D1NZ

Judging

JUDGING

Judging is a HUGE part to our sport often it confuses a lot of spectators to why the judges make the decision’s they do – below explain’s in depth what our competitors know about judging overall and each track description shows you the points in which these judges look for such as the “Judged Section” and “Clipping points” - For a better understanding see the Video from Justin Rood below from Round 1:

QUALIFYING JUDGING SYSTEM (SINGLE PASS)

· D1NZ Qualifying is Single Pass. During this time, Judges will select 32 standout drifters (according to the

judging categories) to compete in the Drift Battle elimination heats. The Dummy Grid will be run in a reverse

grid format so Drivers new to entering the Championship series will start first and then it will proceed in

reverse order from the Championship standings.

Suggestions To Drivers

· It will be the Drivers responsibility to know their position on the grid. A good way to remember is to

memorise who the fifth and seventh cars are in front of you and when you see them gridding up, you know

it’s your turn coming up. If you are not at the start line when it is your turn, your run will be scored a zero.

You can stay off the grid only if you have serious mechanical issues in which someone needs to notify the

Grid Manager from your team. Grid list (current Championship series points in reverse) will be supplied on

the day. Drivers may be given a warm up lap or scrub off zone.

Qualifying Scoring

· Each Judge will receive one criterion to judge and also give up to ten points each for Style and Impact. Then

maximum points for Line are 25, the maximum points for Angle is 25, the maximum points for Speed is 20.

Up to 30 points are awarded for Impact/Style.

Spinouts

· Anytime a Driver spins out or experiences major under-steer or straight line during a run, a 0 score will be

awarded.

Off Course

· Unless otherwise specified during the judging meetings, one wheel off the track = minus points (-).

Depending on how far off the track, more points will be deducted for more time spent off the track.

Clipping Zones

· Cones or other similar sign markings will denote all clipping points, either inner or outer. Anytime an ‘Inner

Clipping Cone’ is hit, the Vehicle will be considered to be off course and points will either be deducted or the

Driver will be scored a 0 depending on the severity of the hit. Hitting an ‘Outer Clipping Cone’ with anything

other than the Driver’s rear bumper will be counted as off course and will be scored a 0 (i.e. hitting the cone

with the rear tyre, door, etc). Slight contact with a wall or cone in the ‘Outer Clipping Zone’ will not result in

a point deduction if the hit does not disturb or affect the course of the Drivers run. This means no major

corrections were needed after the hit and the Driver was still able to maintain good Line, Speed and Angle.

If the hit occurs at any other point on track other than the marked ‘Outer Clipping Zones’ points may be

deducted. If a spin or major under steer results from contact with an ‘Outer Clipping Zone’ an automatic

score of 0 will be given.

DRIFT BATTLE

· Drivers will compete in single elimination head-to-head battles and win their way through a standard 32-

Driver bracket. Tandem rounds are based on two (2) runs in head-to-head format, with competitors paired

up based on their rank determined by qualifying. The higher ranked Driver leads the first run and lower

ranked Driver leading the second run (e.g. 1 vs 32, 2 vs 31, 3 v 30 etc).

Lead Car

· The lead car must be required at all times to run the line given by the Judges and also maintain adequate

speed through out the course. If the lead car measures untypical speed, this may result in a score against

that Driver. Untypical speed is defined as speeds of equivalent measurement from qualifying speeds. Drivers

must be within 95% of there qualifying speeds. If the lead car loses drift, goes off line or reduces speed too

drastically in comparison to that particular Driver’s qualifying speeds and the chase car hits the lead car, the

lead car will in most cases be deemed at fault for the contact. It is each individual Judge’s job to ascertain

fault. There may be circumstances where the lead car is not at fault for the contact but this will be left to

each individual Judge to ascertain fault.

Chase Car

· In general, the chase car needs to treat the lead car as a moving clipping point. The chase car needs to run

the same basic line as the lead car. Taking a lower line than the lead car will result in a loss of advantage. If

the lead car is off line, then the chase car will gain advantage points by staying in close proximity to the lead

car. The chase car should keep as close to the lead car as possible to gain the advantage.

Passing

· Passing is not encouraged during tandem battles. Passing is only allowed if the lead car is well off line, or is

clearly specified by a Judge in the Drivers meeting. Passing must be executed in a safe and professional

manner. A safe pass is one that is done in such a way that the car being passed does not lose any speed

after the pass is complete. Passing must be done while in drift, without interrupting the line of the car being

passed and in the proper line. If a pass results in contact, the passing car may be penalised.

Damage Due To Contact

· Once contact is made and damage occurs to either Vehicle, the Judges using majority rule will ascertain

fault. If damage due to contact occurs, both Drivers have a right to have their Spotter enact a ‘5 Minute

Rule’. It is expected that in most cases, damaged Vehicles can be repaired in this time frame.

· In some cases, damage sustained to the Vehicles may require more time to repair. At this point ONLY the

Vehicle not at fault may ask for additional time.

NOTE: This does not pre-empt team’s ability to call 5 Minutes for other purposes. In the spirit of time and

the show, the Chief Marshall also reserves the right to continue the competition with the outstanding headto-

head matches of that particular round. The Chief Marshall will reassess the Vehicle between subsequent

head-to-head match-up’s or even at the end of the Round.

· In most cases, D1NZ will encourage Teams and Drivers to finish the head-to-head match-up, but there will

be cases where Vehicles may not be able to be repaired or contact happened on the last run of a head-tohead

in which case the Judges can make a call on the winner of the match. If a Team cannot repair their

Vehicle and the Team was also not at fault during the incident, a D1NZ Official will verify that indeed the

Vehicle is not repairable in time for the next round and declare the Driver the winner of the match. The

Driver may move onto the next round or if the damage is too extreme, may exit from the competition.

Pace Zone

· A pace cone, or comparable marker, may be placed on the starting straightaway to keep the Tandem Battles

fair and close together. The use of a Pace Zone will be specified during the Driver’s meetings.

Tandem Eliminations

· Three Judges will observe both runs during a head-to-head battle. There will be no declaration of scores

between the two runs. At the conclusion of the head-to-head battle, each Judge will individually declare a

winner. Judges are allowed to converse but are not permitted to show their written winner to any other

Judge. Judge separation devices may be used. Judges will select from three options:

Driver ‘A’ wins

Driver ‘B’ wins

‘One More Time’ (OMT)

· The majority will rule and a winner will be decided. In the event there is no clear majority, a ‘One More

Time’ will be granted and the competitors will begin another 2-run head-to-head battle. Multiple ‘One More

Times’ may be necessary to determine a winner.

Examples of Decisions:

· All judging is performed from the top of the Judging Stand. If a clipping point is not visible from the Judging

Stand, a flag system may be used to communicate whether a Driver properly scores the clipping point.

Spotters

· Each Team will be able to designate one Spotter. A Spotter Stand will be placed in a comparable area to the

Judges Stand to give Team Spotters a similar viewing perspective as the Judges. During Tandem Battle, the

designated Team Spotter is required in the Spotter Stand. If a Spotter is not assigned, a Team may appoint

another Team’s Spotter to represent their Driver.