Senior Sportsmanship League

Senior Sportsmanship League

Friendly, Good Natured, and Sociable

A league for mature and particularly friendly drivers who share and appreciate a “culture” where: 1) Drivers share and value a form of intense competition where passing is seen as “skillful overtaking with superior speed” i.e. a demonstration of skill rather than a battle “attacking to gain a position” on the track; 2) Where collisions are seen as unnecessary and mostly avoidable. Where reasonable risk avoidance is valued more than apologies for causing collisions; 3) Where earned positions from qualifying are respected and dive bombing is seen as a form of attempted theft; and 4) Where all participants have fun and remain friends with their competitors.

Always remember our goal: BE COMPETITIVE, DO YOUR BEST,  HAVE FUN, EARN YOUR POSITION WITHOUT HURTING THE COMPETITOR,  DON'T BE ANNOYING-EARN YOUR COMPETITORS' RESPECT WITH SKILL,  BE FRIENDLY,  IT IS A RACE- NOT A FIGHT.

We run the FIA F4 on Monday with a strict FIXED setup designed by our Chief Engineer. (no cockpit adjustment of brake bias) We run the Ray FF1600 with a FIXED setup but brake bias adjustment is allowed. 

The League is open to all drivers 55 years old and older with iRating less than 3000 and a safety rating above 3.0 or a Class B License.  We have a Division for drivers who are 70PLUS and 80PLUS drivers are given extra championship points. (Drivers who apply for membership to race in the SENIOR 55PLUS Division with an iRating above 3000 must  be reviewed by the league’s Membership Committee) 

Select races will be broadcast on YouTube depending on voluntary contributions by members.

Donald Wayne Strout, Organizer

In 2016, I formed the 60PLUS Racing Adventures League. We started out with 20-25 "senior" gentlemen over the age of 60 who looked forward to fun and fair racing in winged formula cars in iRacing. We had very strict "racing rules" that were enforced by me as Chief Steward after viewing the replays of every race. Racing was to be a contest but not a fight.

The league grew and newcomers wanted to see more aggressive driving. "We want to attack in the corners and race hard, fighting side by side" they said. As this was against the whole original philosophy and “culture” of the league, I turned the 60PLUS league management over to others and left it alone for years to pursue my aviation interests. (In my enthusiasm for "building the league" I had accepted members who did not share the original values.) I also created two other leagues promoting fair competition and worked on developing setups for the Formula Renault 2.0.

In 2022, I suffered a serious crash in my experimental ultralight aircraft, crushing both femurs and my shin bone as well as a couple broken vertebrae. After installation of about 3 pounds of titanium in both legs, recovering a bit with tons of PT, but still walking with a cane, I decided to try iRacing again.

The 60PLUS league has grown substantially so when I returned, the level of competition and skill was very high—and the culture was still very much “attack in the corners and race hard, fighting side by side”.  Many loss of control spins and unnecessary collisions. In my first race after returning, I was blocked and dive bombed. I also noticed that most race podiums were dominated by drivers with very high iRatings. For me and several others I questioned, it was not fun. 

All comments regarding suggested improvements to management and participants were met with “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” replies.

I also tried out the excellent IGPFun League organized by my old friend Luca Varani. They actually work hard to avoid chaos and are one of the oldest leagues in iRacing. I found the field to be huge and a bit intimidating with really serious and highly accomplished younger drivers. 

So after a bit of “focus group” research, I figured there was a demand for a different approach in a new league.

There is a reasonably sized group of experienced iRacing enthusiasts over the age of 70. However, to maintain a robust and active league with a sufficient roster, we are extending membership to younger senior drivers that share our culture and values, 

The above graph was the inspiration for forming the 60PLUS Racing Adventures League. To address the dramatic difference in reaction time between those over 60 and those under 60. It also shows that the difference between 60 and 70 is just as large as that between 60 and 30!

Clearly, there is a justification for allowing 70 year olds to race against their "equals" and not feel intimidated and dominated by younger drivers with more youthful abilities and drivers with near pro level performance. One of the attractions of iRacing is realism, and as in real life “club” racing, most participants would like to finish their race without significant collision damage—one of the goals of the Senior Sportmanship League.

The new league will run with the same "Racing Rules" we originally used in the 60PLUS League. "Do no harm to others-treat others as you expect them to treat you” kind of means that racing here will be display of skill, not a fight. Finish in the least amount of time, in front of as many cars as possible, with little or no interfering in the driving enjoyment of others. (This means passing and side by side racing is encouraged—just leave adequate racing room, don’t play head games, no surprise or ridiculous moves, and don’t collide or lose control. Be prepared that the car ahead may brake earlier than you expect. Remember that drivers have much less ability to see cars beside them in sim racing compared to IRL. Out-braking to gain position in corner entry is allowed and can be fun as long as the driver being overtaken knows you are along side before he reaches the turn in point.) These rules are described in our official Sporting Code.

In addition, instead of following the iRacing schedule, each season we will run on four different world class tracks, alternating three times.  The idea will be to spend more time improving our skills and less time learning new tracks. 

Another "difference" is our attempt to make racing more fair with more opportunity for each member to achieve a high championship points standing.  First, we will actively engage in driver development with coaching and telemetry analysis.  (Participation in Garage 61 is mandatory.) Second, we will exclude the overall winner in the first race from running in the second race of the day or if he chooses to do so, we average his points from both races. 

An additional innovation is the league will use one highly engineered and tested setup suitable for all ranges of driver skill with the F4 annd FF1600 and other methods to give all drivers a fair chance to win. The setup has increased grip, and in combination with the fixed weather conditions we choose, the car is easier to drive fast and safely.

We assign each driver to one of six classes: Senior, Admiral, Master; Expert; Advanced; and Rookie. (A special class designated as the Admiral class for drivers with iRatings above 3000 or who have won 7 races in the Master class. These drivers do not compete in the 70PLUS Division.)  Although we will compete against the AI drivers--finishing positions and championship points are for humans only. 

Generally, the delta between Master and Expert is 0.9%; between Master and Advanced is 1.5%

We will be one of the first leagues to introduce AI into the competition. Generally we will introduce between 2-8 AI drivers. We often run without any AI drivers.

League racing in our opinion is not like Pro Racing any more than Country Club Tournament Golf is like the PGA Tour. We are not Vintage Car racing either. We expect each participant to drive to the best of their ability. No Country Club would be able to run an amateur golf tournament without a handicap system or some system of dividing the competitors for points assignment. What is the point of a contest if everyone knows who will win? So, we are trying to implement a similar concept in iRacing. We don’t support the idea of everybody deserves a trophy for participating but we also believe that everyone deserves at least a reasonable chance of recognition for exemplary performance.  Not everyone will enjoy the taste of victory, but everyone deserves a “fair” chance. And, winning is not necessarily the best way to enhance self esteem—using healthy competition to motivate you to improve and reach your full potential is the best way.

Requirements for Membership: iRating between 500 and 3000. (In the Senior 55PLUS Division, drivers with iRating in the 3000-5000 will be considered by our Membership Committee.) Safety Rating above 3.0 or a B License. For participation in the 70PLUS F4 Championship: Born before 1957.  For other events:  Satisfactory interview with Chief Stewart regarding racing philosophy and adherence to League’s Sporting Code. (We are more interested in drivers who share our values than in a particular age, however drivers older than 55 and retired will most likely feel comfortable in our “Senior” community.) New membership is also subject to approval of all existing league members.

FF1600

IRacing FIA F4

Indy Car IR18

McLaren GT4

Porsche Cayman GT4

Corvette Z06 GT3

Why do we exclude drivers with iRating above 3000 in the 70PLUS Division? The chart below shows that 90% of drivers have an iRating between 500 and 3000. The 5% with iRating above 3000 should be driving against drivers that are competitive with themselves on their level—not coming into a league to dominate the podium. Equating iRating with ability and performance can be misleading—many drivers perform at a level higher than expected—but careful observation confirms that drivers with iRating above 3000 tend to dominate the podium when competing against the vast majority (75%) of drivers with iRating in the 800-2500 range. 

Coaching Partner:   Full Speed Sim Coaching

https://fullspeedsimcoaching.com/

Chief Engineer’s Library:  WS Speed Analytics

https://wsspeedanalytics.blogspot.com/

League Sporting Code

 

Senior Sportsmanship League

Official Sporting Code v041025

The General Principle:

Complete your race in the least amount of time, ahead of as many drivers as possible, according to the best of your ability-without doing harm to others. Collision avoidance takes priority over gaining position without exception. 

It is a RACE and not a FIGHT!

Drive and generally conduct yourself in a manner that allows you to grow and maintain friendships with the league community. Fun and a sense of accomplishment is the goal, NOT domination, manipulation and conflict.

Do not alter assigned setups. This is considered cheating and will result in a ban from future races. The assigned setups is the foundation of the league’s “fair chance” competition philosophy. In "open setup" races, the Chief Engineer will publish "Suggested" setup/s but drivers are allowed to run whatever they want, on the condition that the setup is reviewed for safety and fairness by the Chief Engineer and "approved" prior to use. Attempts to mislead the Chief Engineer in this review and approval process will result in a ban from the League.

Specifics:

Maintain control. Humans make mistakes, but mistakes are minimized when you drive at a performance level with a small but adequate margin of safety. Failure to maintain control and a margin of safety that results in a collision is considered reckless. Example1: Overdriving on cold tires. Example2; Failure to recognize the need to change braking points with higher speed following in a draft. 

Driving that is deemed to be "reckless" by the Chief Steward is a serious offence. Repeated instances despite warnings will result in a ban from the League. (see additional explanation at the end of this code description.) One egregious example is abuse of the draft on long straights, where an overtake is attempted well beyond the normal braking zone that results or risks the possibility of loss of control and collision. 

Always allow racing room to other drivers. This prohibits any movement in response to a passing attempt that would be considered blocking. It also prohibits following too close where unexpected moves by driver ahead are likely to result in a collision.

When a mistake leads to a spin and loss of control, use accepted inputs to increase the likelihood that you will slide off the racing surface. If you end up stopped on the racing surface you are required to hold your brakes on and remain stationary until all traffic has passed. Do not become a moving obstacle. (It is recommended that all drivers use a track map overlay to allow for accurate info regarding the position of other cars.)

Apologies for mistakes is not mandatory. Action (adjustment to risk management judgment) to reduce the likelihood of future mistakes is mandatory. 

Do not engage in what could be considered as intimidation. Example1: Moving to the inside lane approaching a corner for no other reason than to distract the driver ahead with the threat of a dive bomb. Example2: When racing side by side, moving to threaten a unfair reduction in racing room.

Use three mirrors and chatty spotter.  Use of the virtual and both side mirrors is mandatory. If a single monitor FOV does not give full view of side mirrors, adjustment of Look Right and Look Left to allow view of side mirrors is mandatory. The use of mirrors and chatty spotter is absolutely key to safe driving and situational awareness. Drivers are required to anticipate the position of drivers who are overtaking and react to spotter warnings to insure racing room is maintained. This does not prohibit driving a defensive line with one move to the inside on corner approach far in advance of the braking point.

Overtaking is encouraged and an important part of racing enjoyment. Threshold braking contests are also encouraged as long as the driver being overtaken is aware of the overtaking driver’s position in side mirror and chatty spotter warning. Any attempt to overtake where the driver being overtaken has not been warned by the spotter before the normal braking point for the corner is considered an illegal dive bomb. In corners where braking is not required, the “normal racing line” belongs to the driver ahead at the turn in point.

Most overtaking conflicts occur with the faster car attempting the overtake on the “inside” of the turn. But there are important scenarios where the overtake occurs with the faster car on the outside.  The MOST IMPORTANT principle is the concept of “NEVER DENY RACING ROOM” except in the special case where you are absolutely committed to a normal racing line at the entry of a corner. 

Two cases: 1) Two cars legitimately contest a corner side by side at corner entry. The inside car must not track out normally- he is required to grant the outside car racing room on exit. 2) On some straights, the racing line crosses the track diagonally so that the lead car leaves a wide gap for an overtaking car in the late part of the straight but continues to move toward the outside of the track for corner entry. If a faster car is clearly showing in his mirror as beginning an overtake, the the lead car must allow racing room-he cannot assume or demand that the overtaking driver lift and or brake and back off. If the lead car wants to claim the outside of the track, he must move there soon enough to clearly take “ownership” of that line.

The first turn after the green is out is critical. Standing starts almost always result in chaos. With a rolling start, a “proper” start led by the pole sitter with a “tight grid” should result in a “clean and safe” passage thru the first turn. Generally, a skilled and experienced pole sitter will begin a smooth acceleration as soon as the pace car exits, reaching race pace coincident with the green. If this is not the case, often cars will hold back and create a gap in the grid, timing their acceleration so that they have a speed advantage when the green comes out and the drag race begins.  This is considered poor sportsmanship and is akin to stealing. It leads to unsafe three and four wide racing into the first turn with resulting chaos and car contact/s. (It is akin to a driver in the last row holding back and timing his arrival at the green with enough speed to pass most of the grid before the first turn—which is a violation of iRacing Sporting Code.)

To avoid this, the Senior Sportsmanship League races always use a rolling start, a tight grid and PROHIBIT passing other humans for the first corner of the first lap. This “No pass until AFTER the first corner” rule applies to the car ahead in your “lane”.  It does not apply to cars in the adjacent “lane” that may be slower due to cars ahead in that “lane”. Violators will be black flagged. (This can be problematic when AI Drivers are in the mix as they do not comprehend the Sporting Code—this makes the the actions of the human drivers in the first row especially important in avoiding “drag race” starts. You are allowed to pass AI cars that are not keeping pace with cars ahead but take special precautions to avoid entering their programmed space and avoid entering the adjacent “lane”.  See clarification statement below for more on this subject.

Finally, in regards to dive bombing. Keep in mind that qualifying is a very good indicator of relative pace. Aggressive passing can in some cases result in a slower car advancing ahead without having the pace to sustain the position. This often results in incidents, spins or car contact as the faster car behind is able to pressure the slower car ahead. Clean and fun racing requires overtaking that is the result of a sustained higher pace and generally takes place on straights where the faster car is able to pull fully aside before the upcoming corner’s braking point. The pass should never be a surprise to the driver being overtaken. Earn your position-don’t steal it.

A note about racing with AI cars. AI in iRacing is still in development so there may be room for improvements over time. But, AI does add interest and desired complexity to our racing. Be aware that these AI are designed to drive like humans and in that sense they are unpredictable and not robotic. Do not abuse them by engaging in intimidation or aggressive defensive “crowding or pinching moves” driving other than the normal racing line.  They are programmed to avoid contact but will not react kindly to what they are programmed to sense as an invasion of their “racing room”.  They will not yield in a side by side contest and will react very negatively to late braking go for the gap dive bombs where their “space” is violated. Despite being set for low aggression, they tend to drive very much like hyper competitive humans-particularly those that are set for high skill levels.

More clarification about “No passing until after the first turn” rule:  

An unexpected collision occurred in a race resulting in the P2 car being taken out by the P3 car in T1.  The rule was initiated to allow passing of slow starting AI cars in the adjacent lane which caused both lanes to be slowed by these slow starting AI. It never contemplated allowing a car in P3 to attempt a pass from behind to overtake the P2 car in the front row. 

That said, the clarification desired by the majority is that there will be two distinct lanes from the green flag thru the first corner. 

This places a great burden on those placed in the outside lane.  In many cases it may result in the loss of two starting positions as the inside lane may be able to gain significantly. It places special responsibility of the P2 car avoiding a slow start. To help with this issue, the P1 pole sitter will be required to use voice chat and call out “three two one go” while going to full throttle only simultaneously with the word “go”.

It is very important for the inside  lane drivers to understand they cannot track out normally on exit. The lane width the “outside” drivers must allow for the “inside” drivers at the apex must also be granted to the “outside” drivers on exit. The “inside” drivers are warned that a skilled “outside” driver will be moving with a significant speed advantage at the turn exit which may allow them to overtake before T2. This is a very likely possibility regarding the P2 and P3 cars.

Please keep in mind this rule is intended to eliminate car contact.  You are expected to put collision avoidance above the goal of overtaking.

This illustrates the “Stay in your Lane thru T1”  Note that “O” must leave racing room at apex for “I” and “I” must leave racing room for “O” at entry and exit.  Racing Room is generally considered 1.5 car width. Incidents caused by “I” tracking out into “O” space on exit will be considered careless driving and will result in loss of two positions. Note being ahead does not change the requirement to leave the racing room. The “lane” ends on exit three car lengths after the steering wheel of “I” is straight.

As stated; Driving that is deemed to be "reckless" by the Chief Steward is a serious offence. Repeated instances despite warnings will result in a ban from the League.

Each incident where a car is knocked off the track by another car will be carefully reviewed by the Chief Steward. The review always results in constructive suggestions and discussion as to how a similar incident can be avoided in the future. This review will be particularly critical if the driver who knocked the other off the track has been the offender in a recent event. A driver who becomes argumentative and denies any responsibility indicating no intention to drive more safely in the future will be designated as “reckless” and may be banned from the league at the Chief Steward’s sole discretion.

What is BOP?

Click on link

FIA Creates Balance Of Performance

The FIA needed a way to make a competition between diverse production vehicles fair and reasonable. They developed the concept of Balance of Performance or BOP to “create a level playing field among cars of different design and architecture.”

In our GT4 races we adjust the setups of each car to make the cars as close to equal as possible.

When it comes to competition between drivers above a certain age, there is a need to create a level playing field among drivers with significant different physical age related abilities and experience. 

Just as the FIA uses weight and power adjustments, in the Senior Sportsmanship League we are using a system that separates drivers in one of two divisions and in one of six classes. We have six classes: Senior, Admiral, Master, Expert, Advanced and Rookie. The Senior class is drivers 55PLUS, less than 70 years old. The Admiral class is drivers of all ages 55 and older that have demonstrated superior skills by consistent winning and/or an iRating above 3000. The other four classes are all 70PLUS with varying abilities starting at Rookie and ascending to Master. Master class drivers are moved to Admiral if/when they demonstrate a consistent and persistant winning record. 

The Seniors and Admirals comprise the Senior/Admiral Division. The other classes make up the 70PLUS Division. We run separate championship points for each division. We run two races for each daily event--M, Th, and Fr. Both Divisions run together. The overall winner of the first race can choose to race or not in the second but instead of his highest finishing position, his average points are figured if he chooses to race in the second race. All other drivers are assigned points based on their best finish of the two races.  Finally, we grant an extra 2 championship points for 80PLUS drivers for any position outside the Podium. This system has proven to give most of the drivers a fair chance at a Podium finish and a respectable season points standing. 

All this to create a “level playing field” among drivers of different ages and inherent abilities and skills. Racing where the Winner and the Podium can be predicted with high probability before the start is not really competitive racing.

We run with AI in order to improve competition, interest and fun.

About the League’s Steward/Engineer

My Favorite Race Car
My 1985 Swift DB1 FF1600

Mechanical Engineer, General Motors Institute, BSME, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 1972

NIASE Master Auto Technician Certification 1983

Christian Chaplain, Christian Motorsports International 2011-2020  Team RFC

Regional Chaplain, SCCA Washington DC Region, 2011

IRL Learning:

Bondurant Racing School, Sears Point, CA 1985, Instructor: Bob Earl, Formula Atlantic Champion.

Coaching, Road Atlanta SCCA National Runoffs 1985, Jim Fitzgerald and Elliot-Forbes Robinson.

Buck Baker NASCAR Racing School, 1987

Coaching, Rockingham Speedway 1987, Benny Parsons.

Skip Barber Racing School, Road Atlanta 2010

IRL Driving:

Trans Am SCCA Pro Series 1985

SCCA Regional Champion GT1 1985

SCCA National Runoffs  GT1 1985; FF1600 1986 

IMSA Firestone Firehawk Series (Sebring and Road Atlanta) 1986

Canadian Pro F2000 Series Sanair 1986

Nat'l Championship Runoffs
Road Atlanta (T6 in Rain)

Texas Grand Prix Champion FF 1600 1986

NASCAR Winston Cup 1987-1988

Charlotte with car and sponsor

Dover

SCCA Regional FV at Summit Point, WV. Two Wins in 2011

Central PA Legends on dirt ovals. 2013

Pics illustrate general series but not actual specific event with my participation.

iRacing Learning:

Wyatt Gooden Coaching 2016-2018

Full Speed Sim Coaching (Blake Townend) 2024

Star Mazda

GT3

Formula Renault 2.0

IndyCar 

Super Formula Light

FIA F4

2019-2020 Update

New Racing Series!

55/65PLUS FunFellowship

I am a Christian Chaplain for Team RFC (Christian Motorsports). I am responsible for serving the iRacing motorsports community for Team RFC. I am also a Series Administrator with the Racing for Jesus Motorsports League and will serve as the League Organizer for this new series.  I am a Born-Again Evangelical Christian (with a Presbyterian-Reformed/Bible Student background). I have real life professional racing experience at high levels in SCCA (Trans-Am and Formula Cars) as well as NASCAR.  I love racing. I hate fighting. 

Team RFC's "Motto" is also mine:  

“Cars are our Passion, People are our Purpose.”

RFJ Motorsport's "Motto" is also mine as well:

“Jesus First, Racing Second"

click below to reach websites:

RFJ Motorsports Website

Team RFC Web Site

So, the new Racing Series will run as Hosted iRacing events, held once a week at 12:00 Noon Eastern (New York) Time on Tuesdays. (6:00PM Milan Time)  We will open the session 15 minutes earlier (11:45) to allow for 15 minutes of "fellowship".  This will include a Christian Prayer/Invocation. 10 minute practice will start at 12:00 followed by a two lap qualifying session. Generally the first race will start at 12:15.  Most races will be around 15 minutes.  Immediately after the end of the first race, another "Second Chance" hosted session will open, eligible for all but the top three finishers in the first race. 10 minute practice, two lap qualifying, and another (second) 15 minute race.  Points and prizes will be awarded based on the driver's best finish in either of the two races. 

The car will be the Mazda MX5 (2015 and 2016 versions) which is/are included for no extra charge in iRacing membership. Starting in 2020 S1, we will run 12 races in each season---10 road races and 2 oval tracks all on tracks included at no extra charge in iRacing Membership. We will follow the Sim Lab Production Car Challenge except for the 2 oval track races. 

Drivers that are age 65 or older will drive the 2016 Global Mazda MX5 in Division 1. Drivers that are in the age range of 55-64 will drive the MX5 Cup -2015 and will be in Division 2.  Setups will be open but a "tested baseline" will be shared by the League Organizer (Donald Strout) who will race, but will not earn points, official position, or prize money. Separate championship points standings will be maintained for each Division. The "prize pool" for the first season is $500, donated by the League Organizer. Details for how that will be distributed will be announced at a later date.

To race in this series, you will have to be invited or accepted after applying for membership in the 55/65PLUS FunFellowship League (See iRacing League Directory).  As a pre-condition, you will have to be first invited or accepted after applying for membership in the Racing for Jesus Motorsports League and/or a member in good standing in that league.

You do not need to be a born again Christian to race. You simply need to drive as fast as you can while maintaining control, and DO NO HARM TO OTHERS. You also need to control your temper and speech.  You should recognize however that "fellowship" for evangelical Christians will include open prayer (for the welfare of others) and praise testimony as well as the sharing of scripture from the Holy Bible.  Many league members will be evangelical Christians.  All participants shall be required to show respect for this type of fellowship. 

Remember the goal of this series is FUN AND FELLOWSHIP. HAVE FUN AND MAKE FRIENDS!

Background

Several years ago, soon after forming Team RFC @ iRacing, and proudly displaying the Team RFC Logo running in the Indycar Elite League, I formed a racing league named 60+ Racing Adventures.  It became quite successful and was well supported by a large group of over 60 year old drivers--racing the Pro Mazda and the FR2.0. We broadcast many of the races on RaceSpot.TV. I became a bit disappointed when the level of competition became a bit too agressive for my taste, and not IMHO, consistent with the Love Thy Neighbor message.  I turned the league over to others and it is still very successful and popular. With a couple of exceptions, all of the drivers are really nice people, just many of them are perhaps putting the importance of winning, and "battling" in front of the their love for others.  

One of the challenges of having fun in iRacing, especially for evangelical Christians, is dealing with the "worldly" view that competition is a zero sum "I Win-You Lose" game. The 60+ Racing Adventure league attempted to address this issue by limiting participants to mature, older drivers so physical abilities were more balanced and hopefully the drivers with a bit more emotional maturity. Still, it is very hard to maintain a Love Thy Neighbor as Yourself attitude when trying to steal the corner from your competitor by dive bombing and/or making contact---or by intentionally "pressuring" or distracting a driver with intimidating "head games" to force an error.  The essence of Love Thy Neighbor while racing....go as fast as you can to finish ahead of your competitor/s without doing harm to him/them. As the famous olympic champion Eric Liddell said (portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire) "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."  God is delighted when men compete for the purpose of having fun and displaying their talent when they do so with humility while helping, not harming others. 

After leaving the 60+ Racing Adventures, I made additional attempts by forming a "Fair Chance" racing league running Time Trials and using a special split/staggered starting grid running GT cars.  Reasonably successful, but still falling short of my ideal "Fun and Fellowship" goal.  I also agreed to help out my friend, Luca Varani who was organizing the very successful iGPFun League by serving as an Admin person. Luca is dedicated to serving others, as I am, but I did not enjoy the very competitive and aggressive driving--perhaps in part because I simply could not compete with the excellent younger drivers!

I encourage all Christian Team RFC  and RFJ drivers of all ages to participate in all iRacing series--to be "Light in a Dark World"--setting a good example--showing tha world that racing can be fun, whether one wins or not, and you can Love Your Neighbor as Yourself while participating in iRacing.

But, in addition, I see Seniors over the age of 55 as prime candidates for a racing series built especially for racing enthusiasts that are Christians (or who are considering being Christians) who understand that life on earth has an end, and that how we live on earth is important as it does affect our eternal life in Heaven.  And most importantly, that the Gospel is to be proclaimed and celebrated in all our activities.  (BTW--What is the Gospel?  Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to pay the price for mankind's rebellion against God and that He rose from the dead. Follow him by loving God and others and your spirit will be born again and you will recieive everlasting life on earth and in Heaven--and you will be changed. There is nothing in the Gospel about having to be "religious" following a lot of man made rules.)

I have driven most of the cars in iRacing since joining in 2014.  I love open wheel formula cars as well as the high horsepower GT cars. But, the little Mazda is fun to drive. Since it runs on street tires, the grip is more predictable. Since it also runs without wings and lots of downforce, finding the "limit" is easier. (Exceeding the limit still has consequences!)  It is also more forgiving of most mistakes with the exception of entering the corner too fast. It rewards the careful and punishes the too agressive driver.  An ideal car for the 65+ driver.  It usually requires use of a clutch to shift making it more interesting. (Auto Clutch is available. I use Auto Blip that allows me to left foot brake and shift without a clutch.) It is fun to drive on road courses, but is also a remarkably good performer on ovals, giving one a chance to experience Nascar type drafting. 

The 2016 Global Mazda MX5 is slightly faster (400 pounds lighter but with 15 less HP and higher gearing) than the MX5 Cup 2015. The older 65+ drivers will get the faster car. This should help to make the competition on track a bit more fair and fun The 55-64 year olds do have faster reflexes. In any case, positions and points in each Division will be more important than overall finishing position. 

Again, the goal of the new series is to have FUN AND FELLOWSHIP. HAVE FUN AND MAKE FRIENDS! Fun and fair competition for drivers beyond the age that would allow them to serve as a USAF fighter pilot or NASA astronaut, but still young enough to enjoy racing. (Don't forget that Paul Newman sat on the Pole at age 80 at a GT1 (Corvette) SCCA event.)

Important Requirements for Successful Auto Racing

We believe:

First:  The driver must first achieve proficiency in ability to maintain control of the car and stay on the track surface at all times. The driver should use best efforts to never exceed a speed on the track where he cannot demonstrate this proficiency.

Second: The driver must also achieve proficiency in ability to avoid contact with other cars--even in situations where the car in front does the unexpected. The driver should use best efforts to never exceed a speed or place his car in a position where he cannot demonstrate this proficiency. 

Third: Once the driver consistently can demonstrate the first two measurements of "minimum car control" the goal should be to use best efforts to finish the race ahead of other cars without unfairly interfering with the performance of the other cars. 

Team RFC @ iRacing (League) Description (as seen in iRacing League Tab)

Requirements for Membership:

1) Follow the (Luke 6:31) Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”

2) Avoid all public displays of anger or foul language in Forums and Chat

3) Strict adherence to iRacing Sporting Code and the  Important Requirements for Successful Auto Racing in the previous section.

Team Rules:

A) In the event of an on-track collision, other than being hit from behind by another driver, Members agree to send a PM (Private Message) to the other driver/s saying he/she is “Sorry for their part in the incident”. This applies no matter who is more “at fault”. We believe that almost all collisions with cars that are beside or in front of us are “avoidable”.

B) Discussions regarding religion are prohibited in iRacing forums and Chat. 

C) We encourage (but do not require) all Team Members to proudly display the Team RFC logo on their Personal Statistics Profile page and in the Signature section of their Forum Profile. Logo and HTML code is available by contacting Donald Strout via iRacing PM.

D) Members who win a race agree to make a $5-15.00 contribution to a charitable organization that “Does Good”. Members are encouraged to record the wins and contributions thru Sion Alford's irace4life organization's site http://www.irace4life.org/ 
Note: Exception/s for this rule will be made for those who lack the necessary financial means.

Members will be racing in all iRacing Series. Generally, our goal is to have groups of four racers that race together in various Series. We expect the most popular Series will be Mx5, Skip Barber, Star Mazda, GT1 and GT3 Sprint for Road Racing; Street Stock, Nationals, IndyCar, NASCAR Truck, and NASCAR A and B for Ovals. 


In 2015 S4, the Team RFC Logo will be available for display as a Sponsor in the iRacing Paint Shop. Click on Racers for Christ. This Sponsorship and financial support of Team RFC @ iRacing is funded by Supporters of our program-specifically, Donald Wayne Strout through WS Wealth Managers Inc. as well as others. Logo is under License from Christian Motorsports International- http://teamrfc.org/

We are not a “religious” group, but rather a group of enthusiastic sim racers who meet the three (3) requirements and follow the rules listed above. Membership is based on behavior--setting a good example and helping others---and is not based on an individual's Faith or beliefs. Be aware that the Administrator/Sponsor and many Members are devout Christians and see being a "Christian" as not just a "belief system" but a "way of life" and personal communications might contain references to the Bible, God and Jesus Christ. (Strout maintains a separate weblog where opinion regarding Christian beliefs and racing is presented. http://followson.blogspot.com/   See next post for more about this "We are not a 'religious' group" statement.) Mocking or making fun at others' expense is considered a violation of Membership Requirement 1) above. Sponsor logos or other team affiliations that promote or infer anti-Christian, occult, or satanic images are also a violation of Membership Requirement 1) above.


Members of all skill levels are welcome. Members agree to help others improve and advance their skills and performance. We will host regular practice sessions for that purpose. Each Season, Members who display the Team RFC logo on their cars in official races will have a chance to win a Contest, with the prize being a private one hour on-line coaching session with Wyatt Gooden. http://www.wyattgooden.com/

Team Members are expected to do their best, to be competitive, displaying skill and mastery, while respecting others, and adhering to the spirit of good sportsmanship. 

The goal is to help people to reach their full potential in iRacing and in Life.