trajectory point. As with any trajectory, only one car per time can occupy this spot and this car cannot be removed from the spot by other cars arriving in the section later.
At the very beginning of his next turn, before declaring his movement cards (or a pit stop), a player occupying the initial point of an Extreme Trajectory can either:
- Decline to follow the Extreme Trajectory. In this case he moves his car normally i.e. without any trajectory bonus.
- Decide to follow the Extreme Trajectory. In this case the player must immediately perform a blind check against the ET Target Check printed on the board in a similar green diamond shape. The card drawn for checking is afterwards discarded.
If the Extreme Trajectory check is passed successfully, then the player adds the indicated bonus to his total movement value, resolves the effects of the cards played and moves his car accordingly. If the player fails an Extreme Trajectory Check then no movement cards are played and the car follows the corresponding Off-Track Trajectory resolving any Off-Track event and eventually finishing in a re-entering position of the track where his turn ends as per the normal Off-Track rules.
Do not take excessive risk. Extreme Trajectories can give you a real boost but always consider what penalties you face if you lose control and make sure you can make use of all the additional movement points you get. Look into your rear mirror – could someone overtake you this turn while you sit on the ET spot and spoil your exciting plans of escaping at full speed next turn?
Note: Extreme Trajectories (ET) like normal trajectories are in a color corresponding to a specific card type, typically green. In order to add an Extreme Trajectory bonus to your movement, one of the two cards used for movement must be a card of the corresponding color. If you have the Balance strategy you may use a green, orange or yellow card to satisfy this requirement. Also Balance will score a special when you use a matching coloured card on an Extreme Trajectory.
Reflexes skill: this skill does not offer benefits when attempting an Extreme Trajectory Check i.e. you don't have a +20 modifier to your initial Blind check, but you can still use the Reflexes skill if you go off-track and need to regain control along the subsequent Off-Track trajectory.
Some of the SPA Track cards used in the Advanced game portray a no ET symbol. This card can be played to succeed in an Extreme Trajectory blind check in the straight section before the corner specified on the card. The player discards this card in lieu of performing a Blind Check.
Robots: in the Basic game robots never occupy an Extreme Trajectory point. They simple ignore these spots. In the Advanced game the player controlling the orange flag can force a robot terminating its movement in a section containing the initial point of an Extreme Trajectory to take that spot. In the next play turn, the robot will attempt a blind check against the ET check value on the board and if successful will add this trajectory bonus to his total movement points. If unsuccessful the robot will go off-track.
Spa pit stop
The minimum number of sections you move back when pitting at SPA is 6 sections.
Spa examples
Fig 1 – The red car has ended its movement in the straight section before the Eau-Rouge. Two trajectory spots are available here: a normal green trajectory and an extreme green trajectory. The red player chooses to occupy the Extreme Trajectory spot. In his next turn, the red player declares he will attempt the Extreme Trajectory check and he performs a blind check against a Target value of 60. The race card drawn from the deck is a 57... phew… test passed successfully.
Fig 2 – The red player now plays a +3 driving card which matches the trajectory type. After paying 1 tire chip and performing a +20 check against his car Target check as required by the card, he can now move with +7 total movement points. Since he has free track ahead he can nicely land in the orange trajectory spot at the Rivage.
Fig 3 – Here you see what happens if the red player failed the ET check. He draws a 65 card and goes off track. The Off-Track trajectory requires a new -20 check against the ET target, so target now drops to 40. It is difficult to regain control after losing the car at the Eau-Rouge but the red player discards a 28 card from his hand and position himself on the first re-entering point. His turn is over. He has played no cards to move this turn and in the next turn he will re-enter the track with a -2 movement penalty.
SPA designer notes
Spa-Francorchamps is an historical track. Planned in 1924, it has currently a length of 7 Km and from the layout you easily conclude that, among all the Formula One tracks, it is one of the few left belonging to the old school. At SPA, all greatest champions have left their mark: Ascari, Nuvolari, Fangio, Brabham, Clark, Stewart, Lauda, Prost, Senna and Schumacher just to mention a few.
In addition to many exciting wins, there have also been many crashes, often caused by the rain. In 1966 under heavy rain and in front of the Hollywood cameras, present there to shoot some scenes for the "Grand Prix" movie, it took place one of the most incredible carom in motor racing. One of the most affected drivers was Jackie Stewart who commented: "Racing at SPA is like walking on a suspended rope in a windy day".
Because of the numerous collisions and the serious dangers to the drivers, during the 70s the track was made more secure and reduced in length. Nevertheless the Belgian Grand Prix has never lost its charm.
SPA is also linked to two specific incidents that triggered unrest at the boxes. In 1987, following an hazardous overtake attempt by Mansell against Senna which took both cars off the track, a furious Mansell grabbed Senna by the neck. In 1998 a very fast Schumacher was forced to retire after colliding with Coulthard's McLaren during a lapping attempt.
Drivers are in love with this track and it is easy to understand why. The track offers a mix of fast corners, breathless up and down traits, long straights and thrilling braking points. Only the greatest champions are able to properly manage this mix and only he who wins on this track can call himself a champion.
When playing videogames, SPA was the track I used to play the most. Attacking the Eau-Rouge and Raidillon one after the other with the right throttle and then preparing for a hard brake at Les Combes was a fantastic experience. You must have an accurate car setup and a flawless driving style in order to make a difference and beat your opponents.
SPA is all of this, it is the history of motor racing and therefore it must be part of the tracks of Race! Formula 90. That is why I have decided to design this track for Race! Formula 90. To revive the feats of great champions is every motorsport fan's dream. I hope that the work done by Alessandro and I will be able to re-create all those emotions. Have a good game.
I have co-designed this track together with Giuseppe Rossini as we both love SPA. It was pretty clear from the beginning that we had to introduce something "new" in order to convey the feeling (and risk) of taking fast corners flat out and to reward "driving" over other elements of the race. My idea was therefore to extend the Late Braking concept to trajectories and this originated the Extreme Trajectory mechanism.
As typical in Race! Formula 90, taking additional risk only makes sense in critical moments of the race and recognising when and how to attempt a risky maneuver is where the best drivers differentiate from the their opponents.
The other element taken into account was the high weather uncertainty at SPA which we have addressed by stressing the weather table and by adding more weather symbols on the Track cards.
One problem we faced when designing SPA is that this is a very long circuit. So long that also after scaling it to the minimalist format used in Race! Formula 90, cars are so scattered around that the lapping element of the race becomes much less important than in other tracks. It required a long, laborious fine tuning of the number of turns, the value of the trajectories and of the pit stop time to come up with the current version which finally makes all elements work right together.
Teammate
In Race! Formula 90 each player takes the role of a driver controlling one car. The following rules describe how two drivers can pair together racing for the same team.
Two human players can always decide to drive in the same team and therefore are considered teammates. In case you have no human teammate, the following rules also allow you to race together with a robot teammate, effectively giving you some degree of control over a second car.
Interaction between teammates (valid for both human and robot teammates)
During movement you ignore your teammate, so you don't have to spend movement points for overtaking or lapping your teammate, also your teammate does not block you when he is in a braking or corner section and vice versa. You simply continue your movement as if the teammate car was not there.
Example: Fig 4 – The green and red cars are teammates. It's green turn to move and he plays a +2 gearing card. Adding the trajectory bonus he has now 3 movement points to spend. He ignores his red teammate and spends 2 movement points to reach the braking section before the Rivage. Here he has to stop and lose all remaining movement since the blue car is an opponent in a braking section.
Robot teammate
Each player that wants a robot teammate takes one of the robots of the highest category in the game i.e. a Fast robot in the Basic game or a Superfast robot in the Advanced game, and replace it with a car miniature of a colour he associates with his team. If there are no robots left of that type (because other players have already exchanged all robot cars available of that type) then the robot teammate will be an additional robot of the highest category that will take part in the game.
Robot teammate setup – Basic game
Recommended starting configuration in a Basic game depending on the number of players:
| Number of players | # Robots (Basic game) |
|---|---|
| 2–3 | 3 FAST, 3 SLOW |
| 4–6 | 2 FAST, 2 SLOW |
Above is the recommended starting configuration in a Basic game depending on the number of players.
Example (Basic game, 4 players): Each player wants a robot teammate. The participants will be 4 human players, 4 FAST robot teammates and 2 SLOW robots; 10 cars in total.
Example (Basic game, 3 players): 2 players join together forming a team and the remaining player takes a robot teammate. The participants will be 3 human players, 1 FAST robot teammate, 2 FAST robots and 3 SLOW robots; 9 cars in total.
Robot teammate setup – Advanced game
Recommended starting configuration in the Advanced game depending on the number of players:
| Number of players | # Robots (Advanced game) |
|---|---|
| 2–3 | 2 SUPERFAST, 3 FAST, 3 SLOW |
| 4–6 | 2 SUPERFAST, 2 FAST, 2 SLOW |
Above is the recommended starting configuration in the Advanced game depending on the number of players.
Example (Advanced game, 3 players): Each player wants a robot teammate. The participants will be 3 human players, 3 SUPERFAST robot teammates, 3 FAST robot teammates and 3 SLOW robots; 12 cars in total.
Example (Advanced game, 4 players): 2 players join together forming a team and the two remaining players take one robot teammate each. The participants will be 4 human players, 2 SUPERFAST robot teammates, 2 FAST robots and 2 SLOW robots; 10 cars in total.
Robot teammate qualifying and race
In qualifying robot teammates use a randomly drawn qualifying chit of the corresponding robot type i.e. a Fast qualifying chit in the Basic game and a Superfast qualifying chit in the Advanced game. However after having established the starting grid and before placing the refueling chits on the Turn Indicator, replace this chit with the refueling chit matching the robot teammate car colour. This way, during the race, you will be able to identify which robot teammate has to stop for refueling.
Robot teammates follow all rules that apply to robots. In particular a teammate robot has no car chart and automatically benefits from trajectory bonuses on the track as does any other robot. In the Basic game a robot teammate will have 3 movement points at the beginning of each turn, and in the Advanced game 4 movement points. During movement, robot teammates ignore other robots and overtake and lap other cars in accordance with the usual robot overtaking/lapping rules.
Teammate robot turn
During the teammate robot turn, the associated player may discard one and only one of his cards to help the robot teammate car with one of the actions listed below:
During the teammate robot movement: Discard one speeding card (red) in order to increase the total robot movement by 1 point. Ignore the symbols on the card.
At the end of the teammate robot movement: Discard one driving card (green) to force your teammate to attempt a Late Brake or to take an Extreme Trajectory at the end of his turn. Ignore the symbols on the card. The following blind check will always benefit of a +20 bonus. Any subsequent check required along the Off-Track trajectory will not benefit of this bonus.
When the teammate robot section is activated: Discard one gear card (orange) to force your teammate to declare contest against other cars in a corner section with a +3 bonus or to defend in a contest declared by other cars with a +3 bonus. Ignore the symbols on the card. Contested cars could be robots, humans or any mix of those. In a contest a teammate robot draws two random cards like any other robot.
At the beginning of the teammate robot movement: Discard one event card (yellow) to place a yellow flag or to remove a yellow flag on the track (green flag) or to move the weather marker of one step in your chosen direction. The event card used must have the corresponding symbol on it. Ignore any other symbol on the card.
Usually during the race you will try to help your robot teammate. However keep in mind that he is racing his own race and will fight against you too.
Teammate special situations
Contest between teammates – It could happen that both teammates start their turn in a corner section. In this case, the teammate in the back of the section may declare a contest to overtake his teammate. This is absolutely legal and a normal contest takes place.
Other players control on your robot teammate – If the orange flag is in play, the controlling player can force your teammate robot to attempt a Late Brake or to take an Extreme Trajectory. You cannot prevent these attempts.
Whenever in doubt of how a robot teammate should behave, always treat it as a robot.
Teammate examples
Fig 5 – It is a 2 players Advanced game. Blue and green are human players and each of them decides to pair with a robot teammate. Blue player replaces a superfast robot with the pink car and green player replaces the second superfast with the red car.
Fig 6 – The Blue player is racing together with a robot teammate (Pink car). The Green player also has a robot teammate (Red car). It is the Pink car turn. Assume you are playing the Basic game. Pink moves 3 sections ignoring the red robot and lands short of the juicy +2 red trajectory available after the Stavelot. The Blue player opts to discard one speeding card from his hand so increasing the pink movement by 1 point which is enough to land on the trajectory spot.
Fig 7 – The Pink robot teammate is chasing the human Green car. It moves into the braking section before the Rivage where it should stop. However his player teammate decides to discard one driving card from his hand so forcing his teammate to attempt a Late Braking. The Pink car therefore performs a blind check against a Target of 80 (60+20) and eventually manages to overtake the Green human player.
Fig 8 – The Pink robot is in a corner section together with another Red robot, both have human teammates. Normally in this situation no contest takes place as robots never contest against each other. The Blue player however decided to discard a gearing card from his hand to force his Pink teammate to declare a contest. The Green player declines his chance of supporting his teammate with a gearing card. The Pink robot will now draw two race cards from the deck and add a total modifier of +2 (-1 for the corner and +3 for his teammate support). The Red robot will draw two race cards [caption ends here as printed].
Fig 9 – The Pink robot is in action again. Before moving the robot, his teammate human player discards one yellow card with a yellow flag symbol from his hand. He positions the flag at the Rivage in the attempt to slow down the opponent Green human player.
RF90 Series Championship
The RF90 Series Championship allows players to play a full motorsport racing season composed of several races. The Series can be played either as an individual driver or as a team or both. Racing drivers and teams earn Championship points based on the finishing positions of their cars in each race. After the completion of all races, the driver and team with the most Championship points are crowned the RF90 Series Champion!
To start, one player is selected as the RF90 Series Director. The Director acts as the tournament organizer and as a referee, enforcing the rules and settling any disputes during a race.
A RF90 Series Championship is run along a minimum of 4 circuits, and a maximum of 12 circuits. The Director decides which and how many tracks will be used and in which order. This must be communicated to all the other players before the start. The same circuit can be raced multiple times. The information is reported in the RF90 Series report and cannot be changed during the season.
The tournament can be played either with the Race! Formula 90 Basic game rules or the Advanced game rules. It is up to the Director to decide this.
Once the Tournament calendar has been established, players proceed in defining their teams. Teams are always formed from two cars. Players could form a team between them or pair with a robot teammate which are in addition to any other robot in the game.
Robots form three teams: a SUPERFAST, a FAST and a SLOW team. The recommended starting number of robot cars in the game is overruled by the following three robot teams configuration. Other robot setups are possible and the Director has the last word in how many and what type of robot teams will participate in the Series.
SUPERFAST team (Advanced game only)
- First driver: Bruno Gourdo
- Second driver: Don Matrelli
FAST team
- First driver: Travis Daye
- Second driver: Cal Tyrone
SLOW team
- First driver: Peter Kurtz
- Second driver: Vito Giuffrè
Example: Three players, Alan, Bob and Carl start a RF90 Series Championship. Alan is the Tournament Director, he fills up the RF90 Series Report indicating that the series will follow the Advanced game rules with 6 races in total on these tracks: Monza, Hungaroring, SPA, Monaco, Monza and SPA again. Alan and Carl decide to form one team together. Bob decides to pair with a robot teammate. The 5 participating teams are as follows: Alan/Carl, Bob/R-teammate, Gourdo/Matrelli, Daye/Tyrone, Kurtz/Giuffre.
If Alan and Carl would not agree to form a team then each human has a robot teammate and the 6 participating teams will be: Alan/R-teammate, Bob/R-teammate, Carl/R-teammate, Gourdo/Matrelli, Daye/Tyrone, Kurtz/Giuffre.
In the RF90 Series report the Director will note:
- The name of the players and the composition of the teams
- The car chart chosen by each player and that cannot be changed during the season
- The skill selected by each player and that cannot be changed during the season (Advanced Game only)
Drivers Championship
At the end of each race Championship points are assigned to each driver as follows:
| Finishing position | Points granted |
|---|---|
| 1st place | 10 Pt |
| 2nd place | 6 Pt |
| 3rd place | 4 Pt |
| 4th place | 3 Pt |
| 5th place | 2 Pt |
| 6th place | 1 Pt |
For robot teams, the first driver always scores the highest points of the two.
In case of a tie at the end of the tournament, the driver prevailing is the one with the most 1st places achieved during the tournament. In case a tie still persists then the winner is the driver with the most 2nd places and so on.
Teams Championship
Each team scores the sum of the points of both its drivers. The team winning the championship is the one with the most points at the end of the tournament.
In case of a tie at the end of the tournament, the team prevailing is the one with the most 1st places achieved during the tournament between its two drivers. In case a tie still persists then the winner is the team with the most 2nd places and so on.
A template RF90 Series Championship report is presented at the end of this rulebook and can be photocopied freely by the RF90 Series Director.
Example: There are 5 participating teams and 10 drivers in the Series: Alan/Carl, Bob/R-teammate, Gourdo/Matrelli, Daye/Tyrone, Kurtz/Giuffre. The final positions in the first race at Monza are Bob 1st, Carl 2nd, a superfast 3rd, Bob's robot teammate 4th, Alan 5th, the other superfast 6th. Driver points are assigned as follows: Bob (10), Carl (6), Gourdo (4), Bob's teammate (3), Alan (2), Matrelli (1). Team points are as follows: Bob/R-teammate (13), Alan/Carl (8), Gourdo/Matrelli (5).
RF90 Series Championship report template
The printed template is titled "Race! Formula 90 Series Championship" and has these fields:
- Header: Director; Rules set: Basic / Advanced; Distance: Short / Full.
- Race table (12 rows, numbered 1 to 12): Track, Date, Pole position / Time, Weather at start, Winner.
- Driver table: Team, Driver Name, Human/Robot, Skill, Car color, Chart number. The pre-filled robot drivers are:
- SUPERFAST: Bruno Gourdo (Robot, Black); Don Matrelli (Robot, Black)
- FAST: Travis Daye (Robot, Yellow); Cal Tyrone (Robot, Yellow)
- SLOW: Peter Kurtz (Robot, Purple); Vito Giuffrè (Robot, Purple)
- Scoring sheet: Scoring is 1st 10pt, 2nd 6pt, 3rd 4pt, 4th 3pt, 5th 2pt, 6th 1pt. The sheet has a driver table (Driver name, one Points column per race, TOTAL) for the six drivers listed above and a team table (SUPERFAST, FAST, SLOW, with Points per race and TOTAL).
Rules Clarifications
This chapter clarifies some aspects of the game which were not fully addressed in the original rulebook.
Use of Track cards
In general you can play a track card for movement only when you are guaranteed that your car will use part of the associated corner. That means you cannot move using a certain track card when you need to pass a leader check or attempt a Late Brake to land or pass through the specified corner.
First turn, last turn and race restarts
Rules say that at the start, during a restart after the safety car leaves the track and on the last turn of the game all sections are considered as if straights for overtaking purposes. What it really means is that when moving your car you spend only 1 movement point for overtaking/lapping, but nothing else changes in relation to other elements of the game. In particular:
Contests – If two or more cars are in a corner section in the last turn of the race or during a restart, then a contest may take place before any of these cars in the corner section can move.
Yellow flags – Yellow flags are played before moving your car. You can play a yellow flag in a corner section only and that, among other things, forbids any overtaking/lapping in the section. Yellow flags remain valid on the first turn, last turn and race restarts. They prevent overtaking/lapping in the section where they are placed and cost 1 movement point to pass. You can always play a green flag to remove the issue and overtake/lap cars in front of you.
Blue flags – Blue flags are used for lapping more efficiently during movement. In a race restart and during the last turn of the game blue flags allow you to lap like on a straight i.e. spending no movement points. A leader check may always be needed despite the blue flag.
Lapping skill – Same as above.
Late Braking – Late braking is available on the first turn, last turn and race restarts. A Late Braking attempt is the last thing you do in your movement, so after the Late Brake you stop.
Trajectories – Trajectories are available on the last turn of the race. They are not available at the race start and restarts to simulate the fact that you are not attacking the track at full speed yet.
Skipping a game turn
A player may decide not to play any card skipping his turn. When no cards are played the car does not move and he is allowed to change his strategy.
If the car skipping his turn is located in a corner section or a braking section then it can act as a roadblock so effectively preventing any other player to overtake him. This is not what the "turn skipping" rule is meant for and therefore we offer the following ruling:
"A car that has skipped its turn can be overtaken/lapped by spending 1 movement point independently on what section it is in".