After over a year of preparation, we are incredibly excited to be less than two weeks away from the first Model 3 Challenge event!
If you haven’t already, be sure to purchase your tickets from Gridlife, and your accessories kit from EVRS. The first event is going to be an incredible opportunity to show the racing community how competitive and fun electric vehicles can be!
Rulebook Updates
We have made some final updates to the Rulebook, and are publishing V1.0 for the season! Please find some highlights below:
- Aerodynamics:
Front Splitters are allowed. The front splitter must not have integrated diffusers and may not be wider than the width of the outer edge of the tires. Rear wings are allowed, but must not exceed the width of the body. The wing must be a single element foil. NOTE: Vehicles running a front splitter WILL be subject to a 10% starting SOC penalty. - Challenge Grid And Release:
Competitors will be gridded based on qualifying (Challenge 1), or the finishing position in the previous race (For Challenge 2+). Competitors will follow a pace car on their out lap while maintaining between a five to ten car-length gap between vehicles.
Once the pace car pulls in to the pits, there will be a speed limit of 50mph. The lead car is allowed to set the pace as long as it is below this speed, but must maintain a consistent speed.
To ensure appropriate spacing between cars, two pairs of cones or flags will be used on the straight to indicate the minimum required gap between cars. Closing the gap prior to the start-finish line may result in a penalty and loss of finishing position. Once the start-finish line is crossed, the race is on, and competitors may engage to competition speed. - Proximity To Other Cars:
If a competitor is able to stay within ~3 car lengths (15 meters) of the car ahead entering a detection zone, the lead car is obligated to issue a point-by after that detection zone. This will be validated by a Blue Flag. Do not pass without a Blue Flag OR a point-by.
At no point should the following car get closer than 1 car length unless actively passing. It is very important to anticipate the leading cars braking points and give yourself a buffer zone to avoid causing a risky situation. Always have enough room to control your vehicle and avoid the lead car if it loses control. - Passing And Point-By Procedure:
Upon two cars being inside of the detection zone at the same time, the lead car that is being passed must point to indicate which side the following car shall pass on at the beginning of the passing zone straightaway.
The lead car should know based on awareness when the car behind is inside the detection zone, however flaggers will also be used to give a confirmation that a pass was required.
The lead car must reduce power and allow the car to pass on the same straightaway and leave ample room for the pass to be completed. This includes giving up the racing line to the car ahead.
Once the pass has been completed, the lead car needs to establish a gap of 1 car lengths (5 meters) prior to re-engaging the car ahead.
When done properly, the car that has allowed the pass should aim to position itself at 1 car lengths back at the apex of the corner, allowing for full acceleration out of that corner, and minimizing the time lost in the pass.
Time Trial Insurance
We are happy to announce that event insurance will be offered through our preferred provider, Lockton Motorsports, to bring affordable coverage to Model 3 Challenge participants! If you want to ensure you’re safeguarded in the event on an incident on track, Time Trial coverage through Lockton Motorsports has you covered!
Simply navigate to www.locktonmotorsports.com, fill out the online form, and select “Gridlife” as the organizer. Don’t forget to check the “Time Trial” coverage box!
Plaid Wins Mid-Ohio
As an aside, while we were busy testing and training for the upcoming Lime Rock Park event, the MPP.R Plaid was busy pulling off a P1 finish in Gridlife’s TrackMod category, as well as having the fastest overall time in the Podium Sprints! It was great to see an EV finish so strongly amongst a field of fast and well-built ICE cars. Congrats to Andy and Chad of TeamPGR for an incredible weekend!
Concluding Thoughts
We will be in communication with the field of Lime Rock competitors over the next several days to ensure everyone is prepared and has a smooth event. We encourage competitors to check-in, register, and tech their vehicles Thursday evening to avoid scrambling Friday morning before the first session. We look forward to meeting you all, and can’t wait to see the results!