Strong iRacing endurance teams are built long before the green flag drops. A clear plan for roster size, availability, stints, and backup drivers prevents last‑minute chaos and protects entire seasons of preparation.
Choosing roster size by race length and time zones
Roster size should match both race length and the time zones of your drivers. Too few drivers creates fatigue and risk; too many creates confusion and idle teammates.
- 6‑hour races
- Ideal: 2–3 drivers. Two experienced drivers can split the race evenly; three is safer if schedules are tight or someone is new to endurance.
- Tip: Avoid running solo unless the event rules require it; shared stints usually produce more consistent average pace.
- 12‑hour races
- Ideal: 3–4 drivers. Three committed drivers work if everyone can handle multiple stints; four allows more flexible rotation and fewer “marathon” runs.
- Time zones: Try to anchor at least one driver in each main block (Americas/Europe) so no one must race deep into their night.
- 24‑hour races
- Ideal: 4–6 drivers. Four serious, reliable drivers is the minimum for a comfortable 24h; five or six gives maximum flexibility and illness/real‑life coverage.
- Time zones: Mix regions (NA, EU, possibly APAC) so every part of the clock has at least two awake drivers for handovers.
When in doubt, lean toward one extra driver, then manage expectations about minimum stints and seat time early.
Building redundancy with subs (and why it saves seasons)
Endurance seasons fail more often from life issues than from pace problems. Sub drivers are your insurance policy against that.
- Why subs matter
- Real life cancels races: work, family, sickness, internet issues—having at least one or two trusted subs prevents last‑minute withdrawals.
- Long seasons are unpredictable: across a calendar of specials and series rounds, someone will eventually miss an event.
- How to integrate subs
- Treat subs as part of the team: keep them in the same Discord, share setups, and invite them to occasional practices so they stay familiar with the car.
- Define their role: some subs are “emergency only,” others share driving duties on specific events where regulars are weak or busy.
- Expectations for subs
- Make clear what minimum prep is needed before they race (practice distance, fuel runs, knowledge of buttons and pit macros).
- Ensure they agree to your risk level and strategy approach so they plug in smoothly under pressure.
Think of subs as a bench in traditional sports—good teams stay competitive because their depth is organized, not random.
Creating a shared availability sheet
Endurance planning collapses without hard data on who can race and when. A shared availability sheet turns vague “should be free” into real scheduling information.
What to track:
- Driver basics
- Name/handle and time zone (with UTC offset) so you can see overlap at a glance.
- Typical weekly windows (e.g., “Mon–Thu 19:00–22:00 local, weekends variable”).
- Event‑specific info
- Each event with date, approximate start time, and expected duration.
- Columns for “Can race,” “Maybe,” “Cannot” so you can see which events need subs immediately.
- Role and preferences
- Preferred stint slots (early, night, finish) and any constraints (no overnight, limited early mornings).
- Note who is comfortable starting or finishing, and who prefers lower‑pressure middle stints.
Keep this sheet in a shared location and update it as dates shift; treat it like a living roster map for the season.
Stint planning basics: fatigue, consistency, risk
Good stint planning balances human limits with race strategy. The goal is not just to fill the timeline, but to keep drivers in their best performance window.
Core principles:
- Stint length vs fatigue
- Aim for 45–90 minutes per stint for most drivers, depending on fuel tank and event rules; double stints are fine if drivers are experienced and comfortable.
- Avoid scheduling the same driver back‑to‑back through local late‑night hours unless they explicitly want that role.
- Matching stints to strengths
- Put your most consistent, calm drivers into high‑risk windows (night, heavy traffic, weather changes) instead of only the fastest.
- Use more aggressive drivers when track conditions are stable and strategy calls are clear, not in chaos periods.
- Risk management
- Agree before the race on a global “risk budget”: how hard to fight backmarkers, how early to push, and how you handle marginal moves.
- Plan recovery stints: after a big incident or spin, drop the risk level, reset mentally, and protect Safety Rating and car health.
Always share the stint plan in advance, but stay flexible; safety car timing, penalties, and fatigue can make mid‑race adjustments necessary.
Handling no‑shows with a clear team policy
No‑shows happen, but how you handle them decides whether your group stays healthy or burns out. A simple, written policy prevents arguments later.
Pieces of a solid policy:
- Communication expectations
- Require drivers to confirm attendance a set time before each event (for example, 24 hours for majors, a few hours for shorter races).
- Ask that anyone who cannot attend posts as early as possible so you can activate subs or adjust stints.
- First‑time no‑show
- Treat the first genuine emergency as a learning moment: have a short conversation, gather context, and remind them of the impact on teammates.
- Adjust future planning if their schedule seems less stable than expected.
- Repeated no‑shows
- After multiple uncommunicated absences, reduce that driver’s role to sub or bench until reliability improves.
- If behavior does not change, be willing to part ways politely to protect the rest of the roster.
State this policy up front when people join, so consequences feel fair and predictable, not personal.
Use an endurance planning checklist or scorecard
To simplify all of this, create or download a “Teammate Vetting and Endurance Planning Scorecard” that includes:
- Roster size targets by race length
- A template availability sheet
- A simple stint planner (with time zones)
- A checklist for subs and no‑show policies
Having this all in one PDF or Notion template encourages your whole team to follow the same process, turning your endurance program into something stable, repeatable, and much less stressful.
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