I think a discussion on track limits is warranted.
It's generally accepted at ROOZ that two wheels must remain on the track at all times, and that parts of the track include contrast-striped ripple strips and solid white lines but not sausage curbs or solid coloured curbs outside ripple strips - clarification examples:
- Where there is a solid white line and a ripple strip, four wheels can go outside the white line so long as two wheels remain on the ripple strip.
- Where there is a ripple strip and a sausage curb or judder bar, all four wheels can be on the ripple strip, but only two wheels can mount the sausage curb or run over judder bar.
- Where there is only a solid white line, two wheels must stay within or on the line.
2 wheels still on track OK:
All four wheels outside track limits:
Here's a good example of driving to the edge of track limits. You'll see all four wheels off the tarmac while mounting ripple strips here.
Leaving the track is not an offence in itself, but if a driver does so he must rejoin the track safety and without gaining any lasting advantage. So occasionally exceeding track limits is ok we don't expect robot precision but blatant and gross abuse of track for advantage may attract a post race time penalty in the order of a drive through. Some leniancy may apply for driving on sausage curbs or judders as this is generally slower anyway, but having four wheels non-track side to completely dodge these features is definitely a gross abuse of track limits.
T1 wide entry via pit lane is probably the only location where the general rules gets a bit blurry at Donnington.
While still on the tarmac there is a solid white line perimiter around a blue shaded sections that tapers out and transitions to a broken white line. There's no judders to upset the car through any of it which would normally make it a no brainer as there'd be no advantage to be had.
IMO I'd like to to see the solid white line at this location respected as track limit but and less concerned with the broken white line particularly for a sprint round where we're not expecting to see the pit exit lane being used.
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