Clearly regulated: This is how it goes after the cancellation

The procedure after a red flag at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring is clearly regulated. For many teams, the repair time gained is an unexpected gift, as no parc fermé regulations apply. The race is reset to zero, so to speak, and then restarted when conditions allow. The start takes place in three groups, with the first group lining up (not one behind the other) and the second and third groups setting off from a formation that also forms a line within the first lap. All participants initially resume the race behind a lead vehicle, which pulls out after the first lap. Only then may they accelerate again from the start line.

The regulations also stipulate clear rules for the starting order, which are intended to ensure a high degree of fairness: The order is based on the position of the race on the lap in which the respective class leader crossed the finish line for the penultimate time before the red flag. The minimum pit stop times accumulated at this point, including any time penalties, are included in this result – because a certain minimum time for the next completed pit stop is due for each completed race lap in the individual classes. An SP9 car that has just been in the pits, for example, would have to observe a pit stop time of 56 seconds after one lap and 197 seconds after 8 laps. The differences caused in this way by the different stint lengths at the time of the cancellation are included in the result, which can lead to a deviation from the finishing order at the time of the cancellation. Special rules apply to those vehicles that were already in a longer repair break at the time of the cancellation.

References to read