International Stunts Master 2010

[Mark L. Rivers]

I'm glad to inform you about the 4th edition of the International Stunts Master!

Like the past edition, ISM 2010 will be an open event which will start next December with a Qualify session in order to establish the list of drivers (max 8 drivers) admitted to the Race. The formula will be very similar to the last year (three simultaneous race) but with a different criteria to determine the winner.

In every single track, drivers will get a standard score as they would get in a normal race (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1). The best sum of points will find out the winner. Leading Time Bonus rules will be the same of the past edition, but due to the different criteria aforesaid, for every new leading time, a driver will obtain a bonus pair to 0,2 points (instead of 0,05 seconds as it was last year). Bonus Points will be obviously added at the three scores, concurring so to determine the best sum of points.


Before to recap all the rules highlighting the modifies, I want to explain why the criteria has changed. Well, I think that there are good points for both systems, but I guess that rewarding the best sum of points instead to the best sum of times, permits to obtain almost three important targets:

1) Avoiding that a big and lucky bug in a single track could affect remarkably the final result of the event, twisting a more balanced and right ranking.

2) Keeping hot the Race until the end, not being drivers dispirited seeing an unreachable monster-time on the scoreboard of a single track: a big gap (around 5-10 seconds) could be impossible to recover in the other 2 tracks for the others.

3) Finally, the points system pushes the drivers to realize their real best time on every track and not only very good performances. Final scoreboard can in fact change a lot if a driver should be overtook on a single track (even only for some centiseconds) by 2 or 3 opponents: sure much more than the past year. And this will mean three real races for an exciting and open final standing until the end.

Just to take confidence with the new criteria, you can check the attached images that show the final score of the last edition and how it would be resulted applying the new criteria. As you can see, the positions wouldn't be changed, but it would be resulted a more sharp challenge: it would have been enough to invert the positions of the 3rd and the 4th in track B (divided by only 0,25 seconds) to see a different winner.

Anyway, here you can read all the info about the rules, the dates and other stuff. In red the changes respect the last edition.


TRACKS

All the tracks will be created from contest manager, but he won't be able to realize useful replays before the start of the contest. Just before the publication of the official tracks, I will ask to three participants to tell me a letter of the alphabet. I'll insert the three letters in the name of the track obtaining so new .TRK files, which will be the official ones used in the contest. For example, I create a track named A10.TRK. Subsequently, just before its publication, I ask to 3 drivers to tell me one letter each of them, at own their choice. For example, thinking that the 3 letters they tell me are B, G and X, I will rename the file A10.TRK in A10-BGX.TRK. In this way, whatever replay I had realized before on that track won't be utilizable.


FORMULA

Qualifying
Drivers will have two weeks to realize their fastest times on a single track in order to reach the qualification for the Race. There will be only two updates (the first one planned after the first week, the second one planned 3 days before the end) but a LTB system will push to discover own cards. A the end of the 2 weeks, only the fastest 80% of drivers (LTB included) will be qualified, until a maximum of 8 drivers.

For example:
1) If 8 drivers will send a time to qualify, only the fastest 6 (80% of 8 = 6,4) will take part at the Final Phase;
2) If 10 or more drivers will send a time to qualify, only the fastest 8 will take part at the Race;


Race
Drivers will have to race simultaneously on 3 tracks for almost 4 weeks. The winner will be the driver who will obtain the best sum of points got on every track, including the sum of Leading Time Bonus got.


LEADING TIME BONUS

Qualifying
There will be two checkpoints where it will be relieved the positions of the drivers.
First driver at every checkpoint will gain 1"20 bonus on his final time.
Second driver at every checkpoint will gain 0"80 bonus on his final time.
Third driver at every checkpoint will gain 0"40 bonus on his final time.

Race
Leading Time Bonus will be calculated in this way: 0,2 seconds for every new leading time sent on every different track. Anyway, there are some restrictions:

1) A driver can get the Time Bonus only one time in a day, that is only one time between 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 (GMT+1) of every day.

2) Time Bonus won't be assigned to a driver if he results already 1st with a leading time (realized in a previous day) that had permitted him to get Time Bonus

3) Time Bonus will be assigned to a driver if he results already 1st with a leading time (realized in a previous day) that had NOT permitted him to get Time Bonus

4) Time Bonus won't be assigned in the first day of race (5th Jan 2009 ) and in the last two days of Race (28th and 29th Jan 2009 ), which will be Quiet Days.

5) Contest Manager will get the Time Bonus only if his time will result the best at the moment of the update.


UPDATE

The site will be usually update daily, so to permit to the drivers to see the statement about positions and LTB got.


REPLAYS

Sending
Drivers have to send own replays writing in the subject of the mail the following data:

1) Time(s) of the replay(s)
2) Track(s) related.

For example, if a driver sent a mail attaching replays realized on Track A and Track C, the subject of the mail should be: Track A: 1.10,55     Track C: 1.05,60
The time(s) written in the subject of the mail will be assumed as official time. This will permit a faster update consenting to postpone the check of the replays (with RPLINFO utility).


Checking
Replays will be checked as soon as possible with RPLINFO utility. The presence of divergences between official times declared and effective times relieved checking the replays, will comport a penalty time: 1 second if time sent was a leading time and 0,2 seconds if it wasn't a leading time.


Contest Manager replays
As usual in SDR, Contest Manager will publish his times zipped and protected by password contextually at the update of the scoreboard.


DATES

01 Dec 2008 - Contest Manager asks to 3 drivers to publish on the forum a specific letter of the alphabet, at own their choice, that has to be included in the name of file *.TRK which will be used for Qualifying. The 3 drivers will have to publish their own letter just in time for the start of the Qualifying.

05 Dec 2008 – Start Qualifying on a single track
12 Dec 2008 – 1st Checkpoint
20 Dec 2008 – 2nd Checkpoint
23 Dec 2008 – End Qualifying

27 Dec 2008 - Contest Manager asks to 3 drivers to communicate him a new letter that has to be included in the name of files *.TRK which will be used for the Race. The 3 drivers will have to communicate their own new letter just in time for the start of the Race.

05 Jan 2009 - Start Race on 3 tracks simultaneously
29 Jan 2009 - Finish Race

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OK, hoping this could be a glad news for all Stunts drivers, the appointment is for next December, less than 4 weeks from today. 
Soon you can moreover visit the site, by now almost finished.

[zaqrack]

excellent! hopefully I will have more time to spend on ISM than I had on recent competitions.

[BonzaiJoe]

I will be very busy with exams, but that probably just means I'll race more... I'm looking forward to it! ISM is the most prestigious event in Stunts after Zakstunts, if you ask me.

If everyone from ZCT100 participates, it will be seriously hard to qualify!

[Chulk]

I'll try to be there but as BJ said, if everyone who took part in Z100 is there my chances are very poor.

[Mark L. Rivers]

International Stunts Master 2010 official site is active!

You can visit it clicking on this link or, from now, clicking on the image placed on my signature. Don't expect many changes respect last year, only little details (in add to the main colour choosen as "leitmotiv" for this edition, that is "beige" or "sand"). At that, as it's usual saying in Italy (and maybe not only in Italy...): "A winning team has not to be touched" 

Soon I'll publish more info about what you'll find in this edition about tracks and cars. Stay tuned!

[Gutix]

Striking good video clip, especially the beginning

[Chulk]

"Equipo que gana no se toca" is also used here, Mark. And it's quite a good thing to do (or not do actually) so it's probably done (or not done) worldwide.

[Mark L. Rivers]

Qualify Preview!

OK, less than 10 days to start: it's time to publish some info about the ISM 2010 Qualify.

Exactly like 12 months ago, being ISM an open event, I chose for the Qualify the most popular car. Even if this means that more drivers will have chances to reach the qualify (sure more than if they should be use a car less known and less easy to drive), it's clear that Indy doesn't mean that qualifying will be an easy affaire, as the starting grid of ISM 2009 showed.
Moreover the drivers will find a track quite different from the past edition. In last December, the drivers had to face an unusual track, a bit long, with several critical passages; the way to approach them could make a big difference on the final time, due to reach or not the PG.
This year who will attempt to qualify will have to race on a quite short and various track, where the precision guide through large curves, jumps and tight hairpins will determine who will be in or out. Powergear? Just a very little tract and not so easy to be reached...

Why a short track for this qualify? For several reasons. First of all, less than three weeks to race; a shorter track means more chances for more drivers. Secondary, I think that we'll see tight gaps between the top drivers and this means a dazzling show since the beginning having all to give their real best if they want to participate at the Race. Third point has related to see a more strategic race for the Qualify trying to gain important LTB due to the system adopted (checkpoints standings, see the Rules page or read the first comment of this topic).

OK, now you know almost all you need to start to prepare your run...

[Duplode]

Hmm, the preview sounds auspicious

[Mark L. Rivers]

Q-Track name

OK, about 48 hours from the start-line, time to know at least the name of the Q-Track...

As the past edition tracks' name are picked from my favourite songs ever, and for the Q-Track I chose a song of my favourite group ever, "the first love" to be precise. From the album "Black & White 050505" this is "Dolphins", a jewel by Simple Minds... 

"Turn off" your monitor (unofficial video is not really suitable) and enjoy this song closing your eyes...

"Dolphins"

[Mark L. Rivers]

Start Qualify!

Here we are, the 4th edition of the International Stunts Master is going to start! 

Q-Track, "Dolphins", is available, download it and try to push your Indy in order to qualify for the Race which will start next 5th January! Remember that the first checkpoint will be the 12 December at 23.59.59, and mind that the first three drivers in that precise moment will gain respectively 1"20, 0"80, 0"40 seconds as bonus time. Strategists at work...    

OK, that's all, for the moment. It's time to say, one more time:

"Gentlemen, start your engines!"

[Duplode]

Mark, I went to download the track and just noticed the TrackBlaster map on the race page does not match the actual track... surely the downloaded circuit looks much more Indy-like than the screenshot one, but still could you please give us the green light?

[Mark L. Rivers]

Sorry, due to a mistake, if you have downloaded the track before now, you have to donwload it again. The correct version of the track is downloadable from now. Sorry again for the trouble... even if for someone, maybe won't be a real big trouble...

[Mark L. Rivers]

A bit more than 48 hours to the first checkpoint: who will want to discover so soon his own cards? Maybe who wants to catch important bonus time at stake... 

[Mark L. Rivers]

1st Checkpoint!

Four drivers already on the track, you can click on the image just below to see the results...

Important news: 2nd checkpoint has been anticipated for 1 day: 2nd an last bonus time will be assigned the 19th December at 23:59:59!