Section One: Purpose and Fair Play
1.1: Purpose
The NRL is a structured, sim-style league. This Rule Book protects fair racing, so that a result shows how the drivers raced and nothing else. Every member agrees to follow it when joining.
1.2: The Fair Play Standard
Every driver must try to finish as high as possible by racing clean, inside the game's normal rules. A driver may not use a cheat, a glitch, an unapproved device or a tactic the game was not built to allow, and may not manipulate a result, a payout or a prestige score.
1.3: Jurisdiction
This Rule Book covers every NRL race, driver, team and staff member, the NRL pages of the site, and NRL spaces on the forum and Discord. It also covers conduct outside the race that harms the league.
1.4: Staff Authority and Notices
Staff may post notices that add to this Rule Book, including a Banned List of setups, tuning options, tactics and settings. A notice is part of the Rule Book from the day it is posted, and is not applied to races run before then.
Section Two: Judicial Process
2.1: Filing a Complaint
Any member may file a complaint through the league's complaint form. A complaint should state who, what, when, the race and the lap, which rule applies, and should include a clip or screenshots.
2.2: Time Limit
Complaints must be filed within 7 days of the race. Staff may accept a late complaint when the evidence only became available later.
2.2a: Cooling-Off Period
After a race, drivers must wait 2 hours before they file a complaint or post about an incident. During the cooling-off period, drivers do not argue about the incident in league chat, the forum, Discord or party chat. Staff may remove posts that break this rule. The cooling-off period does not stop the 7-day time limit in 2.2.
After the cooling-off period, the driver files the complaint using the form in Appendix A and uploads the replay clip or screenshots for staff to review.
2.3: Staff Ruling
Staff issue an initial ruling within 48–72 hours, unless the case needs a longer review of evidence.
2.4: Evidence
Race clips, replays and screenshots are the evidence. Drivers are encouraged to record their races. Edited or falsified evidence is a severe violation.
2.5: Withholding Information
A member who is asked for information, proof or a statement in a case must answer. Hiding information or lying to staff is a violation.
2.6: Appeals
A ruling may be appealed to the Commissioner's Office, and then to the Board of Governors, as described in Article I, Section Five.
Section Three: On-Track Conduct
3.1: Clean Racing
Drivers must race each other with care and respect. Contact happens in racing, but a driver is responsible for the cars around them and must race hard without wrecking others.
3.2: Intentional Wrecking
A driver may not hit, spin, push or block another driver on purpose to take them out, to gain a position or to take revenge. This includes wrecking a driver in the pits or on pit road. Revenge for an earlier incident is not an excuse.
3.3: Brake-Checking and Blocking
A driver may not brake in front of another car to cause contact, and may not weave or block over and over to stop a pass. One defensive move to hold a line is allowed.
3.4: Driving Wrong Way and Parking
A driver may not drive the wrong way, park on the track or stop in a racing line to cause a caution or to hurt other drivers. A driver whose car is wrecked should move away from the racing line when it is safe.
3.5: Track Limits and Shortcuts
Drivers must stay on the track and pit road as marked. Cutting the track to pass or to avoid contact, and using any shortcut that the game allows but the track does not, can be penalized. Staff may post track-specific limits for a race.
- Wall riding. Using the wall to hold or gain speed or position, or to make a pass the car could not make on the track, is not allowed. This includes a last-lap push or slide along the wall to take a position at the finish
- Apron riding. On ovals, a driver may not drive below the white line or on the apron to complete a pass or to gain a position. A driver who passes this way must give the position back, and may be penalized after the race
- A car that goes below the line to avoid a wreck is not penalized for it if the driver does not gain a position
3.6: Cautions, Restarts and Lapped Cars
- Drivers must follow the caution procedure, the Admin's live commands (Article II, 2.7–2.8) and the order shown by the game
- Drivers may not pass under caution, jump a restart or slow in order to cause an incident
- Lapped cars must stay out of the way of the leaders and may not block them
- Lap recovery follows Article II, 2.9 and nothing more
Caution exploits. Sneaking forward under caution, advancing before the Admin's command, jumping a restart, or taking an extra lap under caution is a caution exploit. Staff remove the lap or position gained and apply a penalty under 4.6. The same penalty applies to a driver who helps another driver do it. Staff treat a caution exploit as at least a Major violation.
3.7: Pit Road
Drivers must follow the pit road rules in the game, including speed limits. Pit road must not be used to wreck, block or hold up other drivers. The rules below add to the game's own pit road rules.
3.7.1: Entering and Leaving Pit Road
- Drivers enter pit road only where the game marks the entry, and leave only where it marks the exit
- A driver may not cross the line between the track and pit road to gain a position
- A driver who misses the pit entry stays on the track. The driver may not stop, reverse or cut across to reach pit road
3.7.2: Pit Road Speed and Passing
- Drivers stay at or below the pit road speed limit from entry to exit
- No passing on pit road, except where the game allows it for a car that is stopped in its stall
- A driver may not use pit road to pass cars on the track. Staff give the position back or penalize the driver
3.7.3: Stalls and Stops
- A driver pits only in the driver's own stall. A driver may not stop in another driver's stall or block another stall
- A driver may not stop on pit road outside the stall, except to avoid a crash
- A driver leaves the stall only when the way is clear and does not drive into a car that is leaving or entering
3.7.4: Pit Road Under Caution
- Pit road is closed until the Admin says "Pits are open" (Article II, 2.8)
- When pits are open, a driver who pits holds the position the driver had when the field was frozen
- When the Admin says "Pits are closed," any driver already on pit road finishes the stop and returns to the field. No new driver enters
3.7.5: Frozen Pit Order and Stay-Out Cars
- Frozen pit order. Cars that pit leave pit road in the same order they were in before the stops. A driver who leaves ahead of a car that was ahead before the stop must give the position back
- Stay-out cars. Drivers who stay on the track may not gain a lap on cars that chose to pit. A stay-out car may not use the caution to pass, cycle forward or take an extra lap on the cars in the pits
- Staff may move a car back to its correct place before the restart. A driver who ignores that is penalized under 4.6
3.7.6: Pit Road Fair Play
Pit road glitches and damage or repair glitches are covered by 4.2. Wrecking, blocking or holding up another driver on pit road is covered by 3.2 and 3.3.
3.8: Resolving Problems During a Race
When a rule is broken, the driver affected documents it with a clip or screenshot and keeps racing. Formal resolution happens after the race through a complaint (Section Two). Staff do not stop a race for one incident.
3.9: Penalties After the Race
Staff may apply a finish-position penalty, remove points, payouts or prestige gained from a violation, or add discipline under 4.6.
Section Four: Cheating, Exploits and Banned Mechanics
This Section is the core of NRL fair play. If a method gives a driver an advantage the game was not designed to give, it is not allowed, whether or not it is listed here.
4.1: Cheating Devices and Software
- Macros, scripts, turbo or rapid-fire controllers, and any controller adapter, converter or modded controller that automates or changes inputs
- Third-party software or hardware that edits the game, its data or its connection, or that gives help with braking, steering, throttle, pit timing or the draft
- Any program that reads the game to give advantages
Staff may ask a driver to show their controller or wheel and set-up on camera during a case. A refusal is treated as a violation.
4.2: Glitches and Exploits
A glitch is anything that works because of a bug and not because of normal racing. Drivers may not use a glitch to gain an advantage, and may not repeat one on purpose. This includes:
- Pit road, pit stop, repair or damage glitches that fix a car faster or better than the game allows
- Fuel, tire or setup glitches that give more than the game normally provides
- Restart, caution or lap-count glitches that change the field order
- Wall, collision or clipping glitches that make a car pass through, or stick to, an object or another car
- Speed, draft or physics glitches that give a speed advantage the game does not intend
- Teleport, rubber-band or lag-based tricks that rely on a poor connection
- Any glitch or tactic that staff name an exploit in a posted notice
4.3: Banned Mechanics and Tactics
- Connection abuse. Using a poor connection, a lag switch or a dropped connection to avoid contact, to gain track position or to affect another driver
- Netcode manipulation. Lagging on purpose, or brake-testing in a way that makes the game's collision physics glitch, so that a car passes through another car, avoids contact or causes a wreck it would not otherwise cause
- Race fixing and collusion. Agreeing with another driver to give up a position, to block for another driver, to share points or to hurt a rival
- Results manipulation. Going slow, stopping or pulling out on purpose to change the result, a payout or a prestige score
- Quit-to-avoid-loss. Leaving a race to avoid a bad finish or to avoid a prestige loss
- Hosting abuse. Anyone who hosts a lobby changing settings, kicking drivers or delaying the start to gain an advantage
- Ghosting and shadow entries. Joining a race to affect the field with no real intent to race, or letting someone else race in a driver's place
4.4: Setup, Car and Settings Restrictions
Staff may publish limits on car setups, tuning options, assists and game settings on the Banned List (1.4). A driver must stay within those limits. Staff may ask a driver to show their setup and settings at any time.
4.5: Reporting and Evidence
Drivers who see a cheat, glitch or exploit must document it and report it. Reporting is not a violation. Making a false report about another driver is.
4.6: Penalties
| Level | Examples | Penalty range |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Careless contact, track-limit cutting, a late report, a minor setting error | Warning, finish-position penalty |
| Major | Using a known glitch, intentional wrecking, repeated blocking or brake-checking, connection abuse, quitting to avoid a loss | Points, payout and prestige removed, finish-position penalty, suspension for 1 or more races |
| Severe | Cheating devices, macros, race fixing, collusion, falsified evidence | Race result removed, a season suspension or permanent ban, and removal of stats and records |
The penalty depends on the facts, the history of the member and the effect on the race. Staff may combine penalties. A team can be penalized when its Owner knew about the violation and let it happen.
Section Five: Driver Rules
5.1: Availability and No-Shows
Failing to appear for a race you signed up for, without telling staff in advance, is a No-Show. A No-Show takes the No-Show prestige penalty (Section Seven) and can lead to discipline, including suspension for repeated No-Shows.
5.2: Quitting a Race
A driver who leaves a race on purpose and does not return has quit. A quit is classified as a Suspicious DNF at the least (Article II, 4.4). Staff may add discipline for repeated or unsportsmanlike quits.
5.3: Quitting the League
A driver who quits the league in the middle of a season without notice may face a review of their standing, up to a ban for repeated cases.
5.4: Ineligible Drivers
Racing while suspended, banned or not registered is a violation, and the result is removed.
5.5: Console Account and Profile
A driver must keep an active console account and an APL profile that match each other. A driver who changes gamertag must update the profile before the next race.
5.6: In-Game and Lobby Communication
Drivers must be respectful in game chat, party chat and lobby chat. No hate speech, harassment, threats or targeted insults. Heated talk that becomes abuse is a conduct violation. Race communication follows Article II, Sections 2.10–2.13.
5.7: Website Etiquette
The same standard applies on the site, the forum and Discord. Staff may remove posts, and members may be warned, muted or banned.
5.8: Conduct Unbecoming and Harm to the League
Conduct that harms the league, other members or staff, on or off the track, is a violation. This includes publicly attacking staff or teams, spreading false claims and sharing private information.
Section Six: Team Owner Expectations
6.1: Compliance
An Owner is responsible for the team's drivers following this Rule Book, and for the team's pages, contracts and transactions.
6.2: Circumventing Systems and Rules
Falsifying a result, a screenshot, a contract or a payout, or getting around any site system, forum rule or league rule, is a severe violation.
6.3: Driver Rights and Tampering
An Owner may not hold a driver's rights hostage, block a driver from racing without cause, or contact another team's drivers about a move outside the proper process.
6.4: Transactions in Bad Faith
Transactions made to hurt another team, to hide earnings or to get around a rule are in bad faith and may be reversed. The Owner may be penalized.
6.5: Disclosure of Private Information
An Owner may not share another member's private information (console details, real name, location or private messages) without permission.
Section Seven: Prestige and Rankings
7.1: The Prestige System
Every driver and team earns prestige. Racing prestige is based on finishing position, not on wins and losses. A driver earns points for every finish, and loses points for a DNF or a No-Show. Prestige is tracked separately in each racing series.
The values below are the league's current settings. Staff may adjust them, and the Prestige page shows the live values.
7.2: Prestige Points by Finishing Position
| Finish | Points | Finish | Points | Finish | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 500 | 10th | 85 | 19th | 15 |
| 2nd | 400 | 11th | 70 | 20th | 12 |
| 3rd | 300 | 12th | 58 | 21st | 10 |
| 4th | 250 | 13th | 48 | 22nd | 8 |
| 5th | 210 | 14th | 40 | 23rd | 6 |
| 6th | 175 | 15th | 33 | 24th | 5 |
| 7th | 145 | 16th | 27 | 25th and below | 5 |
| 8th | 120 | 17th | 22 | ||
| 9th | 100 | 18th | 18 |
7.3: Pole Position Bonus
A driver who qualifies on the pole and finishes the race earns 25 bonus prestige points.
7.4: DNF Types and Penalties
| Type | What it means | Prestige |
|---|---|---|
| Clean DNF | A verified crash, mechanical failure or an incident that was not the driver's fault, or a disconnect that staff confirm was a real technical problem | −50 |
| Suspicious DNF | A disconnect that is not verified, a quit, or a drop in a way that looks like avoiding a bad finish | −200 |
| No-Show | The driver did not join the race at all (Article II, 3.2) | −300 |
Staff classify every DNF and may change the type, with a written note, when new evidence comes in. Every change is logged.
7.5: Prestige Tiers
There are 19 tiers. A driver needs to complete at least 3 races to earn a tier. Until then the driver is shown as No Rank.
| Tier | Points | Tier | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Rank | 0 – 2,499 | Plat 1 | 71,500 – 83,499 |
| Bronze 3 | 2,500 – 4,999 | Diamond 3 | 83,500 – 96,499 |
| Bronze 2 | 5,000 – 7,999 | Diamond 2 | 96,500 – 110,499 |
| Bronze 1 | 8,000 – 11,499 | Diamond 1 | 110,500 – 125,499 |
| Silver 3 | 11,500 – 15,499 | Fire 3 | 125,500 – 142,499 |
| Silver 2 | 15,500 – 20,499 | Fire 2 | 142,500 – 160,499 |
| Silver 1 | 20,500 – 26,499 | Fire 1 | 160,500 – 180,000 |
| Gold 3 | 26,500 – 33,499 | ||
| Gold 2 | 33,500 – 41,499 | ||
| Gold 1 | 41,500 – 50,499 | ||
| Plat 3 | 50,500 – 60,499 | ||
| Plat 2 | 60,500 – 71,499 |
The maximum is 180,000 points. Fire 1 is the top tier.
7.6: Ratchet Cushion
It is harder to fall from a higher tier. Each tier has a cushion, and the cushion grows with each tier (200 points at Bronze 3, up to 11,000 points at Fire 2). When a driver loses points, their total cannot fall below the bottom of their tier minus the cushion. The cushion applies only to point losses, such as a DNF or a No-Show, and a driver's points can never go below zero.
7.7: Tier Gap Penalty
A high-tier driver who finishes poorly in a field of much lower-tier drivers has their earned points reduced. The reduction applies when the driver is at least 4 tiers above the average tier of the field and finishes worse than 10th. The current reduction is 30% of the points earned for the finish.
7.8: Quitting a Race
A driver who quits a race and does not return takes at least the Suspicious DNF penalty (7.4). Staff may add discipline under Section Four (4.6).
7.9: Team Prestige
Team prestige is counted two ways: from the team's own race results, and from the average prestige of the team's drivers. Both are shown on the team page.
7.10: Rankings
Staff may publish power rankings during the season. Power rankings are opinion and do not change the standings, payouts or promotion and relegation.
Section Eight: Results, Stats and Records
8.1: Official Results
Staff enter results from the final results screen and check them by hand. Drivers may be asked to submit their own screenshot as a backup.
8.2: Corrections
A result error must be reported within 48 hours of the race. Staff correct the result when screenshots or video show the error, and then update standings, payouts and prestige.
8.3: Penalties and Results
Staff may change a result after a ruling. A change is shown on the race page, and points, payouts and prestige are recalculated.
8.4: AI Cars
AI cars do not earn points, payouts, prestige or records. AI cars are removed from the official results.
8.5: Records
The NRL keeps records for wins, poles, top-5 and top-10 finishes, earnings and other milestones, for drivers and teams. A driver who changes teams keeps career records, and the records they earned with a team stay with that team's books until they are broken.
Appendix A: Incident Report Form
After the cooling-off period (2.2a), copy this form, fill it in and file it with the league's complaint form. Upload the replay clip or screenshots with it.
INCIDENT REPORT
Race: (race number and name)
Series and division:
Your name and car number:
Lap number (and time or position in the race):
Drivers involved (name and car number):
What happened (who, what, where on the track):
Rule you think was broken (article and section):
Evidence attached: (clip link or screenshots)
Was the incident under caution, on pit road, or on a restart? (yes/no and which)
What result do you ask for (for example, a penalty or a position back):
Date and time of the race:
Date and time filed (after the 2-hour cooling-off period):Staff review the report under Article IV, Section Two. A report that is missing the lap number, the drivers involved or the evidence may be sent back for more information.