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Rules

Virtual Touring Car Championship 2026

1. General Provisions

  • 1.1. These regulations set out the specific rules applicable to the Virtual Touring Car Championship 2026, organised by GTC Race Center.
  • 1.2. This event is governed by these Specific Regulations and the GTC Race Center Sporting Code of Conduct. The latter applies to all situations not expressly covered by this document.
  • 1.3. Participation in the event implies full and unconditional acceptance of both sets of regulations by all drivers and teams.
  • 1.4. These regulations apply exclusively to this event and do not apply to other competitions organised by GTC Race Center unless expressly stated otherwise.
  • 1.5. In the event of a conflict between the Sporting Code of Conduct and these Specific Regulations, the Specific Regulations take precedence only on matters clearly defined herein.

2. Registration and Eligibility

  • 2.1. Registration for this special event takes place exclusively through esports.gtcracecenter.com.
    • 2.1.1. Only drivers duly registered on the platform may enter.
  • 2.2. Championship registration is free.
  • 2.3. Registration opens on .
  • 2.4. A valid entry requires: 1 driver + Team Name + Number + Car + Team Logo
  • 2.5. To form a team, 2 drivers simply need to register under the same team name
  • 2.6. A maximum of 2 drivers per team is permitted.
  • 2.7. A maximum of 45 drivers will be accepted.
  • 2.8. Registration closes automatically once the maximum number of entries is reached.
  • 2.9. The registration deadline is .
  • 2.10. The organisers reserve the right to refuse or veto the participation of any driver whose presence may compromise the integrity, smooth running or competitive spirit of the championship.

3. Required Content

  • 3.1. The championship will use only the content specified by the organisers, namely cars, circuits and their respective update packages.
  • 3.2. Circuits to be used:
    • Brno
    • Brands Hatch [DLC]
    • Macau
    • Monza [DLC]
    • Nurburgring Nordschleife [DLC]
    • Slovakia Ring
  • 3.3. Cars to be used:
    • BMW 330i M Sport BTCC [DLC]
    • Ford Focus ST BTCC [DLC]
    • Hyundai I30 Fastback BTCC [DLC]
    • Toyota Corolla BTCC [DLC]
    • Cupra Leon BTCC [DLC]
    • Honda Civic Type R BTCC [DLC]
  • 3.4. Access to the content requires the purchase of additional content (DLC), which is the sole responsibility of the participating drivers and teams.

4. Calendar and Format

  • 4.1. Event schedule:
    • 25 May 2026
      • Brno
    • 08 June 2026
      • Nurburgring Nordschleife
    • 22 June 2026
      • Brands Hatch
    • 06 July 2026
      • Macau
    • 20 July 2026
      • Slovakia Ring
    • 03 August 2026
      • Monza
  • 4.2. Standard format and schedule:
    • - Server opens
    • - Qualifying session (10min)
    • - Warm-up 1 (5min)
    • - Race 1 (15min + formation lap)
    • - Warm-up 2 (5min)
    • - Race 2 (15min + formation lap)
    • - Warm-up 3 (5min)
    • - Race 3 (15min + formation lap)

5. Qualifying Session

  • 5.1. Qualifying determines the starting grid for race 3.
  • 5.2. Qualifying consists of 1 session lasting 10 minutes with no lap limit
  • 5.3. Using ESC to return the car to the garage while outside the pit lane is prohibited.
    If this happens, the driver must not return to the track and their session is considered over.
    Failure to comply with this rule results in the driver’s disqualification from the round.
  • 5.4. Seeking or benefiting from another car’s slipstream during qualifying is prohibited.

6. Race Session

  • 6.1. Each round consists of 3 races.
  • 6.2. The races last 15 minutes + formation lap
    • 6.2.1. The grid for race 1 is determined by the qualifying result, with the top 8 reversed
    • 6.2.2. The grid for race 2 is determined by the result of race 1, with the top 8 reversed
    • 6.2.3. The grid for race 3 is determined by the qualifying result
  • 6.3. All races begin with a formation lap controlled by the game, followed by a standing start
  • 6.4. During the formation lap, all drivers must remain in single file and follow the game’s instructions
  • 6.5. Weaving or varying the pace to warm the brakes is prohibited. The entire formation lap must be driven as smoothly as possible
  • 6.6. A driver who loses control or goes off track must wait for the entire field to pass before rejoining. They must then remain at the back of the field; their grid position is retained
  • 6.7. After the race, all drivers are asked to return their cars to the pits at reduced speed without causing any damage

7. Track Limits

  • 7.1. Track limits are always enforced by the simulator.
    • 7.1.1. Track limits will be set to Default.
    • 7.1.2. The track limits penalty system will be set to 3.0 penalty points per race.

8. Protests

  • 8.1. There is no protest procedure. The organisers will review the entire event and issue penalties where necessary.

9. Liveries

  • 9.1. All teams must provide an approved livery for their car as a mandatory condition of participation in the event.
  • 9.2. Obscene, abusive or otherwise offensive content is not permitted.
  • 9.3. The driver is fully responsible for all logos and brands used on the livery. Teams must ensure that they have the necessary permissions to use them. The organisers may request proof of these permissions at any time.
  • 9.4. Chrome effects or any other effects that make the car unrealistic or impair broadcast quality are not permitted.
  • 9.5. Elements already placed on the official templates by the organisers must not be moved, removed or altered.
  • 9.6. Carbon parts, such as the front splitter, rear diffuser and similar components, must not be fully covered with a solid colour. Decals may, however, be placed on these parts.
  • 9.7. All official templates will be provided by the organisers.
  • 9.8. Files and Formats
    • 9.8.1. The livery must be submitted in the following formats:
    • Artwork: .psd
    • Region: .dds
    • Materials: .json
    • 9.8.2. The main livery file must be submitted in PSD format.
  • 9.9. File Naming Convention
    • 9.9.1. All files must follow this naming convention:
    • vtcc26_(number)
    • Example:
    • vtcc26__08.psd
    • vtcc26__08region.dds
    • vtcc26__08.json
  • 9.10. Preparation and Submission
    • 9.10.1. Before submission, all files must be compressed using WINRAR or WINZIP.
    • 9.10.2. The compressed file must be named as follows:
    • vtcc26__(number).rar or vtcc26__(number).zip
    • 9.10.3. Liveries must be submitted exclusively through esports.gtcracecenter.com.
    • 9.10.4. The livery submission deadline is ..
    • 9.10.5. Templates can be downloaded from the “My account” area at esports.gtcracecenter.com.

10. Push to Pass

  • 10.1. P2P provides each driver with a power boost for a specified period of time.
    • 10.1.1. P2P may only be used during free practice, warm-up and race sessions.
    • 10.1.2. Drivers are limited to 30 seconds per race, with no limit on the number of activations per lap.
    • 10.1.3. It may only be activated above 105 km/h.
    • 10.1.4. Deployment is manual: drivers must hold down the assigned key to activate P2P.
    • 10.1.5. There is a 10-second cooldown between activations.

11. Points System

  • 11.1. Race: 75-65-57-51-46-42-38-35-32-29-27-25-23-21-19-17-15-13-11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
  • 11.2. To score points, a driver must complete 75% of the race distance.
  • 11.3. Drop Round
    • 11.3.1. Each driver’s worst round will be excluded from the final standings

12. Tyre Compounds

  • 12.1. Performance Tyre
    • The Performance Tyre will always be the Medium compound.
  • 12.2. Option Tyre
    • The Option Tyre will be the alternative compound specified for each round: Soft or Hard
  • 12.3. Mandatory use
    • Only two compounds will be available at each round:
      • Medium as the Performance Tyre
      • Soft or Hard as the Option Tyre
    • 12.3.1. All drivers must use both compounds during the round.
    • 12.3.2. The Performance Tyre may only be used once across the three races.
    • 12.3.3. The compound used in qualifying is automatically assigned to Race 3.

Example:

  • Qualifying on Medium → Medium is mandatory for Race 3.
  • Qualifying on Soft or Hard → Race 3 must use the same Option Tyre as qualifying.
  • 12.4. Checks and penalties
    • 12.4.1. Incorrect use of compounds will result in disqualification from the round.
    • 12.4.3. The organisers are responsible for checking and validating correct compound use after each round.
  • 12.5. Option tyre allocation by circuit
    • Brno
      • Option Tyre: Hard
    • Nurburgring Nordschleife
      • Option Tyre: Hard
    • Brands Hatch
      • Option Tyre: Soft
    • Macau
      • Option Tyre: Soft
    • Slovakia Ring
      • Option Tyre: Hard
    • Monza
      • Option Tyre: Soft

13. Licences

  • 13.1. The licence system is intended to limit the number of penalties each driver can receive in a championship. At the start of each championship, every driver receives a licence with 12 points. Losing all points results in a pit lane start in every race of the following round, after which 6 additional points are awarded. Losing all additional points results in a one-event suspension.