Running of the Bulls (ROTB)

Track: Circuit de Catalunya Grand Prix
Date: August 12th
Time: 8:00 PM GMT-5
8:00 PM GMT 0/other
Cars: 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV S600
2005 Lamborghini Gallardo S600

Track: Laguna Seca Full
Date: August 13th
Time: 8:00 PM GMT-5
8:00 PM GMT 0/other
Cars: 1999 Lamborghini Diablo GTR R300
2008 Lamborghini Reventon R300

Track: Sebring International Raceway Full
Date: August 16th
Time: 8:00 PM GMT-5
8:00 PM GMT 0/other

Cars: 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo S600
2007 Lamborghini Gallardo S600

Track: Silverstone Racing Grand Prix
Date: August 17th
Time: 8:00 PM GMT-5
8:00 PM GMT 0/other
Cars: 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo S600
2007 Lamborghini Gallardo S600

Track: Tsukuba Full
Date: August 19th
Time: 8:00 PM GMT-5
8:00 PM GMT 0/other

Cars: 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV S600
2007 Lamborghini Gallardo S600

Driver can choose from any of the listed cars for that race, tuned to the right PI. Drivers must display their driver # so it is visible from all sides of car.

Since we have so many new members coming on board, I thought it might be
nice to put into writing generally accepted good racing habits to
ensure everyone involved has an enjoyable experience. These aren't
hardlined rules, so you won't be kicked off the team if you can't follow
these to the letter, but observing some of these items will make racing
more fun for everyone involved:

1. Aggressive blocking: There
will be times when you're the slower car, but somehow ended up out in
front. Defending your position is perfectly fine, but aggressively
blocking faster cars is not appreciated. Making a single defensive
maneuver is appropriate, such as scooting low to take up the inside line
heading into a turn. Suddenly veering in front of a car passing you is
not. Best case scenario is someone ends up driving off-track to avoid a
collision. Worst case scenario creates an accident involving you, the
car behind you, and anyone else following that couldn't swerve out of
the way fast enough.

2. Rear-end collisions: Yeah, they happen to
the best of us. You're blazing down the straight, catching up to the
leader, when the next turn sneaks up on you. Brakes lock up, tires
squeal, and the next thing you know you've punted someone off the track.
In this situation, it's best for you to pull to the side a bit to get
out of the way of traffic, and let the car you've hit back in front.
Unfortunately, this may cost you multiple positions, but that's all the
more reason to be sure you're careful when following another car.

3.
Cutting corners: This one is a little trickier. The easiest situation
to address is when you're following another car, but somehow completely
mess up the corner and cut right through the grass or tarmac off-track.
If this little shortcut put you in front of the other driver, it's best
to slow down and let them retake the position. Another situation might
involve you out in front, and you take a shortcut to extend your
advantage. Letting someone back in front each time this happens might
not be the best solution. If it becomes a regular problem, we may
message you about it, and eventually stop inviting you to casual races
altogether. If it appears shortcutting is an intentional strategy used
in an official competition, you may be disqualified.

4.
Quarter-panel tap: This will usually happen as you're trying to pass a
car on the inside, and as a result of lost grip you tap the inside
quarter-panel of the leading car. The car in front will often lose grip,
start sliding, and lose speed, which allows you to pass, or they'll
completely lose control and fly off the track. In either situation, in
an obvious bump you should slow to allow the tapped car to retake the
position. Bumping cars out of the way to pass is not real racing, unless
you're driving in NASCAR.

5. Leaderboard cars and AWD upgrades:
Despite what it says in the recruitment page, MSM does have a tolerance
for the leaderboard cars and AWD upgrades, but really these should only
be taken by drivers who are struggling to close the gap with faster
drivers or are still learning the ropes in driving technique and
assists. Think of these as training wheels. Eventually, they have to
come off, and so eventually you should be able to shed these cars to
expand into everything else Forza has to offer. Anyway, we'll have so
many showdowns and spec races not using these cars, you'll be out of
practice once we do.

That's it for now. We may expend this
information as time goes by. As the saying goes, you can't win the race
in the first turn, but you can lose it there. Try to be courteous on the
track. When in doubt, ask yourself "What would Stirling Moss do?"


I
just want to touch base again on a point mentioned above: aggressive
blocking. We have a wide range of skills on our team, and so
occasionally a driver will put down lap times a second or two quicker
than another. I'm not trying to say these slower cars should go out of
their way to make space the faster competitors to pass them by with a
wave and a wink. There is a right and a wrong way to defend your
position, though.

In the example I experienced, which involved a
non-MSM driver, I was in third place and trailing the two lead cars by
about 2 seconds. Within a lap and a half I was able to close within a
pretty close distance to witness some ruthless driving. The 2nd place
driver exited the turn a bit faster than the lead driver, and so
positioned himself to pass low on the straightaway. Just as the 2nd
place driver got close enough to pass, the 1st place driver jerked his
car in front, causing the 2nd place driver to get hard on his brakes.
The aggressive maneuver caused the lead driver to lose grip a bit and so
slowed him down, allowing me to catch up.

On the very next turn
the 2nd place driver attempted another pass, only to have the lead
driver repeat the same sudden block and slow both cars. I pounced on the
opportunity and managed to pass both vehicles easily, giving me a
fortunate victory.

Like all skills, learning to drive defensibly
and safely, while still having fun and being competitive, takes
practice. It might seem weird, but don't be afraid to ask questions. I
try to be as open and honest about racing as I can be. Being a
middle-of-the-road driver has given me a perspective from both ends of
this scenario.

Also, I'd like to add, perhaps, the most important
thing to consider: no matter WHAT happens, don't lose your cool. There
have been times where someone gets knocked off the road and the driver
doing the knocking thought it was a clean pass. On observing the replay,
it appears to be a clean pass, but yet the crashed driver feels getting
hit, and, indeed, is spun out of control.

This is most likely
due to network lag - we've probably all experienced moments where cars
seem to move suddenly, float in the air, etc.

The point is that
sometimes technical issues can cause bad things to happen in Forza -
don't jump to conclusions. Look at the review, discuss it with your team
leader, etc. It is a game, no need to lose your cool, even IF it turns
out that someone's being a total jerk. Most likely it was an honest
mistake or, as I've attempted to illustrate, a technical issue.