The rules below are an attempt to clean up the last published rules with a few substantive edits as well. This is a work in progress and so may change frequently until a new version is published.
Last Edited 11/30/2025
In Championship Formula Racing players are drivers of international open-wheel racing cars. Before the race, each driver will set up their car to fit the track and their racing style. Each turn drivers decide how fast to go, how to use tire wear, and when to test the limits of their car.
Drivers / Historical Drivers
The term driver(s) is used throughout these rules to refer to the players. Historical Drivers (HDs) are optional automated drivers. See the Historical Driver rule book for more information.
Components
Race Steward
Race stewards are not required but can help keep things moving along.
Most importantly, the race steward should prompt drivers to start the planning phase and check to see when everyone is done planning.
They can also help drivers with their options when moving their cars.
Track Boards (x3)
Each track board is double-sided. Select a track to race on and place that track face up in the middle of the playing area.
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Player Boards (12)
Each driver uses one to track their resources.
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Cubes (60)
Drivers use these to track resources on their player board. Give each driver five, but they may need fewer.
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Car Set-Up Tiles (12 sets of 12)
Each driver gets a complete set of car set-up tiles (12 double-sided tiles, 2 for each Attribute).
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+/-20 Tokens (24)
Place near the track. -20 sides are used to mark damaged Attributes. +20 sides are only used by Historical Drivers (HDs).
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HD Only Components
Historical Driver Cards (16) and Strategy Cards (10) are only needed when you use HDs.
Speed Cards (12 decks of 12 cards each)
Each driver needs one deck. Used to track Last Turn’s Speed, set This Turn’s Speed, and make pole bids.
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Car Tokens & Tiles (16 of each)
Each driver needs a matching set. Car Tokens indicate their position on track. The reverse side is used if they crash. Place the corresponding tile next to their player board to show which car is theirs. The back of the tile shows which HD prefers this car.
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Dice (2)
Place near to the track.
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Lap Tokens (4)
Agree on the number of laps for this race. Use 3 laps for a full race or 2 laps for a short race. Each lap takes between 30 – 60 minutes depending on the number of cars and the experience of the drivers.
Set that many lap tokens next to each other starting with the Lap 1 token. These are used to track progress during the race.
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Helper Tokens (5)
These double-sided tokens are designed to help remind drivers of possible Slips and various HD related tracking. If not racing with HDs, all but the “1 Slip/Next” and “2 Slips/Last” tokens can be put back in the box.
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Car Set-Up
Teaching CFR
If you are learning or teaching the game, review the orange highlighted sections under Pole Bid and Core Gameplay below before completing car set-up and pole bid.
Every car is defined by six Attributes: Acceleration, Deceleration, Top Speed, Start Speed, Wear, and Skill.
There are two, double-sided set-up tiles for each of Attribute – representing four different options for each. The number of filled in rectangles at the bottom of the tile indicates the cost of that value.
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Each driver selects one side of a tile for each Attribute and places them in the corresponding spot on their player board. A completed car set-up should have 6 tiles, showing a total of 8 filled in rectangles.
Strategy & Car Set-Up
Strategy in CFR mostly involves when to spend your wear.
You could spend your wear evenly over the course of the race. You could spend more wear early, gain a lead, and make the other cars pass you. You could spend very little wear early, then spend more later to pass cars who may have very little wear left.
Car set-up will be influenced by your strategy and the track. Do you want a high Top Speed? Will you want a high Deceleration more often than a high Acceleration?
Drivers can place a Speed Card over their set-up until everyone is done with this step.
Reveal and Mark Resources
After all drivers have set-up their cars, reveal set-ups and place unused setup tiles back in the box.
Use the tracks [+ image] on each driver’s player board to mark how much Wear, Green Skill, and Red Skill they start with. Each driver starts with Wear and Green Skill equal to the values shown on the tiles they selected for those Attributes multiplied by the number of laps for this race. Each driver starts with the number of Red Skill indicated on the tile they picked for their Skill. Do not multiply Red Skill by this race’s laps.
Pole Bid
Cars are assigned to the starting grid based on a secret bid.
Speed Cards
Drivers play any number of Speed Cards face down in front of them, representing their bid for grid position. Each Speed Card [+ image] has a pole bid value and the number of Skill or Wear [+ image] that bid will cost.
Pole Bid Considerations
Tracks that look hard to pass on will encourage higher pole bids.
The fewer cars in the race, the less important grid position is.
How much Wear and Skill do I want to have left after the pole bid?
Reveal
Reveal every driver’s bid simultaneously. Each driver’s bid is equal to the total bid value of all cards they played. [+ image] Each driver pays the Wear and Skill represented on those cards. Skill may be paid using either Green or Red Skill. A Green Skill counts as 1 Skill. A Red Skill counts as 3 Skill.
Converting Red Skill Into Green
At any time before or during the race and as many times as possible, a driver may pay 1 Red Skill to gain 3 Green Skill.
Grid Assignments
Cars are placed on the start grid in order of pole bid: highest bid in the 1st spot, right behind the start line on the red and white striped side of the track. Below is a chart that shows car positions depending on the number of cars in the race (indicated in yellow). Break ties with the roll of two dice. Highest roll wins. Skill cannot be used to modify this role.
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Core Gameplay
A turn in CFR has three phases.
- Planning: everyone secretly selects a Speed Card.
- Movement: everyone reveals their Speed Card, then moves their cars.
- Clean Up: check for race end, reset Speed Cards, clean up crashes.
Rule Book Layout
This rule book is presented with 3 levels of detail:
Orange highlighted text discuss core concepts.
Important details follow in-line below the core concepts.
Sidebars mostly contain advice (in purple like this one) or less commonly used rules or clarifications (in grey).
Planning
At the beginning of most turns there will be a Speed Card face up in front of each driver indicating Last Turn’s Speed. [+ image]
In this phase, everyone plays a Speed Card face down in front of them setting their speed for this turn. [+ image] If a driver wants to go the same speed as last turn, they can play the “Maintain Present Speed” card.
A Speed Card played for This Turn’s Speed may not be:
- More than that driver’s Top Speed.
- OR 20 mph faster if they are willing to roll a Test.
- More that driver’s Last Turn’s Speed plus their Acceleration.
- OR 20 mph faster if they are willing to roll a Test.
- Less than that driver’s Last Turn’s Speed minus their Deceleration
- OR up to 60 mph slower if they are able to pay up to 2 Wear and/or roll a Test.
First Turn of The Race
On the first turn of the race a driver’s speed may not exceed their Start Speed. OR 20 mph faster if they are willing to roll a Test. Acceleration does not limit speed on the first turn.
If a driver plans to Test an Attribute this turn, the Speed Card they play should represent the speed that they hope to achieve if the Test succeeds and/or they pay the Wear required. But those Tests and Wear payments occur when they move, not when they reveal their Speed Card.
Corners and Speeds
If a car is in the middle of a corner the driver can increase their speed OR pay more for the corner space they are about to enter BUT they cannot do both. Drivers can always choose to slow down.
Because Printed Speeds only limit a car when the car enters a corner space, a driver that ends its turn on the last space of a corner may ignore the Printed Speed of that corner.
If a driver starts their turn in the middle of a corner they may not be able to accelerate. They MAY increase their speed if they can enter their next corner space WITHOUT paying additional Wear, rolling a Chance, or automatically leaving the track for being 80+ over the Printed Speed of that corner space.
Speed After a Spin
If a car spun last turn, the driver must plot the slower of their Acceleration and Start Speed. They may not Test either of those attributes this turn.
Also, the driver of a spun car may not exceed the Printed Speed on the corner space immediately in front of them.
Reveal All
When all drivers have played a Speed Card for this turn, reveal all Speed Cards simultaneously.
Planning Error
If there is no way to legally achieve the Speed Card revealed for this turn, reset that Speed Card to the closest achievable speed.
Move
Move order
In the Movement phase everyone moves their car. This is done in order starting with the current leader of the race.
- Cars in front move first.
- If a car spun last turn, that car moves after all other cars in the same row.
- If multiple cars are in the same row, the car with the fastest This Turn’s Speed moves first. Resolve Acceleration and Top Speed Tests first.
- If multiple cars are in the same row and have the same This Turn’s Speed, the car closest to the red and white stripes on the side of the track moves first.
Rows
Spaces are considered to be in the same row when the front edges of the spaces line up.
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Before drivers move their car, they should pay Wear and resolve any Tests required to achieve their This Turn’s Speed.
Deceleration
A driver can slow down by up to 60 mph more than their Deceleration Attribute. For each 20 mph a driver exceeds their Deceleration by they must pick one of the three options below. They may not pick the same option twice during the same turn.
- Roll a Deceleration Test
- Spend 1 Wear
- Spend 1 Wear
Tests
Before a driver rolls a Test or any other die roll in the game other than pole bid tie-breakers, that driver may spend Skill to improve their result in one of the following ways.
- Spend one Green Skill to reduce the result by 1.
- Spend two Green Skill to reduce the result by 2.
- Spend one Red Skill to reduce the result by 3.
The result of a Test is determined by the roll of two dice minus the value of any Skill spent before the roll. All Tests are successful on a result of 9 or less and fail on a result of 10 or more. Failure has slightly different results based on the Attribute being Tested.
| Acceleration | Top Speed | Deceleration | Start Speed | |
| 9 or less | success | success | success | success |
| 10 – 12 | Mis-shift Damaged | Mis-shift Damaged | Spend 1 Wear Damaged | Mis-shift Spend 1 Wear |
Testing Acceleration & Top Speed
If a driver is Testing both Acceleration and Top Speed on the same turn, Test Acceleration first and then Test Top Speed only if the Acceleration Test succeeds.
A Mis-shift causes the driver to reset This Turn’s Speed to 40 less than attempted. Replace the Speed Card currently in that driver’s This Turn’s Speed area with a Speed Card that represents their new speed for this turn.
If an Attribute is damaged, place a -20 token on top of the Attribute on that driver’s player board. That Attribute is reduced by 20 for the rest of the race.
If this is the second time this driver has damaged their Deceleration, their car is eliminated from the race. If a driver previously damaged their Top Speed Attribute and then damages either their Top Speed or Acceleration, their car is retired. If a driver previously damaged their Acceleration and then damages either their Top Speed or Acceleration, their car is also retired. In all of the above cases immediately remove their car from the track.
Die Rolls When Out of Wear
If the result of any die-roll requires a driver to spend a Wear they do not have, that driver’s car automatically spins in addition to any other results.
Basic Movement Rules
A driver’s This Turn’s Speed determines how many spaces their car will move this turn.
Cars can only move forwards — either straight ahead or diagonally. The front of the space a car is moving from must be parallel to the back of the space that car is moving into.
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A car cannot end its move in a space that another car occupies.
A car can move through a space that another car occupies, but only after it’s driver successfully makes a forced passing roll.
Move Guidance
When a driver is uncertain about their options, experienced drivers should lay out their choices and the potential results such as Wear used, dice to be rolled, resulting track position.
Forced Passing
If one car wants to move through a space occupied by another car, a forced pass must be attempted.
During a forced pass attempt, the car that is moving through the occupied space is called the attacker and the car that currently occupies that space is called the defender.
Step 1: Attacker picks one defender.
Often the attacker has more than one car it could pass to get where it is trying to go.
Step 2: Defender spends Skill to make the pass harder.
The defender may pick one of the below options. If the defender is currently spun or crashed, they may not spend any Skill.
- Spend no Skill.
- Spend one Green Skill to increase the result by 1.
- Spend two Green Skill to increase the result by 2.
- Spend one Red Skill to increase the result by 3.
Spin or Crash after a Successful Pass If the attacker succeeds but immediately spins place their car in the space just past the defender. If that space is a corner space, the attacker must pay for that space if they haven’t already paid for this corner. If the attacker crashes after a forced pass as the result of a failed Chance roll, place them in any empty space in the same row or the same number of space(s) into a corner. Step 3: Attacker spends Skill to make the pass easier.
The attacker picks only one of the below options.
- Spend no Skill.
- Spend one Green Skill to decrease the result by 1. The attacker loses any benefits from using a Racing Line that goes through the occupied space.
- Spend two Green Skill to decrease the result by 2. The attacker loses any benefits from using a Racing Line that goes through the occupied space.
- Spend one Red Skill to decrease the result by 3. The attacker may use a Racing Line that goes through the occupied space.
Step 4: Attacker rolls a forced passing attempt.
| Forced Passing | |
| 5 or less | Success |
| 6 – 7 | Success, spend 1 Wear |
| 8 – 9 | Success, spend 2 Wear |
| 10 – 12 | Failure |
Forced Passing and Corners
Unless the forced pass is a success the attacker in a forced pass does not enter the space that the defender occupies, or any of the spaces after. From a timing perspective, a driver must deal with any corner spaces they enter before a forced pass, then deal with the forced pass, then deal with the space the defender occupies and any spaces after that.
Failure means the attacker must stop in the last space they occupied prior to the forced pass attempt. The attacker is done moving this turn. The attacker must now reduce This Turn’s Speed to reflect the number of spaces they actually moved this turn. If the attacker moved 3 spaces before attempting the forced pass, the attacker must reduce their speed to 60. This will require late braking.
If the attacker used spaces gained from a Slip in order to make a pass possible, the attacker must reduce This Turn’s Speed to the spaces moved minus any Slip bonus.
Spin or Crash after a Successful Pass
If the attacker succeeds but immediately spins place their car in the space just past the defender. If that space is a corner space, the attacker must pay for that space if they haven’t already paid for this corner.
If the attacker crashes after a forced pass as the result of a failed Chance roll, place them in any empty space in the same row or the same number of space(s) into a corner.
Occupied Spaces after a Pass
If these rules would place the attacker’s car in an occupied space after a forced pass attempt, instead place the attacker’s car in any empty space in the same row or the same number of space(s) into a corner.
If there are no unoccupied spaces in that row, keep moving the attacker back another row until an empty space is found (preferably one that the attacker could have moved through). Reduce the attacker’s This Turn’s Speed by 20 mph for every row moved back. This may require (more) late braking.
Slipstream
As part of their move, a driver can sometimes gain an extra space or two from a Slipstream (Slip).
Directly In Front
The blue car is directly in front of the white car because the front edge of the space the white is in is the same as part or all of the back edge of the space the blue car is in. It is possible to have two spaces directly in front or behind the same space.
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To gain a slip, a driver pick’s a car (the lead car) that started this turn directly in front of their car (the trailing car). The driver may gain a Slip if:
- The lead car did not start the turn on a corner space
- The lead car started this turn with a This Turn’s Speed greater than or equal to the trailing car’s This Turn’s Speed at the start of this turn (after any Tests but before late braking, crashes, or spins).
- The trailing car’s Last Turn’s Speed is not 0 mph.
- No other driver’s gained a slip from the lead car earlier this turn.
The number of spaces a car can gain is based on the speed of the lead car at the beginning of their move. All spaces are optional.
- 120 to 160 mph: 1 extra space
- 180+ mph: 1 or 2 extra spaces
Spaces gained from a Slip do not change the trailing car’s This Turn’s Speed.
Corner Speeds
A corner is defined as a group of contiguous spaces with yellow backgrounds and speeds printed on them (the Printed Speed).
When a car enters the first space in a corner, it’s driver compares their speed to the space’s Printed Speed. For each 20 mph their car is over this space’s Printed Speed, the driver picks one of the three options below. They may not pick the same option twice during the same turn.
- Roll a Chance
- Spend 1 Wear
- Spend 1 Wear
- Spend 1 Wear
This payment applies to the entire corner, not just the first space. For example: a driver enters a corner through a 60 space at 80 mph. They pay 1 Wear to cover that cost. They do not have to pay again for the next 60 space that is part of the same corner.
However, a car enters a space in the same corner that has a lower Printed Speed, the drvier must supplement their payment for this corner to cover the difference. For example: A car enters a corner through a 60 space at 80 mph. The driver pays 1 Wear to cover that cost. If the driver subsequently moves into a different space in the same corner that has a Printed Speed of 40 they will now have to pay an additional Wear or roll a Chance.
| Chance | |
| 6 or less | Success |
| 7 – 9 | Spin |
| 10 – 12 | Crash |
SPIN: the car stops in the first space that required the Chance roll and picks up This Turn’s Speed as they are now going 0 mph.
CRASH: Flip the car token over and leave it in the first space that required the Chance roll. The crashed car continues to occupy this space until the end of this turn.
If a driver is forced to pick an option to spend a Wear that they do not have, their car crashes and is immediately removed from the track. If a driver enters a corner space 80 mph over the Printed Speed, their car crashes and is immediately removed from the track.
Racing Lines
Many corners have one or more Racing Lines running through them. These lines represent a path through the corner that effectively increases the Printed Speeds they cross.
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If a car follows the path of an entire Red Line then the Printed Speeds that line crosses are considered 20 mph faster. Blue Lines work exactly like Red Lines except that they increase Printed Speeds by 40 mph.
If a car leaves a Racing Line before the line ends, it’s driver must retroactively adjust their payment for the corner as if they had not used the line. If a Chance roll is required that results in a spin or a crash, that result occurs in the last space that the car was still on the line.
Spinning on a Racing Line
A spun car may not continue to use the Racing Line it spun on but may use any upcoming Racing Lines, even in the same corner.
Late Braking
It is possible to slow down after a car has move at least one space. This is called late braking. The cost to late brake is the same as exceeding Deceleration.
Tactical Late Braking
A driver who sets This Turn’s Speed faster than they really want to go could move before another car that they share a row with. After moving one space, that driver could then late brake.
This can be advantageous if you really want to enter a corner before the car next to you does.
Remember that drivers may not pick the same option twice during the same turn. Which means that if that driver used one of the below options to exceed their Deceleration earlier this turn, they may not use that option again to late brake.
- Roll a Deceleration Test
- Spend 1 Wear
- Spend 1 Wear
If a driver is required to continue late braking after exhausting all options above, their car automatically spins.
After late braking, reset the car’s This Turn’s Speed to their speed after the late brake. Remember that reducing speed by late braking also reduces the total number of spaces that car moves this turn.
Late Breaking Mid-Corner
If a car late brakes after entering a corner that car may lose an advantage they previously bought with Wear or a Chance roll earlier in the corner. Next turn, pretend that the car entered the space it is currently in at Last Turn’s Speed.
Clean Up
Lap End
A lap has been completed when a car ends their turn in the last row of spaces before the finish line (nose across the line) or any space after the finish line.
Flip over the lowest numbered Lap marker to indicate that lap is complete.
Race End
When the last Lap marker flips, the race is over.
Cars that touched or crossed the finish line this turn have finished the race. The car that travels the farthest past the line this turn finishes ahead of other cars that finished the race this turn. Ties go to the car that ends the race closest to the red and white striped bar on the side of the track.
Corners, Spins, Crashes, and Brake Failure After the Finish
If their car enters a corner after finishing the race, the driver must pay for the Printed Speed of that corner as they normally would.
Cars that crash after finishing the race are considered to have not finished the race.
Cars that spin or suffer brake failure (damaging their Deceleration a second time) after finishing the race are considered to have finished last among other cars that finished the race that turn.
Engine Failure at the Finish
If a car suffers engine failure within sight of the start-finish line (damaging the Top Speed or Acceleration after having damaged either Top Speed or Acceleration previously this race), the car is not immediately removed from the track. Instead, the driver resets This Turn’s Speed to half their speed after failing the Test (round down) and then moves their car. If the car crosses the finish line this turn, it is considered to have finished the race. Otherwise, the car is removed from the track.
If not all cars finish the race on the same turn, you may continue until all cars have finished.
Clear Crashed and Finished Cars
Remove from the track all crashed cars and cars that have finished the race.
Reset Speed Cards
After all cars have moved, each driver picks up their Last Turn’s Speed and replaces it with This Turn’s Speed. All other Speed Cards go back into their hand. If a driver ended this turn spun or otherwise at 0 mph, they can pick up all Speed Cards.