Racing Etiquette and Techniques

If you are behind you are by default the responsible party. It might just as well be you lagging as them if lagg is to blame. It could also be a dropped lightbulb or something showing up on their screen but not on yours. The point is that you're not an impartial judge on the track, talking about it if both parties agrees on what happened is the best, of course. But if not you're making minor incidents into something bigger if you start "teaching" people on the track, when you're not necessarily right.

The correct way to deal with it is to record the incident and bring it up for discussion with other experienced racers, and if there is a consensus that they were at fault bring it to the attention of a comissioner who can take it up without shaming anybody. Not to lay down the law on your own out on the track, I've seen more then enough weird examples of experienced racers in this crew having their own understanding of what rights and rules apply to them specifically, and don't think any one person is qualified to judge who's at fault. Unless someone is just clearly ramming people off the road by running backwards and blindsiding people in every turn.

So yeah, if I see you shunting people off the track left and right because you think you have the right of way you can be damn sure I will bring it up as an issue, and I wont care what story you have about what they did wrong if you intentionally ram them off the road. Being an experienced driver doesn't make such behaviour any better.

EDIT: And look to Twilicanes post above for a good example of what you CAN do, which is also extremely effective.

No, you are by default responsible being behind. Blocking and weaving is considered bad racing etiquette, and in F1 it's agains't the guidelines and will give you a blue flag. It does however NOT give the driver behind any right to knock you out of the way, in any form of racing. Judging when blue flags are used in F1 is also not up to the driver who feel blocked. Thus you are by default responsible for avoiding contact as best you can being behind, regardless of what the driver in front of you is doing. Whether or not they are in the wrong with their moves doesn't change that. You're responsible for managing YOUR car, not theirs. This is also important because there might very well be another car behind you being affected by your behaviour, does that give them the right to start knocking you around? And then let the snowball start rolling? How can you then possibly consider that clean racing?

fachuro, I consider myself an extremely polite driver on the track, almost too polite, I'm sure those who race with me a lot can vouch for that. This though, is something I will not tolerate. Sure, if I have my microphone on and they do as well, I'll just tell them to knock it off, which I've done before, but that's pretty rare. On the occasion I am forced to throw someone off, I'll send them a friendly message letting them know why it happened and how to avoid it from happening in the future. Recording it isn't an option for me at the moment and even if it was I wouldn't go posting it on the forum for all to see. That's just making things too complicated when this issue can be solved right then and there. This isn't something that will be happening "left and right", as it is very rare to see someone doing this. Them getting thrown off will likely keep other accidents from happening due to them swerving all over the road. I'm not trying to make enemies on the track, I'm just looking for a proper race and if that's what it takes to get it, I'm fine with that. If someone goes and tells on me for this, absolute zero fucks will be given by me. Again, I am an extremely polite driver and I'd like to keep it that way, but swerving will not be tolerated. 

I can confirm what Twilicane said is very effective. I used to spazz and eventually choke when experienced drivers got close to me and now that I have a bit more composure, I've been doing using it myself. 

You are one of the drivers I consider even more polite than me. I believe at one point I even called you out for being too polite!

Yes, I know you're a very polite driver on the track and I've never had a problem with you when we've been racing together. But then again I've never seen you intentionally take out someone on your own accord either. I don't have a problem with how you've been driving when we've raced together, but the attitude you could seem to advocate here. (Which I don't beleive is your intention either, but I think it can be easily misunderstood by newer members)

Basically my point is that with your choice of words some people might find it's ok for them to be the judge and jury of events on the track, and not wait up when they're essentially the cause of incidents. I think what you really mean to say what ImNotTheJelly said in his post, that if they swerve into your line and get themselves taken out you have no intention of waiting up for them. But again, I don't think we should really put it down as good etiquette in this thread still, as that could easily be misunderstood by less experienced racers as having the right of way on whatever line you choose and basically just sticking to hotlapping lines throughout without care for traffic.