The PA Racing League was formed in May 2020 as an outlet for Mike Krahulik (aka Fetching Driver, “Gabe” of Penny Arcade, Jim Darkmagic of the New Hampshire Darkmagics) to race with people who shared his interest and point of view on sim racing, while simultaneously avoiding the general toxicity of the public iRacing lobbies. PA Racing League strives to be a friendly, welcoming group for drivers of all abilities and experience levels. Mike's founding rules, burned in smoking rubber into the asphalt on winner's circle, read:
- Don't be a jerk.
- Hate speech won't be tolerated.
- No porn, piracy, or personal promotion (No piracy: like, the illegal downloading kind. Shanty-singing welcome.)
- Let's keep it positive
The “volunteer steering committee” (aka Chiefs) also added:
- Have fun
- Welcome newcomers
- Accommodate drivers of all skill levels
- Strive to improve, but remain tolerant of mistakes
These basic tenants are the foundation of the league.
Currently, the main league race occurs weekly on Thursday night at 11PM Eastern/8PM Pacific. There are also league organized practices every week night (Monday through Wednesday) in the same timeslot. A variety of side series catering to different disciplines and skill levels also enjoy regular participation. The PA Racing League has also branched out into official multi-driver iRacing endurance events, and we encourage interested drivers to join us for these outings. We also occasionally raid specific official iRacing sprint events for fun. The Thursday league is called the Gabir Motors Cup, and contains two championships that award exactly nothing except the adulation of other league members. Adulation levels may vary, your experience may differ from others. The Gabir Motors Cup is the main championship, with the Champions Cup being a series-within-a-series, where past champions rotate out of the main championship and battle with each other to the benefit of precisely nobody. The greatest reward is that we are all dear friends.
Because our Thursday races are streamed on Twitch, any in-sim banter must be free of sensitive or offensive topics. We are guests in Mike and Jerry's house, and we don't want to get mud on the coffee table.
The rules of the league fall into two categories: On-track and Off-track.
The On-track rules consist of conduct purely within the racing sim.
The Off-track rules consist of activities in the league Discord server, or while representing the league elsewhere.
On-track Rules
Intentional wrecking (outside The Crash Party (trademark pending)) is not allowed except in extremely rare circumstances. Normal league races are to be treated as competitive in the sense of the desire to allow skill on the track to determine the outcome. In certain events, the league may organize fun races outside of the normal league races for various reasons (off weeks, for charity purposes, just for fun) that may have different rules packages that may allow (or even encourage) intentional wrecking (i.e. Smash-to-Pass races). Unless overtly noted in the official event description, always assume that intentional wrecking is not permitted. If you have questions concerning this, PLEASE ask!
The Crash Party is an end-of-race bit of silliness that occurs after the checkered flag in most League races. Participation is 100% Optional. The Crash Party normally takes place in the first possible run-off area (on road courses) or on the backstretch/turn 3 (ovals), and usually consists of each driver gaining as much speed as possible before slamming into a wall or another car. Those that prefer to not join The Crash Party should either continue down the track (road courses) on the far inside of the track, or pull over on the apron and exit their vehicle (ovals). Drivers who run high levels of force feedback on their wheels or have other abusive hardware should be aware of this potential calamity and take steps to avoid injury. Only you can prevent thumb ouchies.
Blue flags, as per iRacing rules, are advisory only for Thursday races.
Please make an effort to keep the racing on the track - accidental off-tracks, or using the green (or brown…or tan…) stuff to avoid a collision is fine - it happens in real life as well. Intentionally using course cuts or the grass to attempt to gain an advantage is frowned upon, and goes against the spirit of hard, clean racing within the track limits. While we won’t necessarily be “stewarding” these races, if a driver is doing this regularly or deviously enough that they get noticed, said driver can expect a conversation with the Chiefs.
Apologies go a long way. When in doubt, say sorry. Mistakes happen. We ask that you have short memories with incidents, and retaliation is absolutely not tolerated. We are all dear friends.
The side series that take place on nights other than Thursday's feature race often have their own specific rules - read their individual rules documents for information.
Off-track Rules
The League Discord is the primary resource and place of communication for all things league related. Feel free to take advantage of the various channels for your purposes. However, please keep everything respectful. We’re all dear friends here, and we’d like to keep it that way. That means text and voice chat. Be forewarned, this is an adult league featuring adult language. You may hear or see foul language, not unlike the Penny Arcade comic. If you have issues with this, please bring it up to a Chief. That being said, discrimination of any sort is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.
The Voice Chat in iRacing is primarily used by league members during the race for the pre-race drivers meeting (a Chief will do this near the end of qualifying), direct communication with Mike (as he does not join us in the Discord voice channel during league nights), and communication with those who prefer a more calm environment while racing. Please make sure you have all in-game radio channels open when entering the race sessions. Also, any voice chat broadcast over in-game radio will be heard on stream, so keep it within the Twitch Terms of Service guidelines (we don’t want Penny Arcade getting in trouble). Joining the Discord chat is not required to race with us - we understand that it can get quite chaotic in there, and that it may cause issues for some. We’re not offended - you do what you need to do to have fun with the race :)
Liveries are to follow the founding rules, additional guidelines, and Twitch Terms of Service. There is often a weekly theme, but participation in the livery parade is totally optional.
Frustration with on-track incidents may occur - however, please keep the discussions concerning these civil. Outbursts of frustration also occur, but please do not allow these to escalate. This is one of the few things the Chiefs have little patience for. Again, we’re all dear friends. Dear friends have disagreements. But we’re still dear friends.
Keep in mind, if you are running a PA League or Gabir Motors livery created by a league member, you are representing the league. If you run those liveries in public iRacing lobbies, please be aware of both your on-track conduct and your off-track conduct. These reflect on the league as a whole.
Streaming league races is permitted; however, we ask that the streamer announce that they are broadcasting live to everyone in session (Discord or otherwise). You are welcome to stream without the Discord banter as well - using the Deafen option in Discord or silencing the General voice channel will give you peace and quiet while you share your experience with your audience. We do ask that you keep the iRacing radio channels unmuted, as important information concerning the race may need to be explained.
If you have a question, ask! We're a very active community, a friendly answer is usually minutes away on discord. If you have a serious concern feel free to contact a Chief directly, and be aware that the Chiefs may discuss important issues with each other in private to reach a consensus.