Introduction

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the league please send mail to:

help@gridmotorsports.com

League Motto

Just because the physics are hardcore doesn't mean that you have to be.

Introduction

Welcome to the Grid Motorsports World Cup!  Please peruse this page for a basic description of the league and its operations, and use the links in the navigation panel (to the right) for more detailed information. 

Philosophy

GMWC is a league dedicated to enjoying simulation racing in a fun and friendly atmosphere. There are some very specific reasons why we elected to form our own league instead of joining an existing league.  First and foremost, however, is the fact that the current state of online simulation racing left us with little choice but to forge our own trail.  'Pick-up' racing is essentially dead, due (ironically) to the prevalence of community-developed vehicle mods and tracks, enabled by today's extensible and generally mod-friendly titles (like rFactor).   The sheer quantity (and admittedly mixed quality) of community content effectively splinters any given game's online presence and acts as a catalyst for people to band together in small groups focused on their particular shared tastes.  There's nothing wrong with that.  The net effect (no pun intended), however, is that most of the decent racing occurs within the context of a league setting, on league servers, according to league rules, etc..  So we set out to find a league that shared our tastes, only to discover that our tastes are apparently eccentric, or at least very poorly represented by the current spate of leagues.  Just what are those tastes?

We think simulation racing shouldn't require all of the participants to be hardcore simulation racers.

We think our league motto sums it up perfectly: just because the physics are hardcore doesn't mean that you have to be.  Apparently this opinion is in the minority, as nearly all of the leagues conduct their racing under constraints that are, quite frankly, extremely hostile to anyone who isn't a hardcore simo-phile.  Aids are typically completely disabled (save for auto-clutch), damage is always set to 100%, races are configured for full length and with all the trimmings.  That kind of environment is a perfect recipe for someone new to simulation racing, or simply casual about their participation in it, to have a perfectly miserable time.  And when people have a miserable time, they tend to not participate often or at all.  While some of us are more serious about our racing than others, we believe a league should be able to accommodate a much broader swath of racing inclined gamers (and/or gaming inclined racers).  In short, the elitist attitude that dominates the simulation racing community is fine if you only want elitists in the simulation racing community.

In fairness, it's worth noting that we're not the only 'friendly' league, as there appear to be a few others (mostly based overseas, whereas we are North American) that share a similar philosophy.  So our decision to form our own league was also driven by schedule concerns, which isn't nearly as interesting to write about as social elitism.  Also, we enjoy the idea of being able to experiment within a league setting, so the promise of creative freedom loomed large.

We wanted to create a league that allowed friends with an affinity for simulation racing to indulge in that affinity together in a non-hostile, collaborative environment.  And more than that, we wanted an environment in which we could actually encourage newcomers to discover if they had an affinity for simulation racing in the first place.  It is our expectation (and our experience thus far) that both veterans and rookies, hardcore racers and casual racers, each bring something complimentary to the league, and are capable of forming a mutualistic symbiotic relationship that creates a uniquely satisfying sim-racing community.

To this end, we've adopted the following as some of our fundamental league tenets:

• No aids discrimination.  If you want to use aids, then use aids.  We don't particularly care how you get fast.  Having said that, though, once you get fast you'll be encouraged to challenge yourself by slowly dialing back the aids until you find a comfort level that keeps you competitive without being unfair.  Please note that while we don't discriminate against a driver for using aids, we may find it necessary to discriminate against a particular aid itself, if the usage of that aid proves to be too disruptive to the league's collective ability to enjoy the racing.  The point of this policy is not to simply allow anyone to use anything, but rather to allow drivers to ameliorate their own individual frustration level by employing aids when necessary to allow them to better integrate into a field of diverse drivers with a broad skill spectrum.
• Open, collaborative learning.  The faster drivers are expected to help the slower drivers get faster, and the slower drivers are expected to take an active role in their own development, by both soliciting and being receptive to assistance.  Share your vehicle setups.  Spend a few laps watching someone who's slower than you and give some tips.  Spend a few laps watching someone who's faster than you and ask some questions.
• No gloating, taunting or unsportsmanlike behavior.  The fact that you can make a fake car go around a fake track in a fake simulation 0.5 seconds faster than someone else doesn't mean jack.  We're in it for the thrill of racing, and if you're in it for the thrill of attempting to humiliate others in order to compensate for your own physical and mental shortcomings then go find someplace else to indulge yourself.
• We'll do whatever we deem appropriate to encourage, enable, and facilitate intense, close proximity racing.  We are gaming first, and racing second, so fun takes precedence over real-life emulation for the sake of emulation.  We want to spend as much time in close, bumper-to-bumper racing as possible, and as little time spread around a track hardly seeing each other.  We do this with easy steps like favoring shorter tracks that shrink the learning curve and get people up to pace more efficiently.  We also employ a race format that includes an increased number of shorter races rather than just one really long race.  We configure game settings in ways that improve the odds of drivers completing and competing in as much of each race as possible.  We've developing a points system that encourages people to complete and compete in each race and as much of each race as possible.

In short, we believe that while simulation racing may be an all-consuming obsession for some, that need be neither a prerequisite for admittance nor integral to enjoyment.

Platform

Currently, the league is using rFactor as its primary racing platform.  It was chosen because it offers the best mix of robust physics coupled with a flexible and comprehensive set of driver aids.  It is also reasonably customizable, supports a broad selection of community-developed tracks and cars, and sports a decent dedicated server.  Even so, there are some things about it that we really don't like, and so we keep our eyes open for the proverbial 'next great thing'.  So to participate in the league, you'll need a copy of rFactor.  It can be purchased via most retail game stores, or you can simply download it directly and purchase a license key online.

Furthermore, we've developed a custom vehicle mod specifically for the league.  it's called Grid Motorsports.  Follow the instructions provided there to download and install the mod.  While we primarily conduct open-wheel racing, we also enjoy sports car (commonly referred to as 'tin top', think Gran Turismo) as well as rally style racing, stock car racing, and anything else we can reasonably accommodate within the league environment.

History

GMWC was formed in the summer of 2006, in response to the long-running desire of its primary founder (AJ Weber) to participate in a socially casual simulation racing league.  AJ proposed the idea to two of his gaming-inclined and racing-inclined friends on April 3, 2006.  Originally called the Negative Sum Racing League (NSRL), nearly a year of solid racing was conducted before we formalized much of our infrastructure and changed the name to GMWC.

How to Join

If you're ready to join the league, simply proceed to the new member guide.  Note that you will not be able to participate in the forum unless you have a website login, which is created when you submit the league application.  We used to allow self-registration on the website, but unfortunately had to disable it due to rampant spamming and bot abuse.  If you want a website login but aren't necessarily ready to officially become a league member, just email us using the address listed above and request a website login.  We'll be happy to create one for you.