The Stewardship System
What Stewards Do
- Monitor heat races live
- Review incidents with full race footage and context
- Make fair, informed penalty decisions
- Publish decisions publicly with their reasoning
- Hear driver appeals and reconsider if justified
- Certify race results before scores and payouts are processed
Most sim racing platforms use automated contact detection or nothing at all. We use real stewards because automation misses context. A steward watches the whole race, understands the situation, and makes a fair call. That fairness is what makes SimToCircuit credible.
Penalty Types
Racing Incident
Minor contact that is part of close racing. Documented on the penalty log but no penalty applied.
Avoidable Contact
You hit someone when you could have avoided it. Penalty applied.
Deliberate Contact
Intentional contact or clearly retaliatory driving. Larger penalty.
Track Limits
Going off track and gaining an advantage. Time penalty or position change.
Unsafe Rejoin
Rejoining the track dangerously. Penalty and possible safety review.
Steward Tiers & Pay
Stewards advance through four tiers based on experience, ratings, and demonstrated judgment.
Tier 0 — Apprentice
Heats: Heat 1 (shadowing, with oversight)
Pay: $5/race
Observe and shadow Tier 2+ stewards. 100% of decisions reviewed.
Tier 1 — Provisional
Heats: Heat 1 (solo)
Pay: $5/race
Officiate Heat 1 races independently. 100% reviewed by Tier 2+.
Tier 2 — Established
Heats: Heat 1 & Heat 2
Pay: $5 (H1) / $15 (H2) per race
Handle higher-complexity incidents. Mentor apprentices. ~25% spot-check review.
Tier 3 — Senior
Heats: All heats (H1–H4)
Pay: $5 / $15 / $25 / $50 per race by heat
Championship-level incidents. Review Tier 1 decisions. Trust-based oversight.
How to Become a Steward
Requirements to apply:
- Active Racing subscription
- 5 or more completed heat races on SimToCircuit
- iRacing C license minimum
- iRacing safety rating 3.5+
- Clean account (no active penalties)
- Pass the stewardship competency test
Once approved, you start at Tier 0 as an apprentice. Tier promotions happen automatically when you meet the race count and rating thresholds — no additional application needed.
Stewards cannot coach. One role at a time.
Appeals
Any driver can appeal a penalty within 24 hours of it being published. A different, higher-tier steward reviews the appeal with fresh eyes. Decisions are published within 48 hours:
- Upheld — original penalty stands
- Overturned — penalty reversed, driver exonerated
All penalties and appeal decisions are published on the public Penalty Log. Every decision includes the steward's reasoning. Nothing is hidden.
Steward Accountability
After each race, drivers rate the steward: 1–5 stars. Ratings are public. Stewards with ratings below 3.5 are automatically demoted to a lower tier.
Bad decisions lead to lower ratings, which lead to demotion. Drivers trust the system because they can see it working — every decision, every rating, every outcome is public.