Damage simulation

This feature is part of the SmartRace Champions Club. This is a big package with cool extensions, which you can conveniently add in the form of a monthly or annual subscription in the app and of course cancel at any time. Learn more.

The damage feature in SmartRace allows you to make races more realistic. It can be used to “force” very fast drivers to drive a little slower or more cautiously. Below are descriptions of all the options you can configure in the Damage tab when starting a new race:

• Enable damages: Turns the damage simulation on or off for the current race. If disabled, none of the other options will apply.
• Which lap time should be used as the reference lap time? Determines the basis on which SmartRace assesses whether a lap was “too fast” and thus increases the risk of damage.
• Reference laptime: The exact time (in ms) used as the benchmark for “clean” laps. Driving several consecutive laps close to or faster than this time increases the probability of damages.
• Threshold for damages: Defines the tolerance relative to the reference lap time. Example: If set to 90%, even laps up to 10% slower than the reference will count toward damages. Lower values = stricter, higher values = more tolerant.
• Impact of fast lap times on reliability: Controls how strongly fast laps influence the probability of damages. Normal is the balanced default; higher values increase the effect, lower values reduce it.
• Race distance that needs to be absolved before damages can happen: Minimum percentage of the race distance that must be completed before damages may occur (e.g. 10%).
• Speed for damaged cars: Specifies how much the maximum speed of a damaged vehicle is reduced. A value of 10% means that 10% of the vehicle’s original speed is available. SmartRace uses the speed stored for the respective vehicle in the vehicle database. You can see what this speed is by opening the tuning dialog (if the vehicle is assigned to a controller) or in the detailed view of the vehicle in the vehicle overview.
• Should it be possible to repair damaged cars? Allows or prohibits repairs during pit stops. If disabled, drivers who suffer damage are immediately eliminated; if enabled, damage can be repaired in the pits.
• Pitstop duration for repairs (seconds): Minimum time a car must remain in the pits to be fully repaired. If the pit stop ends earlier, the damage will remain (e.g. 5s).
• Should driving slowly actively reduce the probability of damages? If enabled, driving slower than the reference lap time will gradually reduce the damage probability indicator, rewarding defensive driving.