A driver swap in ACC takes four button presses. Teams still lose races with it every weekend, almost never in the pit box. They lose them before the start or when somebody's connection drops.
In a real endurance team the driver change is drilled until nobody has to think. Do the same here. This is the whole procedure, with the rules that get cars disqualified.
How it works in one minute
One car, two or more drivers, all connected to the same server. Only one of them owns the car at a time. The others sit on the garage screen as spectators.
The driver in the car picks who is next on the pit strategy page of the MFD and makes a normal pit stop. The controls lock, a countdown runs, and at zero the car belongs to the teammate.
That is it. Setup, car data and pit strategies travel with the car. The rest of this page is about doing it without losing the car.
| Moment | Driver in the car | Driver waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Joining | Joins first, picks the car, loads the setup | Joins with the normal server password, same car model |
| During the stint | Watches the stint timer. Nobody else can see it | Stays connected on the garage screen |
| Before the stop | Selects the next driver on the pit strategy page of the MFD | Sees the status change to requested. Gets ready |
| In the box | Stops, sees the countdown, calls it out on voice | Sees no countdown. Waits for the HUD to appear |
| After the swap | Is now a spectator. Stays out of the Setup tab | Starts the engine and drives. Must not disconnect |
Before the race: who joins first
The server admin puts your team on the entry list, with every driver on the same car. That is the league's job. Yours is the order you join in.
- The driver who qualifies or starts joins first. There is no forced order, but this keeps things simple. That driver creates the car on the server.
- Remember who joined first. If the car is ever lost, that same driver has to rejoin first, whoever was driving when it happened.
- Everybody picks the same car model. Only the first driver's livery counts.
- Everybody uses the normal server password. Never the spectator password, even if you are only waiting for your stint.
- The starting driver loads the setup. It then stays with the car through every swap.
If you are new to league servers, the ACC multiplayer guide covers how they differ from public lobbies. The setup itself is in the ACC setup guide.
Giving the car away
- Open the pit strategy page of the MFD. If the MFD is new to you, start with the ACC pit stop guide.
- Go to the driver line and cycle to the teammate who takes over. Their status on the driver swap widget changes from connected to requested.
- Set tyres and fuel for their stint, not yours.
- Pit and stop in your box like any other stop.
- The controls lock and you see a countdown. Call it out on voice. Your teammate cannot see it.
Two things catch people here.
The 30 second minimum. A stop with a driver swap takes at least 30 seconds, whatever else is selected. So tyres and fuel are close to free on a swap stop. Plan your long services around the swaps. The ACC race strategy guide goes into the fuel maths.
The auto select. With about 20 minutes left in a stint, the MFD selects the next connected driver by itself. If you want to double stint, cycle the driver line back to your own name before you pit. If you forget, your teammate gets a car they were not ready for.
Receiving the car
You join the server and land on the garage screen as a spectator.
If the camera is on another team's car, press Drive and use Shift and the arrow keys to move to your own car. After that, Drive always takes you to the right one.
Then you wait. You do not see the countdown. At zero your HUD wakes up: the stint timer appears, the inputs and the tyre widget show. Start the engine, leave the box, and remember the pit limiter.
From this moment you own the car. Do not disconnect until you have handed it on.
Swaps in practice and qualifying
In free practice and qualifying you can also swap without a pit stop. Stop in the pit lane and type the swap command in the chat with the number of the driver, in the order the driver swap widget shows them. The Kunos guide gives it as &swap 2, for example.
Do it from the driving view, not from the garage screen. If you hand over from the garage screen, the Setup tab stays visible. Click it after the swap and the game can crash, because you no longer have a car.
Use these sessions to rehearse. Every driver should give and receive the car at least once before the race.
The rules that disqualify you
| Rule | Always on? | If you break it |
|---|---|---|
| Every driver in the entry drives at least one stint | Yes | Disqualified at the finish line |
| Maximum total driving time for each driver | Set by the server | Disqualified at the end of the race |
| Maximum stint time | Set by the server | Drive through. In the last laps it becomes a time penalty after the race |
| Mandatory pit stops, pit window, driver swap, tyres, fuel | Set by the server | The stop does not count, and a missed mandatory stop is penalised |
The first one is the trap. It is always on. If your entry lists three drivers and only two turn up, the car is disqualified when it crosses the line. Ask the admin to remove anybody who is not racing.
The stint timer has its own warnings:
| Time left in the stint | What happens |
|---|---|
| About 20 minutes | The MFD selects the next connected driver by itself |
| 10 minutes | The engineer warns you the stint is ending |
| 5 minutes | The widget turns yellow and the engineer calls you in |
| 2 minutes | The widget turns red |
Three details that save races:
- Only the active driver sees the stint timer and the driving times. The driver in the car is responsible for them. Nobody on the garage screen can check.
- Driving through the pit lane resets the stint timer. A stint does not need a stop or a swap. It ends when you enter the pit lane and a new one starts when you leave.
- The timer can show less than the stint length. If your remaining driving time is shorter than the stint, the timer shows that instead and turns red. With 40 minutes of driving time left on a 65 minute stint, it starts from 40.
Turn on the Pit Info page in the HUD settings. It puts the requirements, the stint time and the driving time in one small widget. The ACC HUD guide shows where it is.
If the car is lost
It happens when the active driver drops off the server. The car disappears.
- Every driver of the entry disconnects.
- The driver who joined first at the start of the event rejoins first. Not the one who lost the car, unless it is the same person.
- The others follow.
If the server allows rejoining, you get the car back at least a lap down. If a different teammate rejoins first, the server will most likely create a second entry with none of the original car's progress.
This is why you write down who joined first.
A plan for a 3 hour race with two drivers
This is how I would split it. The numbers depend on the server rules, so check the stint and driving time limits first.
- Stint length: work back from the fuel tank. If a tank lasts about an hour, three stints of an hour each cover the race.
- Who starts: the driver who is calmer in traffic. The start is where a team race is lost. See the ACC race starts guide.
- Who double stints: somebody has to drive two of the three. Check that their total stays under the maximum driving time.
- Swap stops: take tyres and full fuel. The 30 seconds are spent anyway.
- Voice: one channel, always open. The driver in the car calls pit entry, the countdown and anything odd about the car. The other one listens and does not talk through corners.
FAQ
How do you do a driver swap in ACC?
Select the next driver on the pit strategy page of the MFD, then make a normal pit stop. When the countdown ends, your teammate has the car.
How long does a driver swap take in ACC?
At least 30 seconds in the box. Tyres and fuel inside that time cost you nothing extra.
Who has to join the server first?
There is no forced order, but the driver who starts should join first. If the car is lost, that same driver must be the first to rejoin.
Can you do driver swaps in single player?
You can select a driver change for the pit stop in the MFD in single player races. The team racing described here needs a multiplayer server with an entry list.
Why was my team disqualified after a driver swap race?
Most often because a driver on the entry list never drove a stint, or because one driver went over the maximum driving time.
What happens if I go over the stint time?
You get a drive through. In the last laps it turns into a time penalty added after the race.
Does the next driver see the pit stop countdown?
No. Only the driver who brought the car in sees it. Use voice chat and count it down for your teammate.