Summary of rule changes for Summer 2017

1. The entries are now split between two classes:
   Grand Pi class - using the same YetiBorgs with Pi Zeroes as last season.
   Monster class - using our new faster MonsterBorgs with Pi 3s.
2. The rules for both classes are the same, only the robots are different
3. We need a decorated YetiLid for you to race, without it we may:
   1. Not run your entry at all
   2. Run your entry with one of our standard lids
   3. Place a sponsors' lids on your designated robot
4. Races will now run for 10 minutes and be judged on total laps completed in the time
5. The top 10 competitors will be given red numbers instead of black if they compete in the next season's competition
6. Custom calibration code will be used on the ThunderBorgs in the same way as the ZeroBorgs
7. Each MonsterBorg has a Raspberry Pi 3, a V2 Raspberry Pi Camera, a ThunderBorg with ThunderBorg Lid, 4x 300 rpm motors and four giant wheels, their house batteries will be 10x GP 2700 AAs
8. MonsterBorgs will not have any programmed Bluetooth or WiFi connection
9. There will be a total of six testing rounds throughout the season:
   • An early testing round first
   • One before each race round
   • One before finals week for the top ten in each class
10. Each testing round will consist of:
    1. A single entry robot starting in the central lane
    2. Two minutes boot-up time before the lights
    3. Standard race lights sequence
    4. Lap timer as used in the elimination heats
    5. Two minutes of running time
11. To participate in a testing round you must submit new code before the round's submission deadline on the Friday before.
12. There will be four heats. Each heat will run as a 10 minute race between five robots. If all five robots are deemed unable to move, the race is declared stopped. Positions are taken from the number of laps completed and the order in which they crossed the line.
13. At least 5 laps must be completed to score fifth place or better (was 10)
14. Both the position and total laps completed will be recorded, and from this information, a leaderboard will be generated based on firstly the total amount of points, and then based on completed laps from all heats.
15. To participate in a race round you must submit new code before the round's submission deadline on the Friday before. We will not run the previously submitted code from other rounds so make sure you submit your code before each race week!
16. Elimination rounds will remain the same format, 10 laps within a maximum of 6 minutes.
17. To participate in the eliminations you must submit new code before the round's submission deadline on the Friday before. We will not run the previously submitted code from other rounds so make sure you submit your code before each finals week if you are in the top ten!
18. The alloted 6 minutes will start from lights "GO". The first lap time is determined as the amount of time from the initial crossing of the start line to the next crossing the start line having completed a full lap in the correct direction. Subsequent laps are crossing to crossing in the correct direction.
19. The final will be a race of 10 minutes total. The competitor with the most laps completed without jumping the start will win. If two or more teams get the same number of laps they will be placed in the order in which they last crossed the line.
20. The finals will use the same code as submitted for the elimination rounds.
21. The top three from each final will receive a place on our wall of fame and some other prizes. It may be required to pay Taxes on prizes, please check with your tax authority.
22. Each competitor is required to submit new code by the code submission deadlines before every race / elimination. These deadlines can be found in the event dates page of the website. The code submitted for the eliminations will be used for the finals as well.
23. To run in a testing round you must submit new code by the submission deadline the week before the round.
24. In all cases you new code submission may be identical to the previous submission, it just has to be submitted on the week before the relevant round by the submission deadline.
25. People running custom SD cards will also be required to submit there updates to the /home/pi/formulapi directory before each testing / race round. This may be an empty .tar.gz file if no changes are actually needed
26. MonsterBorgs are required to display their assigned colour using the on-board LEDs when they are ready for the lights to show which team is running. This will be saved as a RGB triple (such as 1, 1, 0) into /colour.txt. The standard code will do this by default.
27. The lights will go through this sequence to start the race: Off, Green, Red, Green. The race is declared GO on the second Green. If a robot does not go, the stewards may or may not toggle the lights in all configurations to try and get the robot moving.

See our rules page for the full list of the rules and requirements.