Judging Criteria

               THE RULES OF THE ROAD



START YOUR ENGINES-


Introduction


Hello everyone! Thank you for your interest in the Catch My Drift Sofa King Awesome Series. If anyone has the need for clarification of any rules set forth herein, they are 

directed to email CMDriftJoe@gmail.com. All drivers and teams are strongly encouraged to 

read these carefully. All rulings and interpretations of these rules on Drift Day will be 

decided entirely by CMD and its tech staff.  All decisions made by CMD and its tech staff 

are final.


KEEP IN TUNE-

Points of contact

Get all the latest news and updates directly from the source via


Instagram:  @cmd_catchmydrift

and

Facebook:  Catchmydriftllc


General and Technical questions should be directed to: CMDriftJoe@gmail.com








ROADMAP-

Table of Contents 

  1. VEHICLE ELGILBILTY

1.1- Rubber

1.2- Roll Cage

  1. PRACTICE  
  2. QUALIFYING FORMAT

3.1- Qualfying Criteria

3.2- Qualfying Tie Breaker

  1.   START LINE PROCEDURE

4.1- Chicane

4.2- Three Strike Rule

4.3- Initiation 

    

  1.   TANDEM JUDGING CRITERIA
               5.1- Lead Driver
           5.2- Chase Driver
           5.3- Tandem Zeros

           5.4- Tandem Initiations

           5.5- Tandem Contact and Collisions

5.6- Vehicle Service during tandem


  1.   COMPETITION

           6.1- Competition Timeout Procedure 

    

  1. PROTEST
            7.1- Competition Timeout Procedure 

         7.2- Protesting Form

   

  1. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AND PURSE

          8.1- Qualifying Points

          8.2- Competition Points

          8.3- Pur$e



 











GENERAL


It is the DRIVER’S RESPONSIBILITY to present their vehicle in the tech paddock and successfully pass the inspection. FAILURE TO PASS does not constitute the issuing of a refund. Please refer to our website for our technical inspection form


REV LIMITER

The number of drivers will be capped at 50. 36 Season passes wil be offered and that is the only way to obtain points for the series. Qualifying will be done in a knock-out style just like Formula Drift on EARLY Sunday morning. This was a difficult decision but was based off of a poll we put out. We need drivers to make this series work and some can only attend on Sunday. Only 14 spots will be available for our competition on Sunday since we sold out of season passes.  Higher qualifying driver will always lead. Example driver 9 vs driver 24 driver 9 leads the first run.




“Nice Car, What’s the retail on one of those?”

  1. VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY 

ALL CARS must pass CMD’s technical inspection. Please refer to our Tech Inspection form on CMDrift.com. The driver will receive a sticker after successfully passing the inspection.  That sticker must be attached to the vehicle.  


Drivers must have a seat that is securely fastened to the vehicle with a minimum of 4 fasteners using OEM hardware or Grade 10.9 Metric or Grade 8 for SAE. For those of you unsure Metric bolts state 10.9 and SAE has 6 lines on the head of the bolt


If you have an OEM seat then the OEM seatbelt should be used. MOST oem seats are not compatible with aftermarket harnesses. If you would like to do aftermarket harness with a stock seat then prior approval is required. An aftermarket fixed seat is recommended with a four- or five-point safety harness. The harness must pass through the seat bosses and have one common release point. The lap belts should be mounted rear of the pelvis. The shoulder belts shall be wrapped around roll cage structure using a 3-bar adjuster or mounted to a bracket using Grade 5 or better hardware. After market seats with sliders are NOT approved. Either do it right or use what the manufacture has provided. 


Reference the image below for harness placement and angles.


DECAL PLACEMENT

 Season Pass Drivers are required to have the CMD Windshield Banner always displayed during the competition. Season pass drivers will be provided with the first one. If an additional one is needed the cost will be $40.00. There may be other contingency decals to be displayed for additional prizes.


1.1. Rubber

There is NO TIRE SIZE LIMIT for the Sofa King Awesome Series. We learned from last yeat that was a big factor for driver participation. Instead we are running tight and technical layouts in the confined space of Southern Nation Motorsports Park. The tire must also be DOT COMPLIANT and a 200 Treadwear or higher. We are aware of some tire manufactures that exclude the DOT numbers but are the same tires as ones that have DOT certifiaction. If you plan to run those tires, prior approval is required. So if you don’t have DOT numbers on your tires please reach out to our email to get the OK. What we are trying to avoid is straight up drag slicks and pure racing tires.

Bead locks, screwing tires to the wheel, gluing tires, VHT soaking your tires etcetera is all prohibited. Doing so if caught is an automatic disqualification. Center lock, mono lug and center lug wheels are not allowed. 



1.2. Roll Cages

With the smaller space and slower speeds expected at SNMP we will not require roll cages. They are certainly encouraged though! At times we can give access to the CRAZY oval at SNMP and a cage will be required for that! 


  1. PRACTICE 

It is encouraged all participants to practice in tandem format. Even with a delayed start so you can see the pace of other drivers.

The standard “lead” and “follow” lanes will be present.  If a driver chooses to do a single or solo run, please indicate that by holding up your index finger or illuminating your hazard lights.

  1. QUALIFYING FORMAT

 Drivers will complete up to two non-consecutive runs in order of the current Championship standing. (#1 ranked driver goes first) The Knockout Qualifying Format (KQF) will be implemented and will populate the Top 32 Bracket 

  • Qualifying will consist of a maximum of two runs 
  • Run One will determine the qualifying order of all available bracket positions, with the exception of the bottom 8 qualifiers. The bottom 8 drivers will be referred to as the Knockout 8 drivers 
  • The Knockout 8 drivers will have to run a second qualifying run to determine their Top 32 bracket position
  • The Knockout 8 driver will not be able to enter a bracket position that is any higher than the position(s) filled by the driver(s) who were not part of the Knockout 8, after Run One Example: If the total registrants for a particular round is 28 drivers. 
  • The 20 highest scoring drivers will be locked into Top 32 bracket positions, while the lowest scoring 8 must run one more Qualifying run, in order to determine their position in the Top 32 bracket
  • If driver A from the Knockout 8 scores a 100, the highest position they can earn is 21 which is the first position available in this format.

3.1 Qualifying Criteria 

Line - Drivers will be judged on their ability to fill outside zones and reach touch & go areas with the rear of their vehicles and on their ability to achieve inside clipping points with the front of their vehicles. 

Angle - Drivers will be judged on their ability to complete the course while maintaining a high degree of angle that allows them to maintain pace in areas that are not deemed Decel zones. 

DEDUCTIONS WILL BE MADE FOR THE FOLLOWING: 

  • Double initiation
  • Bobbles 
  • Wall taps 
  • Tire off course 
  • Missing zones and clips 
  • Straightening 
  • Off line 
  • Lack of Angle 

Style – Style will look at how the vehicle behaves throughout the entire course. Style is separated into 2 categories Fluidity and Commitment. 

Commitment - Commitment refers to the forward momentum of the vehicle throughout the course. Ideally the vehicle should maintain momentum outside of the decel zones while approaching walls & course outlines with confidence and dedication. 

DEDUCTIONS WILL BE MADE FOR THE FOLLOWING: 

  • Off- or part-throttle prior to initiation 
  • Initiating beyond the latest initiation point 
  • Slowing outside of the decel zones 
  • Timid approach to walls or course outlines 

Fluidity - The style judge will be assessing how quickly the angle was achieved, how smoothly the driver achieved the angle and whether or not the driver achieved the desired amount of angle

 DEDUCTIONS WILL BE MADE FOR THE FOLLOWING: 

  • Slow rotations 
  • Stepped rotations (controlling the steering wheel to add small amounts of angle at a time) 
  • Inaccurate rotations (achieving a degree of angle, then adding or subtracting angle midcorner)

Line - 30 points Line points will be broken up by sectors at each course.  

Line points will deal with the zones, clips and touch-and-go areas. 

Angle - 30 points Angle points will be broken up by sectors at each course. Angle points will deal with the zones, clips and touch-and-go areas. 

Style - 40 points Style points are separated into 2 categories Fluidity and Commitment are judged throughout the entire course from the start line through the finish line. 

  • Fluidity - 20 points 
  • Commitment - 20 points

If a driver does any of the following mistakes in a qualifying run, the driver will not receive a score for that run and therefore the run will be considered INCOMPLETE 

  • Spinning Out 
  • Opposite drift - Drifting with the opposite angle required at that point on course 
  • Hood, hatch, trunk and/or doors opening during a run

3.2 Qualfying Tie Breaker

In the event of a tie in qualifying the following chart will be implemented. In the event that qualifying cannot be completed, such as a rain-out or other circumstances, qualifying order will be established by previous round ranking. In the event of rain or weather that does not cause cancellation of qualifying, the judges have the right to make adjustments to the judging criteria and to subsequently disseminate this information to the spotters and drivers. 


Tie Breaker 1 Style Score 

Tie Breaker 2 Angle Score 

Tie Breaker 3 Line Score 

Tie Breaker 4 Previous round or season ranking


  1. 4. START LINE PROCEDURE

The start line will be controlled by a grid operator. The grid operator will solicit the readiness of each driver. At this time the operator will raise his hands signaling ready.  

The follow driver may leave the line at any time after the grid operator’s hands are raised, but they are not allowed to impede the lead driver’s line in any way. 

4.1 Chicane 

             Chicanes may be used this season at the discretion of the judging panel. 

            If the lead driver hits one or more cones within the starting chicane the battle will be                                                                                                                    restarted by either the grid operator or a trackside flagger.  

             The location of the grid operator and the flaggers will be determined at the drivers                               .             meeting prior to the competition.  

4.2 Three Strike Rule

            A strike will be given if as a lead driver you hit one or more cones within the chicane.

            An additional strike will be given for each subsequent assault upon the cones.                                  

            On the third restart, if the lead driver hits a cone, they will be awarded an automatic 

            incomplete. 

            The Judges and or the Officials may call for a restart if in their determination a 

            driver exhibited unsportsmanlike behavior. The criteria for this will be discussed 

            in the drivers meeting. 

            In the unlikely event of the chase driver hitting a cone, whether intentionally or 

            accidental, no restart will be initiated. 




4.3 Initiation  

     The Vehicle must be sideways as it passes the last initiation point.

     Initiation points are designated by a set of 3 cones placed on the track.

     If a competitor’s vehicle is not sideways by the 3rd standing cone, they will

    receive an automatic zero. 

   All drivers are limited to a 2-move initiation prior to the 3rd cone.




  1. 5.    TANDEM JUDGING CRITERIA 

       Drivers will be paired against each other in a single elimination bracket. A battle consists of two runs, with each driver taking a turn as the lead driver.  The driver with the number closest to #1 will take the lead on the first run and they will follow on the second. 

The lead car is expected to target as close to a 100-point qualifying run as possible. The criteria for this will be set forth by the judges in the drivers meeting. The lead driver should expect to receive deductions for any mistakes made. 

The chase car is expected to follow the line of the lead car and essentially use him as a “moving clipping point.”  During this chase the follow car should try to match or better the angle of the lead car. The chase car is encouraged to be as close to the lead car as possible. The chase driver should expect to receive deductions for any mistakes made.  Forced errors brought on by the lead driver are not cause for point deductions to the chase car. 

In general, the chase driver is expected to mimic the line of the lead driver, while matching or bettering the angle. The chase driver is encouraged to follow the lead driver as closely as possible and may be protected if the lead driver makes a mistake that causes the chase driver to make a mistake. However, if a lead driver makes a mistake and that mistake is deemed possible for the chase to also make an adjustment (or compensate) and the chase driver does not (make that adjustment), the chase driver may receive a deduction. 

If a vehicle is broken or retired and does not make the starting grid by the call to battle, the remaining driver must make a bye run to move on in the competition.  The same track rules apply to the lone driver, just as if in a tandem.  (Don’t hit cones, Two-move initiation, and be sideways by the last initiation cone.

Mimic is generally applied to the Line criteria because the judges want the chase driver to follow the location, timing, and rate of rotation during transition of the lead driver, in order to have the best, most exciting tandem action. 

If the lead driver has poor angle, the judges do not want the chase driver to mimic the poor angle, but show dominance by bettering the angle, where possible. 

Judges will watch both Run 1 and Run 2. They will also compare both lead runs and both chase runs and then determine which driver was the better overall driver once both runs have been completed. 

If one judge votes for Driver A, one judge votes for Driver B and one judge votes for One More Time (OMT), due to a lack of majority vote, a One More Time (OMT) will automatically be called. One More Time (OMT) calls are not intended for poorly executed tandem battles. The judges reserve the right to make a judgment call on battles that contain a multiple variety of mistakes and/or deductions and declare a winner

5.1.A   Lead Driver

I.. Run a 100-point qualifying run 

II.. Chaseable Lead Run 

III..Follow all zones / clips / de-acceleration zones 

 5.1.B   Lead Driver Deductions 

  1. Shallow angle 
  2. Incorrect line 

III. Poor transitions 

IV.Trying to “get away” from the chase driving by compromising line, angle, or style.

 5.2.A   Chase Driver 

  1. Initiate no later than the lead car 
  2. Maintain proximity 

III. Match or better the lead car’s angle 

  1. Match lead cars line / transitions  

 5.2.B Chase Driver Deductions 

  1.  Cutting the line compared to lead car 
  2. Less angle than the lead car 

  III.       Location and timing of initiation 

  1.     Transition timing and overall driving compared to lead car 

  5.3. Tandem Zeros 

  1.   2 or more tires off track 
  2.   Loss of drift exhibited by the car straightening

III.   Over-rotating and spinning out.  

  1.   Jettisoning improperly secured auto parts, such as hoods, doors, trunk lids,                                                                                                                                                                                   fenders and even wangs. Auto parts separated due to contact within the battle do not constitute a point deduction.

  1.   Failure to be at the starting line when it’s your time to run. If you are just in time, you are late.  Out of respect to your fellow competitors, please be ready a few minutes early. You will be required to be back in your station 20 Minutes after completing your previous run. The only exception will be if there was contact made in the previous battle. This will be communicated to the driver.

 

  1. Being at fault for contact that results in the other car making a major mistake is 

      unsportsmanlike conduct.


VII.  Hitting a rear zone marker with any part of the car that is forward the center of   the rear wheel.


VIII.   A chase car intentionally not chasing a lead driver after an INCOMPLETE run by the other is subject to a zero.


  1. A run consisting of multiple mistakes that is deemed as an un-chaseable lead will be gifted a zero.
  2.   Three consecutive restarts from the chicane cones or an official’s call. If a follow driver does something that results in a zero, the lead driver must still complete the lap or both drivers will receive a zero. 
  3. XI.  If the lead driver does something that results in a zero, the lap is over at that 

                 point and the follow car is no longer required to complete the lap. 

           XII. If either drive has a tire debead that was not a result of a collision. Watch them           tire pressures!!

5.4. Tandem Initiation 

Single File Initiation – 

  1. Lead driver can initiate using any method they desire 
  1.       Lead driver has the right of way from the start line to the initiation point 

  III.     Lead driver must exhibit a fully committed approach to the initiation point and   will be held accountable if any mistakes or issues arise the start line and the initiation point. 

  • Chase driver must not impede the lead driver in any way, doing  

so will put the chase driver at a disadvantage

  • Chase driver may position their vehicle anywhere behind the  

lead vehicle if it does not impede the lead vehicle’s ability to  

initiate 

  • Violations of procedure may result in a restart 

5.5. Tandem Contact and Collisions 

5.5.A. Lead Vehicle 

  • If the lead driver goes offline, loses drift, or has a change in momentum that causes the chase driver to have a collision with the lead driver, the lead driver may be deemed at fault. Each judge will use his discretion and assign fault. 

 5.5.B. Chase Vehicle 

  • If the chase driver has a collision with the lead driver while the lead driver is filling all the lead driver requirements and adhering to all zones, then the chase driver may be deemed at fault. 

 5.5.C. Damage Due to Collision 

  • If damaged in such a way by one’s competitor, and it is judged that you are not at fault, you will be allotted 20 minutes to fix your vehicle. It will not be required that you use your competition timeout at that time. Judges may give additional time based on impact
  • The driver judged to be at fault is not permitted to touch their vehicle unless they use a competition time out.  If one is available to them.
  • If the car deemed not at fault is unable to be fixed within the allotted time, they would move on in the bracket, but would not be allotted any more time to fix their vehicle or compete. EX: Car B hits Car A in the great 8. Car A cannot be repaired. Car A moves on to the final 4 but would not be permitted to battle in the final four. Car B is out in the 8. 
  • Should this occur in the final battle of the evening, CMD reserves the right to award extra time to the car that was judged to not have fault.  A running, driving, sideways battle is the desired result of the days competition.
  • No use of other vehicles. The car you qualify with is the only car you can use in competition.

5.5.D. Tandem Tire Debeard or Damage 

  • Vehicles are not permitted to leave the line with a tire exhibiting a de-beaded condition.
  • Rear tire changes will not be allowed during a competition timeout unless de*beading has occurred.  Rim or tire damage due to a collision with another vehicle may be granted a tire change allowance.

  • If the chase driver has a rear tire to de-bead due to contact and or collision avoidance with the lead driver, both drivers may change tires. 

  • In the event a front tire becomes damaged, the Ops Manager or Tech Director may allow the vehicle to change the impacted front tire. This is done to ensure the spectacle is a good one for the attendees.

 

5.6. Vehicle Service During Tandem 

Competitor’s cars are not too be serviced in any way between the chase and lead runs of a battle. No service, alteration, adjustment, tire change, fueling, cool down, tire pressure, suspension adjustment, or any other service is permitted. Rear tires are required to make two consecutive runs. 

  1. COMPETITION 

Teams may call a one-time competition timeout to make any necessary repairs. Competition timeouts are not to be used for strategic purposes only repairs. Only the driver or designated team representative will be allowed to request a competition timeout. Team’s will not be granted a timeout if it is believed to be unwarranted. Competition timeouts are allowed to be a maximum of 10 minutes. 

Tires changes are not permitted during a competition timeout unless a collision has occurred that results in a tire change being mandatory to continue. 

Competition timeouts are for repairs only, no tire pressure or suspension setting adjustments are permitted. 

Drivers who fail to make the 10-minute call will be disqualified and forfeit to the opposing driver. Teams may only use 1 competition timeout per round. 

Competition timeout may be called by the ops manager if a vehicle is not present in grid. This latitude is granted to them to determine if the additional time will give the event a solid ending. The Run of the Show Must Go On!


6.1 Competition Timeout Procedure 

Drivers and teams may not perform any work on the vehicle prior to an official being onsite and starting the 10-minute timer. External visual inspection is allowed, however no touching, pulling, or massaging of the vehicle will be permitted.  It’s a family show. 

The 10-minute clock will start when the official tells the driver / team to begin, not when the vehicle arrives at the location.

10 minutes will run out if your vehicle is: 

  • Not safe to drive  
  • Not safely / adequately repaired 
  • Not ready to drive to the burnout box 



  1. PROTEST

To protest a Judge’s call, you must speak with the ops manager or competition director. They will speak to the judges before allowing a protest to move forward. Drivers are not permitted to approach the judges tower for ANY REASON once the battles have commenced. Approaching the judges will result in an automatic disqualification and a dismissal of any lodged protest. The crew members of the DQ’d driver are also included in the DQ. Likewise, if a crew or team member approaches the judges tower, it will result in an automatic DQ for the driver.  

Judges have a ten-minute time limit from the moment the protest form is turned in to render a decision and relay it to the liaison for dissemination.  After the decision is rendered, the battles will resume.

The liaison will deliver the decision to the driver and give them the reasoning the judges provided. The judge’s ruling is final and not subject to appeal.  Any subsequent debate or argument over the ruling is simply a waste of time and therefore any approach or perceived movement towards the judge’s tower with be interpreted as hostile.  This is not only getting the driver a DQ for the event, but it may endanger their ability to continue in the series.  The Ops manager and the judges can make themselves available for discussion after the conclusion of the event

You cannot protest a subjective call, or section of a run. 

Example: You cannot protest something such as “I had more angle through this section” or “I had more style”. These are subjective and not open for dispute. 

You can protest hard qualifying score-based criteria only. 

Example A: Driver A made a mistake that should equal an automatic zero or Driver A made a mistake that was scored a zero and should not have been.  

Example B: Driver A caused Driver B’s mistake by doing something they were not supposed to. “Driver A slowed in a non-deceleration zone and caused Driver B to go off track."

Media footage collected outside of our approved media team and judges tower is not approved for use in a protest review. 

Cell phone footage is not admissible, do not bring us media for a protest. It will not be used. 

Do not approach the judges, event staff, or your competitor during the event for the sole purpose of debating a judgement call that was made.  It has been stressed prior, and here it is again, DO NOT APPROACH THE JUDGES for any reason during the event, or you will be disqualified. If you have questions/comments/concerns about your battle but are not protesting, wait until the event is completed and then ask to discuss it with the judges or track staff. 

Drivers- The CMD staff encourages you to be proactive with your crew, team members and fans by explaining to them the severity of the penalty if anyone in your contingent were to approach the judge’s tower.  An argued defense stating that you can not control your people will not end in a satisfactory result for you or your race team. 

One thing we will do different then everyone else is actually discuss our decisions on the live stream. I thought why are we not doing this? Fans and drivers would appreciate the conversation and crews can view to hear why we made the decision. This alone should eliminate a lot of the protest. - Joe G

 

Protesting Times

  • Top 32 before the start of Top 16 
  • Top 16 before the start of the Top 8 
  • Top 8 before the start of the Top 4 
  • Top 4 before the start of the Finals 


7.1 Protesting Cost 

Protesting fee is 200$ CASH and must be submitted with the protest form. All fees must be paid before the judges will render a decision. 

Should the original result be overturned your 200$ will be returned. Should the call stand you forfeit the 200$ regardless of the reason. 

7.2 Protesting Form

  • Presented ONLY by the DRIVER if others are with you then you will not be heard 
  • Presented within 15 minutes of the run 
  • Form must be signed by Driver 
  • Driver must present $200 cash with form at the time of protest
  •  Must show arm band for proof they are the Driver 
  • Below is an example of the form but one will be provided for you in your driver packet at the gate.














Name of Driver - ___________________________________ 

Name of Driver Representative - _____________________________________ 

Protest cannot be based on subjective or hearsay information.  Is your reasoning for protest a subjective one?  _______________. 

Section of the track for discussion for video pull/or live stream timestamp _______________________________________. 

Description of reason for Protest - 

_________________________________________________________________________

_____ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 

By signing below, you are acknowledging that if your protest is found to be invalid, then you will forfeit the $200.00   

If you have the decision overturned you will be refunded the $200.00 protest fee, and you will be granted another protest form should you need it in the future.

_X___________________________ Date ---/---/---

Driver or Driver’s representative’s signature

__X____________________________ Date___/___/___                                                                 Staff member accepting the $200.00 protest fee.
















  1. CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS and PURSE

Points System - We have adopted the same points system as Formula Drift


The only way to be eligible for points is to obtain a season pass. We will have prizes from our sponsors for end of year winners. 1st place will have first choice and then so on.

8.1 Qualifying points

1st - 3 pts

2nd - 2 pts

3rd - 1 pt

8.2 Competition Points

1st = 100

2nd = 88

3rd = 76 (based on qualifying)

4th = 64

5th – 8th = 48

9th – 16th – 32

17th – 32nd – 16

 

8.3 Purse

WE DID RECEIVE SOME SPONSORSHIPS TO GO TOWARDS THE PURSE WHICH IS AWESOME!!! BUT WE STILL NEED SOME DRIVERS TO SIGN UP FOR SEASON PASSES TO HAVE ENOUGH FUNDS FOR THE PROPOSED PAYOUT. WE NEED AT LEAST 28 DRIVERS SIGNED UP BY MARCH 24TH TO ACHIEVE THIS. IF WE DON’T I WILL CALCULATE HOW MUCH WE DO HAVE AND WILL EITHER RESTRUCTURE THE PURSE OR BEG SPONSORS FOR THE DIFFERENCE OR REFUND EVERYONES MONEY AND CANCEL 🙁 SO IF YOU WANT TO MAKE THIS SERIES HAPPEN PLEASE HELP US PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE DRIVERS TO SIGN UP! 

1st place $5,000

2nd place $3000

3rd and 4th place $500

5th place - 8th $250